Rusty Simmons
Washington State's James Montgomery says he'll spend this week's practices running faster than ever. "I'm doing the best I can to prepare our defense for Jahvid Best's speed," Montgomery said. "I'm not sure they realize yet just how fast he is." Few know better than Montgomery, who was in the Cal program for two seasons before transferring to Washington State in March. Though Montgomery was listed as the Bears' No. 1 tailback going into spring practices, he probably would have dropped to No. 3 by the season-opener. Once Best proved he had recovered from a hip injury and redshirt freshman Shane Vereen developed into a versatile backup, there weren't many carries left for Montgomery. The remaining Cal tandem combined for 212 rushing yards and 79 receiving yards in Saturday's 38-31 win over Michigan State. "The depth chart played no factor in my decision to leave," said Montgomery, who ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns as a redshirt freshman. "Year in and year out, they have great backs, so I knew I'd have to compete. "I just really never wanted to go there, so I could never play to my full potential."
Cornerback Brandon Jones, who also transferred from Cal to Washington State during the offseason, had a similar sentiment. The Seattle native, who contributed on special teams for the Bears, also wanted to be closer to home. "I didn't think that Berkeley was the place for me, and I wanted to see what else was out there," Jones said. "I knew I could stay and compete for a starting job and hopefully be playing, but that wasn't the best thing for me." Both Montgomery and Jones have to sit out this season, although they can practice, per NCAA rules. There don't seem to be any hard feelings toward their ex-teammates. "I'm a big-time supporter of all of the guys," Montgomery said. "I want them to do well, because those are my guys, but at same time, I want us to win," Jones said. "Every other game, I hope they win."
Ups and downs: The meteoric rise of freshman kicker Giorgio Tavecchio may be matched by just as swift a fall. The 5-foot-8 walk-on from Campolindo arrived on campus just three days before the Michigan State game and won kickoff duties. After five relatively short kicks on game day, Tavecchio was replaced by freshman David Seawright and may not kick against Washington State. A travel squad can be no larger than 64 players and coach Jeff Tedford said he rarely includes two kickers.
Briefly: Asked about the banner, which hangs in the trees south of Memorial Stadium and reads "We can have old trees + new gyms," quarterback Kevin Riley said, "I don't think anyone on this team really cares. We can't do anything about it." ... Cal's offensive line paved the way for 203 rushing yards and 264 passing yards against Michigan State. Senior center Alex Mack's assessment: "We gave up one sack, and that's too many." ... Tedford said cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson (shoulder) would be in the mix at punt returner if he was healthy, but the team is satisfied with sixth-year senior Sean Young for now. "We have the most confidence in Young fielding the ball. The (top) objectives are to make good decisions and to field the punt, and Young is the best at that."
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