ESPN: 2007 California Golden Bear Preview

Here is the link. 

 

Excerpts:

 

Tedford talking about Longshore:  "He needs to shed weight and improve his mobility. He was pushing 240 at the end of last season. He is a big person. He has to watch it. Trent Dilfer was the same way. If Trent did squats, he would blow up to 250 pounds. Nate is the same way. I want to keep him in the 225 to 230 range."

 

Running Backs: The top spot on list belongs to Cal senior Justin Forsett (5-8, 186), who in 36 career games has rushed for 1,674 yards on 262 carries, or 6.39 per carry. Slaton is at 6.34 with Johnson and McFadden each at 6.0. Last season, Forestt was arguably the nation's top reserve running back; running for 626 yards and four touchdowns on 119 carries (5.3 ypc). He also caught 12 balls for 116 yards and a score.

 

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:  Last season, Arizona State didn't have a single wide receiver catch more than 20 passes.  And then there is Cal, with its returning trio of wideouts having combined for 151 receptions for 2,336 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2006.  Although he's the lone underclassman of the three, junior DeSean Jackson (6-0, 166) is the No. 1 threat to opposing defenses. In fact, Jackson -- a first-team All-Pac-10 selection as a sophomore behind 59 catches for 1,060 yards (18.0 ypc) and nine touchdowns -- could emerge as not only an All-American this season but a Heisman Trophy candidate. And that's just based on his receiving skills, never mind that he was a consensus All-American punt returner in 2006 after taking back four for touchdowns.

 

Offensive Line:  This is the only concern in what should be among the most potent offenses in the country. And it's a minor concern at that.  The projected starting five are actually stronger than last year's group despite losing two starters, including tackle Andrew Cameron. The issue is depth; two of the probably start-ing five missed the spring with injuries and there appears a noticeable drop-off between the No. 1s and No. 2s on the depth chart.

 

Kickers:  After a shaky sophomore campaign, senior Tom Schneider (6-1, 191) was nothing short of stellar in 2006. He should rank among the top-10 kickers in the land this fall.

 

Defensive Line:  No unit on either side of the football was as decimated by personnel loss as Cal's defensive line.   The Bears, who registered 26 sacks and forced 30 turnovers last season, return just one of four starters up front, that being senior tackle Matt Malele (6-3, 297). Mostly a run stuffer, Malele had 11 tackles last season, but that's misleading; he often took the brunt of the blocking up front and did a superb job clogging the running lanes. This allowed for the likes of departed linemen Brandon Mebane, Nu'u Tafisi and the linebackers to run free and make plays.

 

Linebackers:  Cal graduated one of the elite linebackers in program history in Desmond Bishop, and while this unit could be solid, there's little depth. "We need to keep healthy at linebacker, the depth dwindles pretty quickly," Gregory said.  The lone returning starter is junior Worrell Williams (6-2, 256) at the Will or weak side. He finished 2006 with 51 tackles and an interception and is considered one of the top athletes pound for pound on the team.

 

Defensive Backs:  While the secondary returns three-of-four starters, it's by no means a strength entering the season, especially considering that the lone departure was Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year Daymeion Hughes.  "Obviously you feel a bit more comfortable with a veteran at corner than young guys," Gregory said.  The Bears need sophomore Syd'Quan Thompson (5-11, 178) to play at another level this season, although after a rough debut at Tennessee, considering teams were throwing to his side early and often to avoid Hughes, he wasn't bad. His vitals included 60 tackles and an interception, but he showed improvement and confidence on almost a weekly basis.

 

Punters:  JUCO transfer Andrew Larson (6-2, 190) had a solid first season at Berkeley, averaging 42.6 yards per punt and earning second-team All-Pac-10 honors. But his greatest asset isn't the strength of his leg, it's hang time. Opponents returned just 19-of-49 punts for a paltry 132 yards.

 

Special Teams: Before flooding this section with numbers upon numbers about DeSean Jackson's ability to return punts, let's start off with just one statistic.  Jackson has returned just shy of 20 percent of his career punt returns for touchdowns. Wow. The official numbers include five touchdowns in 26 returns (19.2 percent). A Pac-10 record four of those scores came last season, as Jackson averaged a school-record 18.2 yards per return.

 

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

When Tedford's run at Cal ends, whether it's in 2008 or 2028, there's a real chance that last season will be looked upon -- not only him but Cal fans -- as their Moby Dick, the one that got away.   Not that there's anything remotely wrong with double-digit wins highlighted by a dominating Holiday Bowl performance against Texas A&M, but with USC reloading every season, 2006 could've been Cal's best chance to win the Pac-10 outright and play in the Rose Bowl. That said, this offense is every bit the equal of USC's, and at least on paper, Cal should score more points than the Trojans. And the special teams units of the Bears might be ranked tops in the nation. So why aren't the Bears favored over USC, which is expected to be a near-unanimous preseason No. 1?

Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Coach rode MSU connections to a career at Cal

By JIM CNOCKAERT

 

No matter where Jim Michalczik has wound up as a college football coach, a Montana State connection helped him to get there. Michalczik (pronounced Ma-hall-check) started out as a graduate assistant at the University of Miami (Fla.) in 1990, working with the defensive line. Dennis Erickson, a former MSU All-American, was the head coach. Miami's defensive coordinator was Sonny Lubick, a former MSU assistant and head coach.  Cliff Hysell, who'd been Lubick's defensive coordinator at MSU, hired Michalczik in 1992 as MSU's offensive line coach. Michalczik left Bozeman in 1999 to join Erickson's staff at Oregon State.   Jeff Tedford hired him to coach the University of California's offensive line in 2002. Next season, he also will serve as the Golden Bears' offensive coordinator. The Montana State tie in Berkeley isn't quite as obvious, but it's still there: Tedford played and later coached at Fresno State under Jim Sweeney, a former MSU assistant and head coach.  "It's amazing how that's happened," Michalczik said. "I owe a lot to Montana State, in more ways than one."

Michalczik is grateful because he says he's living his dream. He says some of his best influences growing up in Port Angeles, Wash., were the men who coached him, so he decided early on that he wanted to coach. He expected he'd have to teach to do that, but it hasn't worked out that way.  Michalczik played football and basketball in high school. He hoped to continue his football career at the University of Washington, which had offered his best friend, Scott Jones, a scholarship. But the Huskies didn't recruit him, so he accepted a scholarship from Washington State.  "I had a chip on my shoulder for quite a while," he said.

Michalczik started as a junior and a senior on WSU's offensive line, and he earned All-Pac-10 and honorable mention All-America honors after his senior season. He played on the 1988 WSU squad that defeated Houston, 24-22, in the Aloha Bowl. He signed as a free agent with the Arizona Cardinals, but was cut during training camp.  Erickson was Michalczik's head coach at WSU in 1988, and the two had talked several times about the player's interest in coaching. A year after Erickson moved to Miami, he hired Michalczik, who was then just starting out as a teacher, as a graduate assistant. Michalczik worked under Lubick.  Because graduate coaching positions turn over every two years, Michalczik began to look for a full-time job as an assistant coach. He got it at MSU, where Hysell had just been hired as head coach.  "I needed a job, Cliff needed someone, and I had good references and connections," Michalczik recalled.  "Those seasons at Montana State were a very formative experience," he continued. "When you're a young coach, you think you've got all the answers. You learn real quick that you don't. Cliff was awesome for a young coach. He kept you on your toes, made sure you did things the right way. I still use stuff I learned at Montana State every day."

