East Valley Tribune: Cal QB proving himself again

By Matt Simpson

Arizona College Sports Report

Nate Longshore laughed as he told reporters how excited he was to finally play in the fourth quarter of a college football game. It took him three tries, but Longshore finally made it to the final period when he led California to a 42-17 win over Minnesota on Sept. 9.  In the process, the rest of the Pac-10 finally saw the quarterback they expected to see when California coach Jeff Tedford named Longshore his starter prior to the 2005 season. “You can really see in these last two games why Jeff picked him because they’ve really elevated their quarterback play,” said Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter, whose 22nd-ranked Sun Devils take on No. 21 Cal Saturday in Berkeley. Longshore, one of the top two prep quarterbacks in California in 2004, beat out ballyhooed junior college transfer Joe Ayoob for the Bears’ starting gig prior to last season. His hold on the job didn’t last long. In the second quarter of his college debut against Sacramento State, Longshore suffered a broken leg that ended his season.

With his mobility limited during spring practice, Longshore was forced to win another open competition between himself and Ayoob in fall camp. In a battle that was as drawn out as that at ASU, Longshore finally earned the starting nod in the week leading up to the season-opener against Tennessee. “After spring ball he really worked hard throughout the summer,” Tedford said. “So (the leg injury) hasn’t really set him back at all except not having the experience of playing last year.” That lack of experience may have played a role in Longshore’s first road test in Knoxville.   The anticipated matchup of top 25 programs was a dud as the Volunteers jumped out to a 35-point lead en route to a 35-18 win. Longshore completed just 11 passes and threw an interception before being replaced by Ayoob in the third quarter.  “The first week in Tennessee was a pretty hostile environment and the speed of the game was real quick,” Tedford said. “He didn’t have a lot of help around him.”

Added Longshore, “It was more of a self-destruction. We put it behind us pretty quickly and came out the next week.”   Did they ever.  Longshore completed 22 of 31 passes for 300 yards and four touchdowns — three to speedy wide receiver DeSean Jackson — as Cal rolled visiting Minnesota. Though the game was in hand, Longshore never left the field. He won Pac-10 offensive player-of-the-week honors for his efforts and followed up the performance by completing 15 of 23 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns with one interception in one half of a 42-16 win over Division-IAA Portland State. Despite the setbacks in the first two games of his career, Longshore said outside pressures never got to him. “I think the most pressure that’s been put on me was put on by myself,” he said. “Outside factors, you don’t have control over. I expect a lot of myself.”