Rusty Simmons, Chronicle Staff Writer
Cal is scheduled to have its first intrasquad scrimmage today, but, in some respects, the Bears got it started during Wednesday's morning practice. In a red-zone drill, safety Thomas DeCoud smacked tight end Cameron Morrah and released just in time to give way to Bernard Hicks, who started about 20 yards away from the play but raced to get in a second jarring hit. During 7-on-7 drills, coaches whistled a play dead after quarterback Nate Longshore scrambled for about 7 yards, but that didn't stop middle linebacker Worrell Williams, who tried to strangle the ball out of Longshore's grasp. The quarterback playfully responded by tossing the ball at Williams and prancing the other direction.
"The defense has been pestered the whole camp about keeping the offensive players off the ground, so we're ready to go full speed and take some guys down," outside linebacker Zack Follett said. "We're going to try to put on a display and hit somebody in the scrimmage. We want to see what we're made of."
The offense's response? "We've been pumped up all camp, but it will be different (today)," tight end Craig Stevens said. "We finally get to release a little more." With Tennessee projected to offer a brute opponent in Week 1, setting a physical tone in the scrimmage is important, but there are other questions that could be answered as well. The defense still needs to identify its first-team linemen among a group that lost three starters, and live action also could go a long way toward solidifying or halting Brandon Hampton as the front-runner for the starting cornerback job. "The defense is really coming along," Follett said. "I know I'm not going to see a tight end better than Craig Stevens all year, and our defensive backs aren't going to see a better receiver than DeSean Jackson, so the talent we practice against may eventually make games seem easy."
With coach Jeff Tedford saying the open offensive-line positions have been pretty much won by guard Brian De La Puente and tackle Mike Tepper, the only uncertainties are among the backups. The No. 2 quarterback and tailback spots could become a lot clearer after the scrimmage. "This is a great situation to be in," Stevens said. "Last year, at this time, we didn't even know who was going to be the starting quarterback. This year, we're getting asked questions about who is going to be No. 2."
Briefly: Receiver Michael Calvin, a true freshman from San Lorenzo High, continues to sparkle during camp. He made back-to-back highlight-reel catches during team drills and was greeted after a diving catch along the sideline by Jackson, who sprinted from an on-looking group stationed about 30 yards from the play.
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