Erickson, meanwhile, left Miami to coach the NFL's Seattle Seahawks for four seasons. He was fired in 1999 and immediately returned to college coaching, this time at Oregon State. One of the first coaches he hired was Michalczik. In 1999, the Beavers had their first winning season in 29 years. A year later, they won a share of the Pac-10 title and clobbered Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.  "I was very happy at Oregon State," he said. "I figured with Coach Erickson there, I was set."  But Michalczik had gotten to know Tedford, then the offensive coordinator at the University of Oregon, because they'd see each other while recruiting. Their paths crossed again, fortuitously this time, the day Cal hired Tedford as head coach: Michalczik was headed out of town on a recruiting trip; Tedford was headed to Berkeley with his family for his introductory press conference.  "We just started talking," Michalczik said. "He didn't think I'd be interested in leaving Oregon State, and I hadn't thought about it. Coach Erickson had always been so good to me, but I'd always wanted to work with Jeff. I knew we could do something special."  Michalczik's offensive lines have contributed mightily to the Golden Bears' success under Tedford. Cal's offense is one of five teams to rank in the top 25 in scoring offense the past five seasons, during which it has averaged more than 350 yards a game. Five of Michalczik's linemen have earned first-team all-conference honors.

After the 2006 season, Tedford asked Michalczik to take on the additional duties of offensive coordinator, and he readily agreed.   "As a position coach, you have to take care of your responsibilities," he said. "But I felt more comfortable with my stuff, so it was a smooth transition. Our offense is not a lot different than what we did at Montana State, but Jeff does a great job of putting it all together. We always had a physical running game under Cliff (Hysell), and we complemented it with the pass. We always wanted to be a physical Montana team. It's the same thing at Cal."  Michalczik's MSU connections don't end with football. He met his wife, Jennifer Streatfield, when she was an assistant volleyball coach with the Bobcats. They celebrate their 10th anniversary this month, and they have two sons: Max, 8, and Chase, 5.  Here's another coincidence: Jennifer was eight months pregnant with Max when Michalczik moved from MSU to Oregon State; she was eight months pregnant with Chase when he joined Tedford's staff.   Though he says he's thought occasionally about seeking a head coaching position, Michalczik said he is content to remain at Cal. The opportunity to be an offensive coordinator offers plenty of new challenges, he says.  "A lot of coaches move around a lot, but I have never been one of those guys," he said. "If you're working with good people and doing the right things, you don't have to go anywhere else. I want to help us be as good a team as we can be."

San Jose Mercury: The Best Pac-10 Football Coaches of the Past 20 Years

(Sorry for the delay in posting this…my computer suffered a catastrophic failure (read: corrupted RAID) while syncing, for the first time, with my iPhone last week.)

 

Here is the link.

 

10. Larry Smith, USC

 

9.  Dick Tomey, Arizona

 

8. Dennis Erickson, Washington State, Oregon State and Arizona State

 

7. Bruce Snyder, Cal and Arizona State: One of the true “program builders” the league has seen in the past quarter century. Snyder took a last-place Cal team and turned it into a 10-game winner, and then he revived ASU, taking the Sun Devils to the brink of the national title. Sure, he got some help from the Berkeley admissions department (Russell White), but give him credit for signing a quarterback from Idaho who was passed over by the big schools (Jake Plummer).

 

6. Tyrone Willingham, Stanford and Washington

 

5. Mike Price, Washington State

 

4. Jeff Tedford, Cal: Tedford’s performance in Berkeley has been terrific; his timing has been awful — coinciding with USC’s return to dominance. No question, Tedford has made ample use of JC transfers at the flagship school of the UC system. But evidence suggests he has kept the JuCos in the classroom and out of trouble (for the most part). And his performance on the field and on the recruiting trail has been tremendous. Three years after Cal was 1-10 under Tom Holmoe, Tedford went 10-2.

 

3. Don James, Washington

 

2. Mike Bellotti, Oregon

 

1. Pete Carroll, U$C

Sporting News: Top 40 Pac-10 players

A quick look reaffirms what we all already know: USC is loaded. Especially on defense. Six Trojan defenders made my Top 20 on this list, which is based on potential and past production. But Cal may be explosive enough to beat USC, thanks to what could be the nation's best pass-catch duo: Nate Longshore to DeSean Jackson.

 

1. John David Booty, QB, USC

2. Rey Maualuga, LB, USC

3. DeSean Jackson, WR, Cal

4. Keith Rivers, LB, USC

5. Nate Longshore, QB, Cal

6. Bruce Davis, DE, UCLA

7. Lawrence Jackson, DE, USC

8. Sam Baker, OT, USC

9. Antoine Cason, CB, Arizona

10. Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC

11. Shannon Tevaga, G, UCLA

12. Louis Holmes, DE, Arizona

13. Derrick Doggett, LB, Oregon State

14. Taylor Mays, S, USC

15. Alex Mack, C, Cal

16. Sammie Stroughter, WR, Oregon State

17. Chris Horton, S, UCLA

18. Brian Cushing, LB, USC

19. Craig Stevens, TE, Cal

20. Terrell Thomas, CB, USC

21. Yvenson Bernard, RB, Oregon State

22. Spencer Larsen, LB, Arizona

23. Michael Marquardt, DT, Arizona State

24. Chris Markey, RB, UCLA

25. Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon

26. Zack Follett, LB, Cal

27. Alexis Serna, K, Oregon State

28. Rudy Carpenter, QB, Arizona State

29. Michael Bumpus, WR, Washington State

30. Trey Brown, CB, UCLA

31. Ryan Torian, RB, Arizona State

32. Mike Gibson, OT, Cal

33. Jarius Byrd, CB, Oregon

34. Ekom Udofia, DT, Stanford

35. Brandon Rodd, OT, Arizona State

36. Patrick Turner, WR, USC

37. Mike Thomas, WR, Arizona

38. Josh Barrett, S, Arizona State

39. Jaison Williams, WR, Oregon

40. Alex Brink, QB, Washington State

 

SF Chronicle: University offers to scale back renovation plan

But shrinking parking garage, seismic test fail to sway city

Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer

UC Berkeley officials offered Friday to scale back controversial plans to renovate the area around Memorial Stadium in hopes of avoiding a looming court date with the City of Berkeley, neighbors and oak tree activists.  Mayor Tom Bates immediately balked at the concessions, saying they didn't go far enough.   The university also offered to halve the size of the proposed 911-space parking garage next to the stadium. The garage would still be built under Maxwell Family Field but would contain about 500 spaces, the same number that would be lost when smaller parking lots in the area are razed as part of development plans.

The city, California Oak Foundation and Panoramic Hill neighbors filed separate lawsuits in December to block UC's plans to retrofit the 84-year-old stadium and build a $125 million sports training center and parking garage. The plaintiffs argue that more development on the site would endanger public safety because the stadium straddles the Hayward Fault.   The tree advocates, who include about a half-dozen protesters roosting in the trees next to the stadium, are suing to save the few dozen trees that would be removed to make way for the training center. As part of the new offering, the university said it would plant one mature tree for every one that is chopped down, along with two new young trees.  Attorneys for the California Oak Foundation and the Panoramic Hill Association were not available for comment Friday on the university's latest proposals. The case is scheduled to be tried in Alameda County Superior Court on Sept. 19.  "There are far greater uses for the city's, university's and taxpayers' time and money than on this litigation," Athletic Director Sandy Barbour said Friday. "We're very confident, based on seismic testing and all the other information, that we will prevail at trial. But we prefer not to do that."

Delays due to the lawsuits will cost the university at least $4 million, said Assistant Athletic Director Bob Milano.  To address seismic issues related to the project, UC recently paid for another round of trenching and boring around the stadium and concluded that the training center would not be on any traces of the fault, officials said.

But the city isn't biting. Bates said 500 parking spaces next to the stadium is about 450 too many. The university is already building a 1,000-space garage a few blocks away, at College Avenue and Channing Way, he noted.  "I'd be OK with 50 spots next to the stadium for coaches and a few others," he said. "The rest of them can get physical exercise like the rest of us."  The city is particularly interested in parking and traffic as it strives to comply with Measure G, a voter mandate to reduce the city's greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Bates said he'd also like to see the athletic training center moved elsewhere and the stadium retrofitted before any other projects are undertaken.  The city wasn't swayed by the university's latest seismic tests, either. After the results were released in late May, City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque called them "defective analysis."  "We do not find the second report any more persuasive (than the first) but will not comment further," she said.   As a concession to the neighbors who live on Panoramic Hill behind the stadium, the university is spending $75,000 on landscaping for Piedmont Avenue and $25,000 on a feasibility study to build a second road to Panoramic Hill, which is nearly impossible to access during home football games due to closed roads. The city is matching the funds.

