By Joe Davidson
Worrell Williams has become a pest, the gnat buzzing in your ear. The Cal senior linebacker implores Bears coach Jeff Tedford to put him in on offense. Not full time, mind you, just in goal-line situations – the good stuff. "Asks me every day," Tedford said. " 'Coach, I'm ready. Come on, coach, put me in there.' I remind him we have guys for that. We need him to do what he does." What Williams does best is flatten ballcarriers. His running days are well behind him, tracing back to Grant High School where he was as bullish with a ball as he was on ball carriers. At Cal, Williams has emerged as a leader, eager to do anything to help put last year's crash-and-burn season to rest.
Cal started 5-0 and climbed to No. 2, with the likely move to No. 1 had it defeated visiting Oregon State on Oct. 13. But a loss to the Beavers and the subsequent tailspin produced a bitter 7-6 finish that had Tedford wondering recently, "I'm not sure we'll ever know exactly what happened." Williams has an idea. Loss of focus. "We've been spoiled during the Tedford era," Williams said. "We allowed small mistakes in the games – missed tackle here, blown assignment there – to build, and it added up to losses. We've learned." Williams and linebacking partner Zack Follett head one of the Pacific-10 Conference's top defenses. The secondary is led by Syd Thompson. And here's a first: It's the offense that has questions. Tedford settled the quarterback debate by naming Kevin Riley the starter over Nate Longshore. But who will catch the ball? Cal lost all of its wide receivers, including DeSean Jackson. The new featured back is speedster Jahvid Best, and the offensive line includes All-America center Alex Mack. And there's always Williams, eager for an extra chance of contact. "I tell coach, 'Hey, put me in if you want to score, or at least let me block,' " Williams said, smiling.
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