SF Chronicle: Steve Levy: Big Game hero now bench warmer

Rusty Simmons, Chronicle Staff Writer

Steve Levy has gone from Big Game hero to somewhat of a forgotten man, but you'd never know it by watching him on a daily basis.  The senior prepares every day like he's going to start, and he musters up a smile each day before he leaves the field even though he's leaving the field with the realization that he's the No. 3 quarterback.  "My smile lasts off the field, too," he said. "It has to. If it didn't then I wouldn't be able to come out here and compete every day."  Levy was at the helm as Cal won its fourth consecutive game over Stanford last season. As the 109th Big Game approaches, his responsibilities have reverted to menial tasks, like backing up the backup and relaying plays to sophomore quarterback Nate Longshore.

It would be tough for anyone to accept going from being "the guy" to being the third guy, but Levy doesn't allow those kinds of feelings in his life. He's managed to maintain a grin through being converted into a fullback, becoming an overachieving hero as a quarterback and being tossed back into reserve status.  "I like seeing these guys go out and compete," he said. "I'm just trying to help this team in any way I can to make it more successful."  He did that first-hand and saved the end of last season. Levy sparked a 27-3 win over Stanford with a 56-yard scoring strike to DeSean Jackson, and he went 16-of-23 for 228 yards and two scores in the Bears' 35-28 Las Vegas Bowl victory over BYU.

"I knew deep down that I could do those things my whole life," he said. "But it didn't hit me what I had accomplished until a long time after that. I'll have those memories forever."

Levy is everything that is worth cheering, because he's a guy much like the guys rooting. He's 6-foot-1 (maybe) and 225 pounds, but he's as tough as most collegiate linemen.  "People tell me that they respect how I play with pride and spirit," he said. "I gave hope to people who have always been the underdogs, and it's cool how destiny works out."  But destiny played a dirty trick on him this summer, when he was involved in a fracas in North Beach that caused him to be suspended for the season-opener in Tennessee. Still, he came into training camp determined to keep his starting job, despite the obvious talents of Longshore and the pressure from Joe Ayoob and Kyle Reed.  Levy looked as good as any of the four quarterbacks competing for the starting nod in camp, but Longshore simply fits the Division I-A bill better than a guy who is more guts than pro quarterback prospect. Though Longshore has thrived, Levy has played in only two games, completing 7 of 10 passes for 66 yards and zero touchdowns.  "Everything happens for a reason," he said. "If you look in the mirror and know you gave everything you could possibly give, then you have to believe that even when it appears that everything is happening for the worse."