SF Chronicle: UC Berkeley to scale back Memorial Stadium plans

Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer

UC Berkeley officials said today they would scale back development plans for Memorial Stadium to avoid a looming court date with the city of Berkeley, stadium neighbors and oak-tree advocates.   Cal Athletic Director Sandy Barbour said the university would reduce the size of the proposed parking garage so that there would be no more spaces than are currently in the area. UC also would plant one fully grown tree and two younger trees for each one that would be chopped down to make way for a new, $125 million athletic training facility.

The city, however, isn't biting. Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates called the proposed settlement "off the wall," saying that 500 parking spaces is still too many, and the training center should be moved elsewhere. "I'd be OK with 50 spots next to the stadium for coaches and a few others," he said. "The rest of them can get physical excerise like the rest of us." He added that while the city is open to negotiations, the staff intends to take the matter to court. The case is scheduled to be tried in Alameda County Superior Court on Sept. 19.

In December, the city, California Oak Foundation and Panoramic Hill neighborhood association filed separate lawsuits against UC over development plans around Memorial Stadium. The plaintiffs argue that further development in the area would endanger public safety because the 84-year-old stadium straddles the Hayward Fault.

Daily Evergreen: Save the defense, the Golden Bears appear solid

By Jack Follman

A promising set of receivers should align the UC Golden Bears to be a worthy contender next season. That is if the defensive line can block anyone.  The Golden Bears boast what looks to be the best set of receivers in the Pac-10. Junior DeSean Jackson could be the most explosive receiver and punt returner in the country. Jackson put up huge numbers on the scoreboard as a receiver and returned an impressive four punts for game touchdowns. Joining Jackson will be experienced seniors, Robert Jordan and LaVelle Hawkins. All of these receivers are fast and have the abilities needed to get into the end zone. Expect big things from this group in 2007.  Junior quarterback Nate Longshore had a huge first year as a starter in 2006. He threw more than 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. Longshore is a big, physical quarterback with a rocket arm and good accuracy. Expect him to frustrate opposing defenses in 2007.

The Golden Bears lost star running back Marshawn Lynch to the NFL draft, but underrated senior Justin Forsett will be his replacement. Forsett has been effective as Lynch’s backup for the last three seasons. This could be the year Forsett finally breaks out of Lynch’s shadow and shows his full potential.  Senior Craig Stevens returns as the starter at tight end and will give Longshore yet another good target. Stevens is a versatile player who is a good receiver and blocker.  The offensive line should be strong as three starters return from last season. Junior center Alex Mack leads the group and is an All-American candidate. Health will be a huge key for success here as the depth and experience of the reserves is questionable. If the offensive line can stay healthy, the Golden Bears should have the one of the better offensive lines in the Pac-10 next fall.

The key question will be whether or not the defensive line can replace last year’s starters effectively with a new inexperienced group. Only one starter will return, senior tackle Matt Malele. Look for attacks from the opposing offenses on this weak area of the Golden Bears’ defense in 2007.  However, the linebackers should be the strength of the Golden Bears defense. Juniors Zack Follett and Worrell Williams have the potential to be stars with their size and athleticism. The linebackers did a great job stopping opponents’ running games, covering passes and rushing the quarterback in 2006, and there is no reason to believe they won’t do the same in 2007.

Much like the rest of the defense, the Golden Bears’ secondary team is young. Junior starters, safety Bernard Hicks and sophomore cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson, will return. Both players were solid in 2006, and together totaled more than 100 tackles and three interceptions. With a weak defensive line, the secondary team will have added pressure to help stop opponents’ running games and cover receivers, without the aid of pressure on the opposing teams quarterback.

Coach Jeff Tedford has done an excellent job keeping the Golden Bears firmly planted near the top of the Pac-10 standings in recent years. Since 2002, they seem to be the only program that can somewhat contend with USC year after year. The offense is more than ready for another good season, but the entire defense is a huge question. Regardless, the Golden Bears should be able to put points on the board in 2007. Although, the big question will be will they be able to stop anyone? If the defense becomes solid, expect the Golden Bears to compete for the Pac-10 championship.

Women's Football Huddle

California head coach Jeff Tedford and the Golden Bear coaching staff will host the fourth annual Women's Football Huddle the evening of Friday, Aug. 3, from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. The event, designed especially for women, will interactively teach participants about the ins and outs of football, from officials' signals to individual position responsibilities.

 

Registration takes place from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Memorial Stadium concession area between gates G and GG. The Women's Football Huddle commences at 6:30 p.m. on the turf at Memorial Stadium. Participants should wear workout apparel and tennis shoes.

 

Registration begins on July 1 by visiting www.CalBears.com. Appetizers, drinks and a Cal football t-shirt are complimentary with the $35 registration fee. All participants must be over 21. Sign up a friend and pay only $60 for two. For more information, call 510-642-3857.

 

The 2007 Cal football season kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 1 with the Golden Bears hosting Tennessee at Memorial Stadium. After the road trip to Colorado State, the Bears return home to face Louisiana Tech in another inter-sectional game on Sept. 15. Season tickets are still available at www.CalBears.com or by calling 1-800-GO-BEARS.

Sports Illustrated: Top 25 Toughest Schedules

Here is the link.

 

Cal is not on the list, but the following opponents are:

 

#1: Washington

#6: Tennessee “Tennessee's difficult season opener at California and its relatively tough matchup with Southern Mississippi compensate for the cakewalks against Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette that make up the rest of the Vols' nonconference schedule.”

#8: USC

#9: Stanford

#20: Washington

#22: Arizona

Sports Illustrated: Top Ten Games for 2007

Here is the link.

“Cal will be out for revenge, as John David Booty and USC clinched their fifth straight Pac-10 title by beating the Bears in 2006.”

 

2. USC at Cal, Nov. 10

If you agree with the prevailing consensus that QB John David Booty and the Trojans are the team to beat in 2007, then it stands to reason their national-title hopes will hinge on this game. USC can afford to lose a game early, but not this one -- a late-season road trip against an explosive, veteran team.

ESPN: Ivan Maisel's Mailbag

Here is the link.

 

From Steven in Berkeley: Which do you think is a more pivotal win for California: Tennessee or USC? Nate Longshore, Justin Forsett, and DeSean Jackson obviously make the offense as explosive as ever. It is the defense which is keeping me up at night. I think if we meet the Trojans with an unblemished record in Berkeley, Chris, Kirk, and Lee will have to make their first trip *ever* to Strawberry Canyon.

 

Maisel: I think Tennessee is the more important game for Cal, and no I haven't fallen asleep next to an open Sharpie. After the way the Vols embarrassed the Bears in Knoxville last year, I think Cal needs a win to prove to the voters that it is ready to become a national power. In the end, of course, USC will be a more important victory. But if Cal doesn't win that first one, a victory over the Trojans would be seen as a major upset, not a victory of one top team over another.

Scout.com: Miller Opts to Stay by the Bay

By Jim McGill

Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Ca) tight end Anthony Miller spent a day in Berkeley at Cal’s summer camp last week and came away with a verbal commitment to the Bears.

“Cal’s been my favorite for awhile,” said Miller. “I’ve watched them when I’ve had a chance. The combination of some of the best academics and athletics in a team that’s close is what stood out for me. They’re a good program.”  The versatile Miller already possesses D1 size, strength and speed at 6-3 ½/247, with 4.76 forty speed and 18 reps of 185 on the bench with a max of 300. Though starring on offense, Miller also had 70 tackles, 4 ½ sacks and 10 tackles for loss at outside linebacker for Mitty. 

