Las Vegas Bowl will be finale for several key players in turnaround
By Dave Newhouse, STAFF WRITER
LAS VEGAS — They came from different places, most on scholarship, some as walk-ons, to change the face of Cal football. And they've succeeded as the Golden Bears prepare for their third straight bowl appearance. But now it's time to leave for these seniors who've had a huge impact in lifting Cal from the pathetic to the proud. Their last game is Thursday against BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl. That means four and five years of practicing, weightlifting, meetings, film sessions and weekend travel is reaching an end. Memorial Stadium already is growing more distant in their rear-view mirror. On Monday, there was excitement in these player's eyes as well as sadness, plus the pragmatism that the inevitable cycle of college eligibility is about to spin them out into the real world. "It's been a long time coming, five years for me," said safety Harrison Smith. "It's been fun all the way through, and I got a lot done, but you knew was it coming to an end eventually. I've been counting down the days since summer camp." "There's a saying that good things always gotta end," said senior defensive back Donnie McCleskey. "It's come to an end at Cal, but we know the friendships we made will continue through life. It's going to be a sad moment when that (stadium) clock ticks zero (Thursday), not being able to look at 'H' (Smith) no more. It's going to be weird." Smith, standing alongside McCleskey on the UNLV practice field Monday, grew emotional hearing his friend and teammate speak that way. "That's the great thing about playing (for Cal), a chance to meet a lot of neat people," said Smith after composing himself. Today is the seniors' final official practice for Cal. Wednesday's practice at Sam Boyd Stadium, the site of Thursday's game, is merely a walk-through. Senior guard Aaron Merz, a former walk-on, takes a realistic view of his exit from college football. "You reach a point where you're just ready for it," he said. "Most of the emotions and sentiments were (tied to) our last home game. This is our chance to have one last go-around together, to create one more memory." Removing his Cal uniform for the last time won't have Merz crying in his helmet.
"It's a time to move on," he said. "There's not much more I need to do here. I'm excited to see if I can do more somewhere else." Somewhere like the NFL, where Smith and McCleskey also hope to play next year. Thus reflections and nostalgia will have their time and place. But right now, Cal (7-4, 4-4 Pac-10) must find a way to beat BYU (6-5, 5-3 Mountain West) by somehow controlling its spread offense, which Texas Tech used to decimate Cal 45-31 in last year's Holiday Bowl.
How does Cal avoid a similar fate?
"Eliminate big plays," said McCleskey. "Texas Tech never drove on us. They had big explosion plays. We must make (BYU) sustain a drive." "It comes down to playing hard and playing fast," said Smith. "We've played at some pretty intense levels this season and improved as a unit. If we continue to do that Thursday, it should take care of itself." BYU looks more balanced than Texas Tech to Cal, and that's because the Cougars run the ball more than the Red Raiders. There was a bit of nervousness Monday when the media spotted Cal senior Ryan O'Callaghan watching practice in his sweats. O'Callaghan just won the Morris Trophy as the Pac-10's outstanding offensive lineman. Before Cal's last two bowl games, its record-setting wide receiver, Geoff McArthur, was injured and couldn't play because of a broken forearm (2003) and a broken leg (2004). Would this be the third consecutive bowl before which Cal lost one of its top players? Coach Jeff Tedford said after Monday's practice that the 6-foot-7, 345-pound O'Callaghan has a slightly sprained ankle but is expected to practice today and definitely will play Thursday.
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