SF Chronicle: Cal's bye week arrives in the nick of time

Rusty Simmons

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Coach Jeff Tedford on Monday addressed Cal's move to No. 3 in the latest polls and gave Bears fans an even bigger reason to celebrate - or least to breathe a sigh of relief.  Cal is ranked No. 3, its highest poll position since 1952, and when the Bears attempt to solidify that spot against Oregon State after a bye week, Tedford believes he'll have starting quarterback Nate Longshore. The junior sprained his right ankle in Saturday's 31-24 win over then-No. 11 Oregon, but postgame X-rays were negative.  "It's sore and swollen, so the bye is coming at the right time," Tedford said in a teleconference. "Nate doesn't rely much on his mobility, so I would think (he will start)." Tedford also expects linebacker Zack Follett, who has missed two weeks with a neck stinger, and fullback Will Ta'ufo'ou, who missed the Oregon game with a partially torn MCL, to be ready when Cal hosts Oregon State at 4 p.m. Oct. 13 in a Versus-televised game. Defensive end Rulon Davis (foot) and kicker Tom Schneider (quad) are still questionable to doubtful, according to Tedford.

Cal has been ranked in the AP poll for 23 consecutive weeks and 49 of the last 53. The Bears have been ranked in the top three seven times in the last 68 years, and they were in the top three for seven consecutive weeks in 1937, when Stub Allison led Cal's last national title team. The last time the Bears were ranked higher than No. 3 was Oct. 16, 1951, when they drew the No. 1 ranking before losing to USC the next week. "Any time you get national attention, like being ranked third, you're in the spotlight more," Tedford said. "There's no doubt that can be a factor in recruiting, but as far as our team, we still have to get better." The main focuses of Cal's first bye week will be getting healthy, getting repetitions for backups and recruiting. Tedford said tailback Justin Forsett will be very limited in practice for the next two weeks. "He's been playing with that sprained ankle, which we've got to calm down," Tedford said. "He's really battling through that thing. He's been a true warrior."

Briefly: Receiver DeSean Jackson, who had career-bests of 11 receptions and 161 yards Saturday, has been named the Walter Camp Foundation National Player of the Week and is one of four candidates for the AT&T All-America Player of the Week honor.