Read the entire article here.

 

Slow Week For Cal Football

Since there’s not much going on right now, I’ve compiled a list of Cal-related articles for your enjoyment.

 

Stanford lifts band suspension

Mercury News

Strike up the band! The lunatics of the Stanford Marching Band have been released from the asylum and will be loosed (sic) upon football fields again this fall.

And while history may suggest otherwise, they promise to be good this time.  Stanford University announced Monday it had lifted the band's indefinite provisional status, imposed in September after the band was suspended July 18 for vandalism and other bad behavior.  Read the entire article here.

 

Ex-Cal rugby player accused of fracturing S.F. student's skull

SF Chronicle

A former Cal rugby player has been charged with felony battery in an attack that fractured the skull of a San Francisco State student outside a UC Berkeley co-op on the same day the team won the national championship, authorities said Monday.  James Sehr, 22, of Elk Grove was charged in Alameda County Superior Court with felony battery causing great bodily injury in connection with last month's incident that severely injured Charles "Chaz" Rochon.  At about 9:30 p.m. May 5, Rochon was eating dinner with his housemates at the Andres Castro Arms cooperative at 2310 Prospect St. near the Memorial Stadium when someone broke a window at the building, said Berkeley police Lt. Wes Hester.  Read the entire article here.

 

Court Dates Set For Oak Grove Lawsuits

Berkeley Daily Planet

The lawsuits aimed at saving the grove at California Memorial Stadium are consuming a few trees of their own as the blizzard of paperwork continues in the leadup to an eventual courtroom showdown.  The pulp friction that’s headed for the courtroom showdown centers on the university’s grandiose building plans embodied in the Southeast Campus Integrated Projects, an architectural extravaganza that will result in three new buildings and expansion of the stadium, with a total new build-out equivalent to a third of the size of the Empire State Building.  The immediate issue is the Student Athlete High Performance Center, a four-story high-tech gymnasium and office planned along the western wall of the venerable stadium.  During a court conference, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Barbara J. Miller confirmed the Sept. 19-20 courtroom date for hearing the case, and set dates for depositions and submissions of paperwork in the case.

The California Oaks Foundation, Panoramic Hill Association and the City of Berkeley are all challenging the university’s plans for a series of massive development projects at and around California Memorial Stadium, a city landmark and an entry on the rolls of the National Register of Historic Places.  Approval by the UC Regents of the environmental impact report on the Southeast Campus Integrated Projects (SCIP) last December was followed a month later by the lawsuits, each challenging the regents’ action on similar grounds—though reflecting the somewhat differing interests of tree advocates, neighbors living near the project and a cash-strapped city.  The gym is the first of the projects slated for construction, and the lawsuits forced at least a year’s delay, which UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor Ed Denton has said will cost the school at least $8 million to $10 million.  Construction had been planned to commence with the demolition of the grove of Coastal Live Oaks along the stadium’s western wall, which triggered both the lawsuits and an ongoing tree-sit that continues into its seventh month.  The logging operation would have been followed by excavations for the four-story gym and office complex. Both were halted by the lawsuits and a subsequent injunction granted by the judge.   A since-completed university-funded seismic study contends there are no active earthquake faults under the gym site, so the university argues that construction should commence. Attorneys for the plaintiffs say they are challenging the study’s adequacy and also say the presence or lack of a fault immediately under the gym site is only one of several key legal issues.

 

Devon Hardin Withdraws From Draft, Stays for Senior Year

Contra Costa Times

DeVON HARDIN has always been a pretty smart and stable guy. He was a 4.0 student at Newark Memorial High School and a young man who clearly understood the value and importance of getting a college education at a place like Cal. What's more, Hardin always has had a strong family behind him, supporting the tough decision-making processes a 6-foot-11 basketball prodigy has to make.  That's why it seemed so strange when another Bay Area newspaper reported Sunday that Hardin had hired an agent and was ready to take the NBA draft plunge despite uncertain prospects that he would be a first-round pick.  Thankfully, those reports were erroneous. Hardin will be returning to Cal for his senior season, which is great news for coach Ben Braun and the Bears but an even better development for Hardin. Quite likely, he will make himself a significantly richer man a year from now than he would have had he decided to take the gamble of turning professional now.

Read the entire article here.

 

On a purely personal note…

If anyone can provide me information regarding handicap access at Cal home games, please email me at demichael@gmail.com.  My father has attended Cal games since the 40’s, but is now battling Parkinson’s Disease.  He’d like to attend the Tennessee opener, but I don’t know how it would work with a wheelchair.  Unfortunately, the Cal athletic department has been no help whatsoever.  I’ve called several times and have not been given an answer, and I even emailed Sandy Barbour, as well as several other athletic department directors, but have not even had the courtesy of a reply.  If you know what the procedure is for watching the game in a wheelchair (are there special tickets?  Is it possible for me to sit with him?) please let me know.  Thanks in advance, and beat those Vols!

Knoxville News: Cal's Longshore recalls long day - in shell shock

By JOHN ADAMS, adamsj@knews.com

Cal quarterback Nate Longshore's take on last year's season opener at Neyland Stadium isn't much different from everyone else's. "Shell-shocked" he said.   That applied not just to a quarterback starting his first college road game but an entire team of Golden Bears, who were blitzed by big plays and bedeviled by their mistakes while falling behind 35-0. In scoring the last 18 points, Cal succeeded only in producing a misleading score.   Otherwise, its much-anticipated opener was an abject failure. And it couldn't have come at a worse time.  The nationally ranked Golden Bears were a program on the rise, perhaps ready to challenge Southern Cal for the Pac-10 championship. UT was coming off a 5-6 season.   Cal spent the next eight weeks playing up to its preseason hype, scoring more than 40 points in five consecutive games and winning eight straight games. The more it won, the more inexplicable its season opener seemed.   "I think we were prepared (for UT)," Longshore said in a telephone interview. "We had practiced well. But sometimes, you have games that don't reflect what happened in practice.

"We didn't play well. They were on their game."  The Golden Bears actually wound up with a better record and higher ranking than the Vols. They finished 14th in both polls with a 10-3 record, which included a 45-10 rout of Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl.  Both teams will enter the 2007 season as consensus top-20 teams. UT has been ranked as high as seventh; Cal is ranked ninth nationally by espn.com.  The preseason rankings add luster to their season-opening rematch in Berkeley. But what happened last year at Neyland Stadium adds even more.  The defeat wasn't just an embarrassment for Cal. It was an embarrassment for the entire Pac-10.  The Golden Bears will have an opportunity to redeem themselves on national television Sept. 1.  Based on Longshore's comments, redemption isn't a rallying cry. But he's a veteran quarterback, which means he's frightfully susceptible to lapsing into coach-speak at anytime.

"We try to look at it as one game at a time," Longshore said. "Definitely when you have a history with a team (that can add to your motivation). We focus more on when the season is starting. We know we've got so much time."  Maybe I should have asked a Cal linebacker.   But quarterbacks come first at Cal since Jeff Tedford became the head coach. Longshore, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound junior, is a prototypical drop-back passer, rated as the No. 5 quarterback in the country by The Sporting News. His season opener against UT, which was only his second college game, was an aberration. He spent most of the rest of the season playing like an NFL prospect.

He's only one of the concerns for a UT defense, which will have three new starters in the secondary. Cal's top three wide receivers, including preseason All-American DeSean Jackson, also return.  Although the Golden Bears lost star tailback Marshawn Lynch, they return backup Justin Forsett, who has rushed for more than 1,600 yards the last two seasons. Also, three starters return in the offensive line, including All-Pac-10 center Alex Mack.  "Our backups (in the offensive line) played a lot last year," Longshore said. "Everyone is experienced. I'm impressed with the work ethic they've had. I think the offensive line will be improved."  So should the entire offense, which returns eight starters, including five players who have made either first- or second-team All-Pac-10 this preseason. That offense will have to make up for a defense that lost five starters.  A different venue also should help Cal, which seemed unprepared for the volume of Neyland Stadium last year.  "That type of noise ... I don't know if you can prepare for it," Longshore said. "It was a new type of loud. I was impressed."  And shell-shocked.

