SF Chronicle: Thompson's tenacious tackle at 1 saved touchdown

CAL NOTEBOOK

Rusty Simmons

 (10-15) 04:00 PDT Pullman, Wash. -- Redshirt freshman cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson took a lot of the blame for some of the touchdowns Tennessee scored against Cal in the season-opener, and now he can take the credit for keeping Washington State out of the end zone. When Cougars tailback Derrell Hutsona broke into the open on a 70-yard, third-quarter run, it appeared he would score. Thompson, who was on the other side of the field and trailed by at least 10 yards, chased him down at the 1-yard line.  "We talk about playing snap to whistle all the time, and that's a perfect example of someone believing in what we're doing and making a play," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said.  Linebacker Desmond Bishop said the defense wasn't going to let Washington State score after the play Thompson made. Defensive tackle Brandon Mebane led a swarm of Bears who stopped a quarterback sneak on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

"I could have left the field, and Mebane could have handled it by himself," Bishop said.  Place in history: Tedford said Tuesday he didn't know Cal had lost 10 consecutive road games against Washington State. By Saturday, he was using the nugget as a motivator.  "I told the guys that we had an opportunity to erase a lot of past history here and put our mark on Cal football," he said. "This is a tough place to play against a team that is well-coached and has a lot of good players, so it's a great victory."  No dancing zone: Sophomore receiver DeSean Jackson was held without a touchdown reception and the ensuing end-zone celebration for the first time in the past nine games. He had been tied with Rice's Jarett Dillard for the longest active streak in the nation.  It looked like Jackson might score on a backside post he caught in the third quarter. After catching the pass, he broke a tackle, spun out of another one, switched fields and backpedaled away from a fourth tackler before finally being dropped.

"I did think I was going to break free," he said. "I got a little glimpse of the end zone."  Hughes-Hill matchup: At the preseason media day, senior cornerback Daymeion Hughes called Jason Hill the best receiver he's ever faced. Hill, a Sacred Heart Cathedral grad, torched Cal for 240 yards and three touchdowns on six catches last season.  "Daymeion had a real focus in this game, because of what happened last year," Tedford said. "He did a great job of shutting him down."  Hughes stalked Hill from side to side this season and limited him to two catches for 23 yards.  "We tried to go into the game and shut down their vertical threats," Hughes said. "We take a lot of pride in that."  

Briefly: The Bears have outscored opponents 192-77 in the first half. ... Cal's captains for the week were Bishop, defensive lineman Abu Ma'afala, guard Erik Robertson and tight end Craig Stevens. ... Pullman mayor Glenn Johnson is the Washington State public address announcer.