San Jose Mercury News: Cal gets LB Follett back for Oregon State

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By Jonathan Okanes

After missing the past two games and most of a third because of a neck stinger, Cal strong side linebacker Zack Follett will be back for Saturday's Pacific-10 Conference game against Oregon State at Memorial Stadium.  Follett said he doesn't expect to start but will be on the field for special packages. His teammates acknowledge that his presence will provide a boost. "He brings that extra fire," free safety Thomas DeCoud said. "He brings that little extra ball of energy on the field that we all kind of draw from. He's a playmaker. We've been missing him that past couple of games. It will be great to have him back." Follett was injured in the Bears' game against Louisiana Tech on Sept. 15, then missed conference games against Arizona and Oregon. Follett said he probably could have played in the showdown against the Ducks but wanted to take advantage of the following off week to take more time to heal. It worked out perfectly. The Bears pulled off their 31-24 victory without him, and now Follett is ready to go.

"I was watching the game back at my house back at home (in Clovis), and I was screaming so loud after every play," Follett said of the Oregon game. "I wanted to be out there. There were some plays where I was like, 'I would have made that play or I would have done this.' They've been holding it down without me. I've been real fortunate."  Without Follett, the Bears showed that they have depth at linebacker. Redshirt freshman  Mike Mohamed and senior Justin Moye played well in his place. Still, there's a different dynamic on the field with Follett, a preseason candidate for the Butkus Award. "The guys who have filled in have done a nice job, but Zack brings a little something special, flying around the field, coming off the edge on pass rush, things like that," Cal Coach Jeff Tedford said. "It's nice to see him back out there running around."

• Quarterback Nate Longshore, who suffered a sprained ankle at Oregon, is expected to start Saturday, even though backup Kevin Riley has been practicing with the first team.

• Cal has lost three consecutive home games to Oregon State, a streak that dates to 1997. In the Beavers' last trip to Berkeley in 2005, running back Yvenson Bernard rushed for 194 yards as Oregon State upset the then-No. 18 Bears 23-20.  "I lost to them once. That was enough," Cal linebacker Worrell Williams said. "They came in here and actually embarrassed us, really. (Bernard) had almost 200 yards against us or something like that. It was ridiculous. I had a big hand in that. I want to turn that around." Bernard, a senior, is one of the Pac-10's top running backs. He is third in the conference in rushing at 107 yards per game.