 

Daily Cal: Former Bears Do Battle on Japanese Gridiron

BY Ryan Gorcey

It turns out that bowl season isn’t quite over for the Cal football program. The Bears still have one more to go: the New Era Bowl.  While the name bears the familiar corporate stamp of many college bowl games, the game shares little else in common with the NCAA’s postseason match-ups. Rather, the July 8 game will be played in Kensai, Japan and feature former Cal players along with current Bears coaches instructing a Japanese football team and then playing against another team coached by a contingent from the University of Hawaii.

Former Cal players Chase Lyman, Tosh Lupoi, Joe Maningo, Mike McGrath, Tom Sverchek and Reggie Robertson will fly to the Land of the Rising Sun on June 30 along with quarterback coach Kevin Daft and defensive line coach Ken Delgado for a week of preparation followed by the game itself.   “Basically it’s almost like a corporate league over there, like the top football players in Japan,” Cal spokesperson John Sudsbury said. “They do it every year. They pick two colleges each year, and our coaches and those players will coach the team for a week and then they’ll go up against another team.”  The former Bears players will coach and play for the Blue Star team, while

the Rainbows will coach and play for the White Star team.  “The players serve as player-coaches,” Sudsbury said. “They’ll coach during the week and then actually play in the game.”  Lyman is the most notable of the Cal alumni, last playing for the Bears in 2004 before being drafted by the New Orleans Saints. Prior to his senior season being cut short by a knee injury suffered in the team’s fourth game of 2004 against USC, Lyman had 14 catches for 414 yards and five touchdowns.

Robertson last played for Cal in 2004 as a backup to now-Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Robertson is most noted for coming on in relief of Rodgers against the Trojans in 2003, when the Bears crushed USC’s national title hopes in a 34-31 triple-overtime upset.  Lupoi, a former Bears defensive lineman, should feel at home in the role of player-coach, as he is currently a graduate assistant for Cal after finishing his collegiate playing career in 2005.  Maningo was an All-Pac-10 honorable mention linebacker in his senior season of 2004, tallying 45 tackles and six sacks.  Another 2004 Pac-10 honorable mention, McGrath, made 19 total tackles—12 of them unassisted—in his final season for the Bears. He was a special teams standout in his four years for Cal, earning a scholarship after walking on in his freshman year. Sverchek, a defensive tackle, was signed by the New England Patriots in 2005 after being named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team in his 2004 senior season. Sverchek made 30 total tackles in his final campaign for the Bears, and had 5.5 sacks.  The coaches accompanying the players, Delgado and Daft, are entering their sixth and fourth years with Cal, respectively. Delgado’s 2004 defensive line, of which several of his traveling companions were a part, allowed just 82.5 rushing yards per game, good for second in the nation.  Daft came to Cal as a graduate assistant coach after a six-year professional football career, which included stints as a quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, the San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers.

SF Chronicle: Big Game on Versus beats no TV at all

Scott Ostler

The news that this year's Big Game will be televised on a channel named Versus has some Cal fans feeling uneasy and underappreciated, but it might not be as bad as it seems.   It's a real channel. You won't need any fancy additional equipment to pull in the Versus signal, although if you can convince your mother-in-law to stand on the roof holding a coat hanger for three hours, more power to you, Old Blue. Spin to your left a tad, Eunice!  Cal announced additions to its TV football schedule in a news release that brags, "The Stanford game will be Cal's debut on Versus."  To which many Cal fans are saying, "Pinch me."  And many Stanford fans are saying, "Geez, we scheduled Cal again?"

The good news for Bear backers is that the Big Game will be televised. As reported in Tuesday's Chronicle, about 30,000 Cal fans will be SOL (sorrily out of luck) when it comes to Big Game tickets this year because the game is at Stanford's greatly downsized House of Pain.  The only way for some Cal fans to buy a ticket to that game is to buy a Stanford season ticket. Awkward!  Of those 30,000 ticketless Cal fans, it is estimated that less than half can afford to charter a blimp. That leaves TV as the remaining option.  But is Versus really TV? Yes and no.  Cal fans who have grown quickly into their Tedford-era sense of entitlement might feel disrespected by their team's relegation to Versus, which ain't ABC or ESPN, although it is sound and light emerging from the same plastic box.  Cal backers might be comforted to know that World Extreme Cagefighting recently made its national television debut on Versus. (Personally, I prefer World Moderate Cagefighting, where you can bite off an opponent's ears or fingers but must give them back.)

Versus was known as the Outdoor Life Network. It televises the Tour de France, the world's most prestigious urine-testing competition. It televises the Louis Vuitton Cup, which is either a yacht race or a competition among airport baggage handlers. Versus has the American rights to America's Cup coverage.  Versus also televises NHL hockey, bullriding, lacrosse, fishing and hunting. The Versus series "Holy @#%*!" is not a religious program but rather a roundup of "snowmobile crashes, rodeo wrecks, bungee-jumping disasters and skydiving mishaps." Stanford football highlights could be added to that mix, depending.  Versus is also the TV home of the Premier Darts League.  It is, then, a manly man's channel, expanding and evolving, although still working out the kinks. Versus went all Heidi on us in Game 1 of this year's NHL Western Conference playoffs, when the network cut away just before the fourth overtime to go to an infomercial.  In short, Versus should be an exciting place for Cal fans to visit come Dec. 1. You won't have to venture into the triple-digit channels to find Versus. On my TV, it's channel 75. Reportedly, it is available to all subscribers who receive Fox Sports Net.  The semi-trusty Wikipedia notes that "Versus is available to significantly fewer households than ESPN." Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen says Versus is received in 72 million of America's 111 million television-equipped homes.  Don't blame or credit Cal for the Big Game TV decision. It will be on Versus because the Pac-10 allows Fox Sports Net to sub-license five or six games per season to another network. In recent seasons, those fringe games went to TBS, which has since pulled out of college football.

Fox Sports Net handed those games to Versus, which is owned by Comcast, whose president of programming is Jeff Shell, who is a Cal alum. So the Bears are likely to be handled with the reverence and respect they deserve on this year's Big Game telecast.  Cal has become a TV team under Jeff Tedford, averaging nine televised games per season, up from six per season in the five years Before Tedford. The Bears will go into the season ranked just out of the top 10 in most national polls.  Cal supporters should remember that the Big Game isn't exactly a dream matchup for much of America, although some viewers might be drawn in by the Stanford Band's halftime "Salute to Bungee Jumping Disasters."  If you still want to complain about your team being relegated to a lesser network, Cal fans, go beat Tennessee, then start making some noise.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finding Versus

Cal football announced three new TV games Wednesday. The most notable was the Big Game at 4 p.m. on Dec. 1. It will be on Versus.   In the Bay Area, Versus is usually on Comcast channel 75 or 81, on DirecTV 608 and on Dish Network 151. The channel will carry a number of Pac-10 games this season (including Stanford at USC on Oct. 6).

These other Pac-10 rivalry games are on more traditional football channels: UCLA-USC (ABC), Oregon State-Oregon (ESPN2), Arizona State-Arizona (ESPN/ESPN2). Washington-Washington State has no TV scheduled at this time.  The other TV games announced by Cal on Wednesday will be on FSNBA: at Arizona State, Oct. 27, 7 p.m.; vs. Washington State, Nov. 3, 7 p.m.

SF Chronicle: Big Game Blues

SHUT OUT: Downsized Stanford Stadium means Cal fans need to get creative if they want tickets to hallowed event this year

When 14-year-old Zack Hazarabedian heard his family would miss their first Big Game in decades, he was devastated.  The Hazarabedians and roughly 30,000 other Cal fans will be shut out of the fabled contest this year because of limited seating at the newly rebuilt -- and significantly smaller -- Stanford Stadium.  "He thought we should sell the house to buy tickets," said his mother, Bonnie Hazarabedian of Moraga. "I told him, 'Sweetie, we can't.' To him, missing the Big Game is unthinkable."  Perhaps never in the history of the game have Old Blues suffered so much anguish half a year before kickoff.

