Rusty Simmons
Cornerback Chris Conte stared at the sign on the door warning it was rigged with an alarm. After pausing for a moment, he burst through it, anyway. No alarm. Merely a shorter route to where he was going. Conte arrived at Cal with as much confidence as any player in the program, and it hasn't taken him any time to find the shortcut into the lineup, either. The freshman from Los Angeles got his first start Saturday against Washington State and responded with a team-high 10 tackles. "I never anticipated it, but I hoped for it," he said. "I just got out there and knew what I had to do. I just focused on my job and tried not to think too much." Conte was called into the office of defensive backs coach R. Todd Littlejohn a week ago Tuesday and told about his potential start, but a hip flexor limited him in practice and threatened his move into the lineup. His talent has been unquestioned since training camp, but coaches have brought Conte along slowly. He had been limited to backup and situational duty as a third corner through the first eight games. "I'm responsible to know everything now," he said. "You're taking a lot more plays, so you're legs are tired and you're breathing hard. There's a lot more stress on you and a lot more to handle because you're not just coming in for a couple of plays."
As the tallest of the Cal cornerbacks at 6-foot-3, it is expected that Conte will start again Saturday against USC's towering receivers, 6-5 Patrick Turner and 6-3 Vidal Hazelton. "I haven't been told, but I expect to start," Conte said. "Of course, I see room for improvement in everything I do." Conte verbally committed to UCLA last season, but announced his intention to attend Cal on signing day. His family has multiple ties to the Bruins, so playing against USC has double benefits. "I've always hated SC," Conte joked.
Lacking luster?: A little more than a month ago, USC and Cal were undefeated and the matchup was being billed as the game of the season. The direction of the season has changed for the No. 24 Bears (6-3) and the No. 12 Trojans (7-2), but the importance of the game hasn't been lost in Berkeley. "The picture sure has changed, but that won't cause us to go out there with any less fight," outside linebacker Zack Follett said. "As far as the Rose Bowl picture, we're kind of out of it, but it would feel good to knock them out of it. "They're the face of the Pac-10, and if Cal wants to make the next step, we've got to start getting victories against them." USC has won five of the last six meetings, including last year when the Trojans won 23-9 and limited the Bears to their lowest scoring total since a 48-7 loss to Oregon in 2001. "You'd be a fool to not think this is a rivalry," middle linebacker Worrell Williams said. "We could be the last two teams in the Pac-10, and it would still be a north-south rivalry. If you're not pumped up for this game, I might have to check you into a hospital because you might not be alive."
Briefly: Former Bears tailback and current Buffalo Bills rookie Marshawn Lynch and his family are hosting a "Family First Turkey Drive," 1-3 p.m. Nov. 18 at Oakland Tech. Turkeys will be given on a first-come, first-served basis, and hot beverages will be served to all. ... Asked about Saturday's USC-Cal game on ESPN's morning show, "First Take," Lynch said, "We've got to pull it out. I've got a lot of boys there who I think are going to hold it down for us. I'm riding with Cal, 100 percent." ... Coach Jeff Tedford had believed Follett sustained a shoulder injury in the Washington State game. Tedford reached the wrong conclusion when trainers were lifting Follett's arms above his head to help him catch his breath. ... Defensive end Rulon Davis (knee) is out for Saturday's game, according to Tedford.
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