The Oregonian: Talks strongly, carries a big stick

Cal rover Donnie McCleskey's words inspire his teammates, and his hits deflate opponents

Friday, November 11, 2005

KEN GOE

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Tonight, when the California coaches ask players to address the team about Saturday's game with No. 1 USC, expect Donnie McCleskey to bat cleanup.  "He'll definitely get you motivated," teammate Harrison Smith said.

Think Mel Gibson in "Braveheart," which is one reason Golden Bears coach Jeff Tedford likes to turn to McCleskey before a big game.  "I just speak from the heart," McCleskey said. "It's just going to come out, and you can take it however you want to take it. You can take it strong or not. But you know what? I'm coming hard."  By the time McCleskey is done, his teammates are coming with him. And once he gets to the field, McCleskey brings more than words. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound senior runs like a Ferrari and hits like a cement truck.  McCleskey starts at rover, which in the Cal system is part safety, part linebacker, part cornerback.  The rover usually lines up near the line of scrimmage, putting him at the point of attack on a running play. When the offense uses multiple wide receivers, McCleskey often gets matched on the slot receiver -- against USC, that could be Reggie Bush -- when he's not coming off the edge on a blitz.  "I love it to death," McCleskey said. "At rover, you cover it all, 53 yards wide, 100 yards long. It's the whole defense built into one."  The Golden Bears recruited him as a cornerback, but that didn't last past the first week of his first preseason camp. Cal secondary coach J.D. Williams and defensive coordinator Bob Gregory couldn't help but notice the way the new kid flew to the football or his violent impact upon arrival.  Before the first game, McCleskey had settled in at rover. By midseason, he was starting.

McCleskey was a first-team all-Pacific-10 Conference selection as a sophomore, when he set a Cal record for tackles by a defensive back with 102 and had 12 tackles for loss and 51/2 sacks.  "Donnie is such a special guy, we can do a lot different things with him, things a normal rover probably wouldn't be doing," Williams said. "The kid is so football smart and just enjoys playing the game."  For all of his aptitude and attitude, McCleskey is slight to be tangling with pulling guards and tight ends. It caught up with him early last season, when his right shoulder gave way and right knee tendinitis flared. Williams decided McCleskey should apply for a hardship medical waiver and sit out the rest of the season. But last year's Cal team was special, and McCleskey didn't want to miss it.  He told Williams he would accept a reduced role to keep playing. So McCleskey became the nickel back, on the field only when the Bears used five-defensive back sets.  Even with his shoulder strapped in place so he couldn't raise his arm above his head, McCleskey played a valuable role on a team that finished 10-2, the best at Cal since 1991.  "He came in and got us excited and made plays," said Smith, one of Cal's first-string cornerbacks. "He made it through the whole season and helped us out a lot.  "It shows that he's a leader, because of how unselfish he was. He gave up a year, knowing he wasn't going to play that much, going to go through all the pain and injuries. He stuck it out. For him to play as well as he did says a lot."  When McCleskey wasn't on the field, he applied himself in other ways. He analyzed Cal's scheme, studied why the coaches used certain coverages in certain situations. He watched individual players, picked up something in technique or preparation from each.  "As I began to notice things, I would study more," he said. "It was a great learning experience. I learned so much about myself and my teammates and about the game itself."

After offseason shoulder surgery, McCleskey trained in martial arts to improve his balance and sharpen his concentration. He took a class in meditation that helped him focus.  "When things are going wrong, you just take a second and breathe," he said. "It pays off."  Held out of spring practice to recover from surgery, McCleskey took a heavy load in the classroom and expects to graduate at the end of the fall semester with a degree in marketing, earned in 31/2 academic years.

This fall, McCleskey has stayed healthy. He has started all nine games, made 49 tackles, five for loss, and has two sacks. His numbers are down from his brilliant sophomore season, and there is a reason for that.  "It's kind of hard blitzing, when you've got the quarterback pointing you out, the center pointing you out, everybody pointing you out," McCleskey said. "Maybe, if I could disguise myself in another jersey -- but if they're thinking that much about me, that is going to free up another one of my teammates."  Emotionally, McCleskey still packs a wallop.  "He's got one of those magnetic personalities," Williams said. "People just flock to him. When he was a sophomore, he gave a speech in front of the team. It was real emotional, and it was one of those that got the guys going. From then on, everybody looked to him."  Just as they will be tonight, when Tedford calls up seniors to speak to the team about their final home game, about playing the country's No. 1 college team, on TV, and about their pride in the program.  McCleskey usually goes last, the guy who puts the sweat, the blood, the bruises, the pulled muscles, broken bones, the victories, the defeats, the shared dreams into sharp relief.

When McCleskey pulls it all together, he carries every player in the room along with him.  As Harrison said, "I would follow him anywhere."