The 115-year-old Cal-Stanford football contest transcends mere athletics. It's a gathering of the tribes, a bacchanalian ritual akin to Mardi Gras and Christmas combined. For fans of both schools, the Big Game is seared into their internal clock like the turning of the seasons.   In the past, any Cal season ticket holder automatically got a ticket to the Big Game. But that has changed -- tickets for November's showdown are expected to be rarer than Stanford victories last year. The only way for Cal fans to get Big Game tickets at this point is to have donated at least $6,800 to the athletic booster fund or to buy Stanford season tickets.  Many have.

Read the entire article here.

Scout.com: Cal Lands a Big Target in Ladner

By Jim McGill

The Golden Bears hauled in a big target today, as 6-7/235 Pembroke Hill (Kansas City, MO) tight end Spencer Ladner committed to the Bears. Ladner’s commitment represents another foray for Cal onto the national recruiting scene, building on last year’s broadened recruiting base with the ’07 class’s record out-of-state haul.   The tall and athletic Ladner has favored Cal for quite some time and finally had the opportunity to fly out west and check out things firsthand with an unofficial visit to campus. His experience  reinforced all that he’d previously felt –the Cal was the place for him.

Read the entire article here.

 

ANG Newspapers: Jahvid Best might be Cal's best bet yet

By Bob Fitzgerald

PETE CARROLL'S PROGRAM remains two touchdowns better than any in the West, so he really doesn't have to care, but you can bet every other Pac-10 football coach took notice of the 100-meter sprint champion at the state high school finals Saturday.  Here's hoping Cal's Jeff Tedford headed that list.   Given the recent success of the program, it would be no surprise if the Bears featured the best running back in the conference next season, even after Marshawn Lynch bolted to the NFL. And I'm not talking about Justin Forsett.   If you've seen Salesian High's Jahvid Best run with a football, you've had to wonder how the small-school star would fare against the highest level of competition in the college game.

Bears fans who watched him dust the state's sprint heavyweights Saturday in record-breaking fashion and lay claim to California's fastest prep honors no longer have any doubts. This uniquely talented kid should be considered a Heisman Trophy candidate as a freshman.  Yeah, I know Tedford's history of being overly loyal to imcumbants and being harder on rookies than Don Nelson. But this blur has to be an exception.  If Best doesn't get at least 15 touches in the Sept. 1 opener against Tennessee, Tedford's making a huge mistake — one the Bears probably wouldn't be able to overcome against a quality opponent such as the Volunteers.   Congratulations, Jahvid. Here's hoping you take the opening kickoff of the 2007 season 100 yards in about

.

Yahoo! Sports: Best Games of 2007

Here is the link.

 

Week 1: Saturday, Sept. 1

Tennessee at Cal: We expected this game to be a toss-up last year, and Tennessee instead scored the game's first 35 points on its way to a 35-18 triumph. California should put up much more of a fight at home. Both programs could start the season ranked among the top 15 teams in the nation, which makes this the most attractive game in a relatively lackluster opening weekend.

<snip>

Week 11: Saturday, Nov. 10

Southern California at Cal: Southern California's chances of winning a sixth consecutive Pac-10 title and playing for the national championship could depend on whether the Trojans can pull off this road victory. California will need a big performance from Nate Longshore, who completed less than half his passes and threw two interceptions last season in a 23-9 loss to USC.

CBS Sportsline: Vols CB Johnson found not guilty in toy gun assault case

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- A jury on Friday found Tennessee cornerback Marsalous Johnson not guilty of assault, after an off-duty sheriff's deputy said Johnson waved a gun at him while driving on the interstate.  When the deputy alerted on-duty officers and they pulled over Johnson's vehicle, they found a toy Uzi submachine gun under the passenger seat.  Johnson's case was postponed several times since the incident last July and finally went to trial in Putnam County Circuit Court. A jury found Johnson not guilty of simple assault, court clerk Marcia Borys said.   Johnson was originally charged with aggravated assault, but the charge was lowered to a misdemeanor in November and sent to a grand jury.  "I am really happy for Marsalous and his family. They have been through a lot of heartache and emotion through all of this," coach Phillip Fulmer said in a statement.   Johnson, a rising sophomore, was suspended for the first four games of last season as punishment for the arrest. He is projected to start at cornerback this season.

 

Contra Costa Times: Cal finds quarterback next door

Tedford's one-time neighbor gives Bears an oral commitment

By Jonathan Okanes

Beau Sweeney's welcome to Cal's football program was a little different than most.  Sweeney, a junior quarterback at Clovis West High School in Fresno, gave Cal coach Jeff Tedford an oral commitment last week. Sweeney's father, Kevin, was Tedford's teammate at Fresno State, when they both played for Sweeney's grandfather, Jim. When Tedford later became Fresno State's offensive coordinator, he lived just around the corner from the Sweeneys.  So after Sweeney committed, Tedford sent him some old photos that featured his kids and Sweeney at various birthday parties and holiday functions.  "I was a little kid, so I don't remember it too much," Sweeney said. "There were quite a few pictures. It was a good laugh."

Sweeney obviously has football tradition on his side, but only lately did he become prevalent on the recruiting radar. Sweeney performed well at recent camps at Stanford and Cal, and ended up securing offers from Oregon, Arizona State, Nebraska, Colorado, Boise State, Oregon State and Arizona, along with Cal.  Sweeney said he didn't want to wait to see what other schools might extend offers, partly because Cal was recruiting other quarterbacks and because of he and his family's history with Tedford.

"There are so many great things about Cal," Sweeney said. "I have a really good relationship with coach Tedford. It was a tough choice for awhile, but every time I kind of thought about what my priorities were, Cal kept coming up No. 1."

Tedford, who has been lauded for his work with quarterbacks throughout his coaching career, is stockpiling the program with highly regarded signal-callers. Starter Nate Longshore, along with backups Kyle Reed, Kevin Riley and Brock Mansion, were all considered blue-chip recruits coming out of high school.  Sweeney acknowledged there might be a fight for playing time when he arrives in Berkeley.  "I didn't really consider that because I was looking to go to a Pac-10 school, and wherever you go in the Pac-10 you are going to have to compete," he said. "Wherever I go, I am going to be competing with someone. So why not Cal?"

 

Contra Costa Times: Ayoob endures struggles for a Cal degree

Worth its weight in gold

By Jonathan Okanes

BERKELEY -- Every now and then last season, there were reminders that Joe Ayoob still was part of Cal's football program. He was seen holding for place-kicker Tom Schneider. A television camera occasionally would steal a shot of him on the sideline.  No, Ayoob had not given up on college football or transferred to get away from all the bad memories. He simply had become similar to so many other student-athletes -- off the main stage, in a reserve role, attending classes and working toward his degree.  To say that Ayoob's playing career didn't work out would be an injustice to what he endured. But his ineffective play at quarterback, his ensuing lack of confidence, the booing and nasty e-mails from fans, and ultimately, the loss of his starting job, never prompted Ayoob to lose sight of the one thing he had in his sights -- a Cal diploma.

Read the entire article here.

Oakland Tribune: Cal-bound Salesian football star blazes to MOC record in 200 meters at Edwards Stadium

Best of show: Prep leaves indelible mark

Column by Carl Steward

BERKELEY — Jahvid Best hasn't even officially enrolled yet at the University of California let alone slip on a pair of football pads, but he already has left an indelible mark on its campus.   Saturday at Edwards Stadium, the lithe, explosive Salesian High track and football star repeated his North Coast Section Meet of Champions sprint double of a year ago, blowing away the competition in the 100 and 200 meters as expected.  For Cal football fans who can't wait to see this kid move up the hill to Memorial Stadium as one of Jeff Tedford's prized incoming tailbacks next fall, you have to love this: Best is significantly faster now than ever.   Already the state leader in the 100 (and second-fastest in the nation) with a 10.36 clocking, Best narrowly missed the long-standing MOC record with a time of 10.44. A poor start probably cost him the meet mark. That was not in the case in the 200, where Best blasted out of the blocks perfectly, and despite running into a slight headwind, obliterated the meet record of 21.24 with a time of 20.92.

