SF Chronicle:'The Guy' gets to start at defensive end

Rusty Simmons

At this point in training camp last season, defensive line coach Ken Delgado wondered aloud how quickly defensive end Rulon Davis could contribute.  A year later, Davis provided the answer.  Davis was named a starter Tuesday by defensive coordinator Bob Gregory, who said, "He has really emerged as 'The Guy' since the last scrimmage."  He was consistently in the backfield during Thursday's scrimmage and again made a nuisance of himself during Tuesday's live situational drills. Coaches say his voracity for learning has helped him come a long way since playing only six games and recording five tackles last season.  Basing it on Davis' experiences, they could have predicted that.  Davis served four years in the Marines, including a six-month tour in Iraq, and survived a near-fatal motorcycle accident before transferring from Mt. San Antonio Community College to Cal last year. At 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, he has become one of the leaders of a defensive line, which has to replace three starters.

"I'm a little more pleased than I was (after the last scrimmage)," Gregory said. "I think we played better up front." Matt Malele returns in the middle, but the other positions are up for grabs. Mika Kane and Tyson Alualu probably have legs up, but Cody Jones and Tad Smith also have had their showcase days during camp. On Tuesday, it was true freshman Cameron Jordan's turn to turn coaches' heads. "Jordan is coming on strong," Gregory said. "He keeps showing up and making plays. He's going to play in some capacity. He has to. He's just that good." On one attempted screen pass, the 6-4, 260-pounder blanketed speed whiz Jahvid Best and forced quarterback Kevin Riley to scramble without a target. "When you see that, you think, 'OK, this guy has a chance to do something. He's going to be a pretty good player,' " Gregory said. "We knew he was going to be a good player and that he was a gifted athlete, but you never know until they get here and see how they're going to adjust. He's adjusted great."

Naming No. 2: Coach Jeff Tedford still isn't ready to name the backup quarterback, but he did throw a new twist into the mix. It has been assumed that sophomore Kyle Reed and redshirt freshman Riley were competing for the No. 2 spot, but Tedford added junior Bryan Van Meter's name into the competition. "In the next few days, we'll discuss it and figure it out," Tedford said. "Van Meter is in there, too. He's done a real nice job through camp."  Riley connected with LaReylle Cunningham and Sean Young on back-to-back touchdown passes during a red-zone drill, and Reed threw two touchdowns in another short-yardage-situational drill.

Briefly: Tedford said the team will start game-planning for Tennessee today. "Now that we feel comfortable with where we are, we can start moving toward what they are all about," he said. ... Receiver Lavelle Hawkins (bruised knee) and linebacker Justin Moye (shoulder stinger) didn't practice, but Tedford said they could have played if needed. ... Tedford said redshirt freshman defensive tackle Derrick Hill (back spasm) is making encouraging strides but still isn't in "shape to play big-time football." ... Gregory said Jordan and cornerback Chris Conte are the "safest bets" to play among true freshmen defensive players.