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Jonathan Okanes Bay Area News Group
Quarterback Nate Longshore has had his share of good moments and bad moments during his four years at Cal, but what he chooses as the highlight of his career might come as a surprise. "Right now is the best time of my career," Longshore said. "I'm so excited. I think we're going to surprise some people. There's focus and an intensity when you're out there that is unparalleled since I've been here." It's possible that what excites Longshore so much about this year is, simply, that it's not last year. "I think it's almost like a breath of fresh air for him, a new start," Cal Coach Jeff Tedford said. "It became so stressful for him last year that to have a new beginning and to have a new start to the season is a breath of fresh air. It's an opportunity to try to put last year behind him.''
If history repeats, Longshore should enjoy 2008. It's the odd-numbered years that have given him fits. In 2005, after winning the starting job in camp, Longshore suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the first game. In 2006, he became the second Cal quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards and led the Bears to 10 wins, including a victory in the Holiday Bowl. Which brings us to 2007. The Bears started 5-0 and were on the verge of being No. 1 in the country when it all came apart.
The unraveling began with an ankle sprain Longshore suffered in the victory that made Cal 5-0. He missed the next game, and the Bears lost. He returned to action, and Cal lost again and again — to UCLA and Arizona State. In both games, Longshore threw costly fourth-quarter interceptions. "The whole reason he came back to play was because he is a warrior," Tedford said. "He's tough. That's what gets overlooked some times. I don't know that people really gave him that respect, of trying to play through pain ... It's disappointing the season turned out the way it did and most of it fell on his shoulders."
The Bears finished the regular season 6-6. They went to the Armed Forces Bowl, where Kevin Riley — not Longshore — engineered a 42-36 victory. The competition for the starting quarterback position continues to this day. Longshore seems unfazed by his status. But then, it's hardly the first time he has had to fight for the job. "Nate is a strong person," center Alex Mack said. "He has had so many ups and downs and he's handled them all so well. He was getting blamed last year for things that weren't his fault. He would throw an interception, but it would be a tackle letting him get hit or the receiver running the wrong route. But he shows up every day ready to work, very composed. He never looks rattled."
Longshore also is fighting for his future. A year ago, he was regarded as one of the top junior quarterbacks in the country. Now his NFL prospects are uncertain. "Football is like life; there are good times and bad times," he said. "At this point, I'm completely over last year, and over all the nonsense that came with it. I've realized that's behind me. "
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