For comparison's sake, Best won the NCS 100-200 double last year with times of 10.78 and 21.77, respectively, then clocked 10.56 to finish fifth in the state 100 and 21.31 to finish third in the 200. His times Saturday made those clocked as a junior look silly. Goodness, he was nearly a full second faster in the 200.  "I wanted to go out here leaving a mark, leaving something to remember," said Best of his spectacular 200. "I think everybody who saw me run today saw me at pretty close to 100 percent of my capability."   A splendidly cut 185-pound package of power and speed, it was easy to envision what Best might be capable of when he puts on a football uniform at Cal. It's tough to say how much playing time he's going to get as a freshman with a number of backfield candidates vying for the void left by Marshawn Lynch's departure to the NFL. But there's little doubt Best has a chance to make an immediate impact with the kind of incredible breakaway speed he possesses.  Simply stated, one nice hole and nobody's going to catch this guy. Gone. See ya. Touchdown. To see him burn up the track in the 100, leaving Deer Valley's Taiwan Jones in his dust after Jones got the early jump out of the blocks, was a frightening sight but a fantastic one if you're a football fan.  Does Best ever think about being on a football field while he's running one of his track races? Not really, he confessed.

"When I run track, I'm thinking about my form while I'm running," he said. "But in football, I just run."  But what about those breakaway runs, of which he had so many memorable ones for his small parochial high school in Richmond?  "Well, yeah, then I start to run like I'm running the 100," he said. "I get my knees pumping up a little higher."  Best has one last challenge as one of the most remarkable East Bay dual-sport athletes in recent years. He wants to be a state champion next weekend at the state meet in Sacramento. He'll be the 100 favorite, but faces a formidable challenge in the 200 against Long Beach Poly's Bryshon Nellum, who has the nation's fastest time of 20.58 (Best now has the second-fastest nationally in both the 100 and 200).

Nellum, who signed a track/football scholarship with USC, is a wide receiver in training but primarily a 200/400 track star. He won't try to play football until 2008. Best, on the other hand, will have football on his mind first when he arrives at Cal, even though he also will run track at Berkeley.  Can he beat Nellum?  "I don't know, we'll see," he said. "But he's not going to walk away with it."  Best tried to size up what it's going to be like being the favorite in one race and the underdog in another at the state meet.

"I'd rather be the underdog, but being on top is just as hard because you've got to worry about somebody," he said. "When you're the underdog, you see the top dog and you have to try to beat them. But when you're on the top, you don't know who's coming, so you have to be ready for everything."  If nothing else, Best looked more than ready for Cal on Saturday. I asked him if he left tickets for Tedford to watch him run his two electric races. He chuckled.  "Nah, he's probably busy doing something else," Best mused.  It's hard to believe anything else could take priority over watching this young man run. Except maybe designing a stack of football plays for him, and then watching him run.

Daily Cal: ESPN Gameday Shoot At Cal Not a Certainty

BY Ryan Gorcey

Despite widespread speculation that ESPN’s premier college football pre-game show, ESPN Gameday, is coming to Berkeley for the Sept. 1 season-opener next fall, the visit is not yet official.   On May 13, BearInsider.com, part of the Scout.com network, reported that the program was a lock to come to Berkeley for the Cal football team’s rematch against Tennessee, however nothing has been confirmed by Cal or by ESPN representatives.   The program, hosted by Chris Fowler and featuring analysts Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, last covered the Bears in 2004, when Cal visited USC at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum a year after derailing the Trojans’ national title hopes in a triple-overtime win at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. The Gameday crew has never visited Cal in the show’s 20-year history.   Cal football spokesperson John Sudsbury said that Cal had been contacted by ESPN about the possibility of hosting the show, but nothing was finalized, much less where the program would be located on campus, which has been a favorite point of speculation for Bears fans.

“The only thing we know right now is that we’re in consideration for it,” Sudsbury said. “Nothing has been decided yet and nothing has been confirmed, even though it was on that one website (BearInsider.com). They just said that we’re definitely in the consideration.”   One reason for the speculation surrounding the possibility of Cal hosting the program is the lack of other big games being played on that day, as the next-most significant game will be between Notre Dame and Georgia Tech, scheduled to be broadcast by NBC. Other games being nationally broadcast are Kansas State at Auburn, Arizona at BYU, Virginia at Wyoming, New Mexico at UTEP and Baylor at TCU.  “I think we have the most appealing game for it,” Sudsbury said. “But, I don’t know what ESPN’s looking at.”  Nevertheless, at this point in the year, planning for next fall’s football season is not in any final form, according to ESPN Senior Media Relations Director, Rob Tobias, who could not confirm that Cal would be hosting the program.  “It’s unlikely that we’ve determined what sites we are going to visit in the fall just yet,” Tobias said. “I don’t think we’re even close to finalizing our schedule.”

Napa Valley Register: Cal Ranked 11th in Pre-Season Poll

Here is the link.

 

Athlon Sports has ranked the UC Berkeley football team No. 11 in its preseason Top 25. The magazine has also selected DeSean Jackson as a Preseason First Team All-American and Alex Mack as a Second Team All-America honoree. The magazine hits newsstands on June 5.

 

Joining Jackson and Mack as Preseason First-Team All-Pac-10 selections by Athlon are tight end Craig Stevens and punter Andrew Larson.

 

Offensive lineman Mike Gibson of Napa, quarterback Nate Longshore, wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins, linebacker Zack Follett and kicker Tom Schneider have been named Second Team All-Pac-10 for the preseason.

 

Gibson played at Napa High and Solano Community College-Suisun before transferring to Cal. He started last year as a junior at tackle on the offensive line for the Golden Bears.

 

Gibson played in all 12 games with eight starts last year as Cal beat Texas A&M, 45-10, at the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego to cap a 10-3 season. He was All-Pac-10 Second-Team and recorded 24.5 knockdown blocks.

Scout.com: El Camino Star Joins the Bears

By Jim McGill

The Cal commitment train is picking up steam, as the Bears received their second So Cal JC commit in the last week and third commitment in the last two weeks today.

6-2/180 El Camino JC receiver Verran Tucker committed to the Bears this week, joining fellow So Cal JC star Shaun Mohler as new Cal commits this week.  “Cal’s close to home and it’s known for both its academics and the talent of the football team so it was a good fit for me,” said Tucker. It’s also in the Pac 10 so you get to go up against some of the best schools in the nation.  “I sat down and talked to some of my coaches, Coach Duncan and (Head) Coach Featherstone and they felt like it would be a good fit for me, too.”  “Also, I’ve felt real comfortable with the Cal coaches (WR Coach Dan Ferrigno and RB Coach Ron Gould) when they were recruiting me and when they came down today, it was more of the same and I gave them a verbal commitment.

To read the rest of the story, click here.

 

Athlon Sports: Cal Preview

No. 11: Electric offense sparks Bears in '07

Here is the link.

 

No. 11: California

If the Heisman Trophy were to go to the player with the ability to change the complexion of a game on one play better than anyone else in America, DeSean Jackson would be front and center at this year’s ceremony, and probably would have been last year. Jackson has been Cal’s leading receiver in both of his first two seasons, averaging 17.1 yards on 97 catches with 16 touchdowns. He also ran back four punts for touchdowns last year, giving him five for his career, and was the recipient of the Randy Moss Award as the top return man in the nation. He takes just about one out of every five punts he touches the distance.

