For the first time since he shunned UCLA on National Signing Day, Cal freshman cornerback Chris Conte will face the Bruins on Saturday, and he's trying to downplay the significance of the meeting. "It's just another football game and an opportunity to go out and get another win," Conte said. "It will be cool to be playing in front of all my friends and family, but I'm not worried about anything involved with UCLA. It's not like I want to prove something to UCLA." That's the right public answer, but probably not the true personal thought. Conte, who was a highly coveted defensive back at Loyola High-Los Angeles, switched his verbal commitment from Cal to UCLA about two weeks before signing day. Even Cal coach Jeff Tedford said he was surprised when Conte's letter of intent was faxed to Berkeley on decision day. "I don't think anyone really knew," Conte said. "I think the decision came down to really deciding what's best for me and not thinking about the fantasy of playing for UCLA. All the things that fit me best were at Cal."
Conte had been raised as a Bruins fan because both of his parents had ties to UCLA. He said his family went to nearly every UCLA basketball game, a handful of football games and even some football practices. "They've converted," Conte said.
Schneider out: Tedford announced Tuesday that senior kicker Tom Schneider is out for the season with a torn quadriceps muscle, meaning he'll probably finish his career 32 points shy of becoming the school's all-time scorer. "The family is contemplating surgery and getting different opinions as to what is best for him," Tedford said. "We will petition for another year, but that's never a slam dunk." The NCAA usually offers a sixth year of eligibility only to players who used their first redshirt year because of an injury. Schneider was not injured during his 2003 redshirt season.
Rankings reap recruits: Tedford said he had gotten positive responses from recruits since the Bears' 31-24 win over then-No. 11 Oregon on Sept. 29, and the benefits started showing last weekend. Marvin Jones, a four-star receiver from Etiwanda High (San Bernardino County), and three-star linebacker Mychal Hendricks, from Hoover High-Fresno, both verbally committed to Cal on Sunday, bringing the class to 11 players. Jones is the fourth four-star recruit in the group, and the class includes four out-of-staters. "Recruiting-wise, we're going to put our resources where the interest lies," Tedford said. "We're not going to blanket-recruit in other regions. We're going to evaluate the Western states, like we always do, and we'll individualize and recruit outside of the area where there's mutual interest between the player and our program." Second thoughts on second-guessing: Tedford has stood behind his decision to go for one more play instead of kicking a potentially game-tying field with 14 seconds left in Cal's 31-28 loss to Oregon State on Saturday. Even after being inundated with e-mails and calls, questioning the decision, Tedford isn't wavering. "Everyone has opinions," he said. "That's the nature of sports. People can always second-guess things. I'm sure that's not the only play they second- guessed. I'm sure on nearly every play, someone in the stands thinks that you should run or throw or do the other thing.
" 'What are you thinking? Why are you running the ball up the middle? You shouldn't run the ball up the middle. You got tackled. Why didn't you run the ball outside? You should have thrown it. See, that guy's open over there?' "That's the way it goes. I'm not being naive about the weight the last play carried, but as I work here for 18 hours a day and watch tape and prepare, I make an educated decision and believe that was the right play at the time."
Briefly: Defensive end Rulon Davis (foot) is out this week, and Tedford said he'll probably miss at least one more week. ... Linebacker Zack Follett (neck) and safety Marcus Ezeff (quadriceps) are expected to play, Tedford said. ... Told that ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. moved him from a potential fifth-round pick to the second round, receiver Lavelle Hawkins said, "There are no congratulations. We need a win."
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