SF Chronicle: Offensive line isn't missing a beat

By Rusty Simmons

Cal's offensive line was supposed to be a question, having lost three to the NFL Draft. If Sunday's practice, in which the unit opened huge running lanes, is any indication, the group is already offering an answer.  "I'm not surprised. There are some good athletes (on the offensive line) who had been waiting their turn, and we had some veterans, too," coach Jeff Tedford said. "We still have a lot of work to do, but when you get to practice every day against Nu'u Tafisi and Brandon Mebane, that always helps."

The unit's work ethic doesn't hurt, either. The group is regularly the first on the field before practice, and on Saturday, 15 linemen were on the field 30 minutes before the morning practice started.  The line is coming together quickly with the return of injured tackles Andrew Cameron and Mike Tepper and transfers Mike Gibson and Tyler Krieg, adding to the group the Bears had returning.  Quarterback update: Tedford said it was fair to start calling the competition for the starting quarterback job a three-man challenge. Redshirt freshman Kyle Reed steadily has been losing repetitions, leaving sophomore Nate Longshore and seniors Joe Ayoob and Steve Levy in the hunt.  "We can't continue to rep all of them," Tedford said. "Kyle is going to be a great quarterback one day, but right now, he is still learning."  While the other quarterbacks take their reps, Reed often goes through the motions behind the drill.

Briefly: Crowd noise was pumped into the stadium when the offense approached the line of scrimmage Sunday. Tedford said the volume will increase as the team approaches its Sept. 2 opener against Tennessee, which has a stadium that seats more than 106,000. ... Defensive tackle Mika Kane had surgery to repair a broken right hand, and Tedford said he will miss about three weeks. Kane, who was listed as a starter, could be replaced by Matthew Malele or Tyson Alualu. Defensive ends Abu Ma'afala and Steve Kelly also might rotate to the middle. ... Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Matt Laird was at Sunday's practice in a sling after dislocating his left shoulder Saturday morning. Tedford said he could miss a couple of weeks. ... Salesian running back Jahvid Best, who was on The Chronicle's All-Metro team and finished third in the 200-meter dash at the state meet, was at Sunday's practice. ... Thomas DeCoud, the favorite to start at free safety, sported a Mohawk to Sunday's practice.