Quarterback Nate Longshore returns along with his top three receivers, including Jackson and tight end Craig Stevens, who was second-team all-conference in a Pac-10 known for great tight ends. Wideouts Lavelle Hawkins and Robert Jordan combined for 92 catches with nine touchdown grabs last fall. Three starting offensive linemen also return, led by first-team All-Pac-10 center Alex Mack.   The biggest void is at tailback, where Marshawn Lynch took off for the NFL after rushing for 1,356 yards and 11 touchdowns last year. Softening the blow is the return of Justin Forsett, who has run for 1,625 yards at 6.5 per carry with 10 touchdowns over the last two seasons, and 2005 Parade All-American James Montgomery, who redshirted last year.

The top three tacklers from a year ago need to be replaced along with most of the defensive line. Three of the top four returning tacklers are DBs. Linebacker Zack Follett notched 12.5 tackles behind the line and 5.5 sacks among his 62 total stops coming in off the bench and is the new man in the middle. Follett, linebacker Worrell Williams and 335-pound tackle Matt Malele will be counted on to hold a mostly new front seven together.  The Golden Bears are champing at the bit to get at Tennessee after the Vols shot them down in last year’s opener in Knoxville. The Cal-Tennessee game opens the 2007 campaign for both teams in Berkeley on Sept. 1. Coach Jeff Tedford’s club also gets Oregon State and USC at Memorial Stadium but travels to UCLA in October. The Big Game this year is at Stanford.

Notes:

» Jackson scored touchdowns on his first career reception and his first career punt return as a freshman in 2005 — both in the same game.

» In 2006, Cal won a share of the Pac-10 championship for the first time since 1975, when it was the Pac-8.

» The Golden Bears have now posted five straight winning seasons for the first time since 1947-1951.

 

2007 Schedule

S.       1    Tennessee

S.       8    at Colorado State

S.     15    Louisiana Tech

S.     22    Arizona

S.     29    at Oregon

O.     13    Oregon State

O.     20    at UCLA

O.     27    at Arizona State

N.       3    Washington State

N.     10    USC

N.     17    at Washington

D.       1    at Stanford

 

Tucson Citizen: Chasing the Trojans

In virtually even middle of the Pac-10, expect Cats to finish sixth

ANTHONY GIMINO

Tucson Citizen

Spring ball is a wrap, and the next big college football event is the arrival of the preseason magazines.  You'll just have to wait for some of them, but I can give you a sneak peek at selected rankings for Lindy's Football Annuals.  As senior editor at Lindy's, I'm mostly to blame for all the ratings - from the team rankings, to player rankings to position rankings. Sure, it's a collaborative effort, with input from every corner of the country (and all the wonderful, small college towns in between), but I do have a very presidential-like veto power.  I had to use that to make a tweak to Lindy's Pac-10 rankings.  Parts of the Pac-10 are easy to pick. USC is first (brilliant!). Stanford is last.

Cal, on the basis of a great offense and great coaching, is second. UCLA, with 10 starters returning from a defense that smothered USC last season, is third.

That one comes with a qualifier: The Bruins have the talent and experience to be second, but if it's a close call between Cal coach Jeff Tedford and UCLA coach Karl Dorrell, the benefit of the doubt goes to the Bears.  Now, if you could combine Cal's offense with UCLA's defense, you might really have something. Actually, you'd have USC.

Anyway, here comes the hard part.  Predicting the teams through the middle of the Pac-10 requires four pieces of paper and a hat. Pick the names in any order, and you'd have about as much chance of being right as if you had every playbook, every game tape and Mel Kiper Jr. as your assistant.  It's that close.

This is how the predictions came to me from our Pac-10 correspondent:

4. Arizona State

5. Oregon State

6. Oregon

7. Arizona

The Sun Devils expect to be up there because of the coaching change to Dennis Erickson. No matter what you think of him personally, the man can coach. And quarterback Rudy Carpenter is healthy.  The Beavers finished third last season and return 18 starters, so they have a case to be higher than fifth. But the departure of quarterback Matt Moore creates some uncertainty at the most important position, and games against USC and Oregon are on the road this season.  It is at No. 6 where I used executive privilege. I bumped Arizona to sixth and, although I hated to do it, moved the Ducks to seventh.  Whichever team is picked seventh in the Pac-10 doesn't really deserve to be that low. Maybe a tie would be appropriate - after all, there was a four-way tie for fifth place last season - but I'm not into predicting ties in a preseason magazine.  So, somebody has to be seventh.

I'm a sucker for defense (Arizona's is better), plus the Wildcats romped in Eugene last season. That right there seemed to be a decent tiebreaker over Oregon. It doesn't help that both teams have an air of mystery, making them harder to peg.  Arizona has the most radically new offense in the Pac-10, banking on Sonny Dykes' imported pass-happy spread offense from Texas Tech.  Oregon added a spread offense guru as well, hiring Chip Kelly from Division I-AA New Hampshire. The Ducks put in some no-huddle schemes in the spring and vow to get talented running back Jonathan Stewart many more touches per game. Stewart and running back Jeremiah Johnson figure to play at the same time, a combination that is rife with possibilities.  That's what these middle teams are all about: possibilities.  Figure that over a nine-game conference season, each Pac-10 team will be involved in more than 1,300 plays. The difference in these tough-to-pick positions could be just a few plays here and there . . . or about 0.23 percent.  But if you think the Pac-10 is hard to predict, try the ACC. For that, though, you're going to have to buy a magazine.

Fox Sports' Adam Schein Likes Daymeion Hughes

Here is the link.

 

Quote:

 

Bill Polian plucked three players on Day 1 who will make an immediate impact in receiver Anthony Gonzalez, cornerback Daymeion Hughes, and defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock. Polian couldn't help himself in trading up to get Arkansas tackle Tony Ugoh in round two, giving up his 2008 first rounder in the process.   I am very intrigued by the Hughes pick. We are talking about the Pac-10 defensive player of the year and a guy who was just flat-out brilliant when it came to turning the opposition over.  I argued Hughes should've been a first- or second-round pick. It's ludicrous that a player falls because of a slow 40 time at the combine, when he had a body of work on Saturdays that tells you how he will perform on Sundays.  And Polian agrees.

"This is a guy who really competes out there," Polian said. "He has great hands, great ball skills, great anticipation for the thrown ball which you cannot coach. Hughes is a complete corner. If there is one hole, if you want to call it a hole and I won't, is a small speed hole, but he's been nursing a hamstring injury throughout the draft process. But when you turn on the film, believe me, the game speed is fine. We value people who can turn the ball over. We took Kelvin Hayden a few years ago because he had that quality and look what happened in the Super Bowl.  "Daymeion has the same skill sets. In our situation, as Tony (Dungy) has proved with Ronde Barber, we can play corners who don't have that blazing 4.43 speed. And even here we have had great success with Marlin Jackson and Hayden and Daymeion will fit right in."  I think Hughes will be a significant player for the 2007 Colts. That's how good he is. That's how dedicated he is in the film room and practice field.

AP: Pac-10 Football Looking as Competitive

Here is the link.

 

California

Refresher: The closest recent approximation to USC didn't quite get there again, going 10-3 but squashing Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl.

Spring things: With seven offensive starters back, including QB Nate Longshore and maybe the nation's best WR corps, Cal should score on anybody. ... Cal has had a 1,000-yard back in each of coach Jeff Tedford's five years, and that guy in 2007 might be Justin Forsett. ... Bears spent a lot of time throwing the deep ball. ... RB James Montgomery, once a Washington commit, looks like No. 2 to Forsett after he had a 30-yard scoring run in the spring game. ... LBs Zack Follett and Eddie Young had big springs. ... Bears still looking for a CB to replace Daymeion Hughes: possibly Darian Hagan.

On tap: Bears will be primed for Tennessee opener at Cal after Vols blew them out in '06.

SF Chronicle: Cal ruggers once again have no match

Bears beat BYU for 23rd national title

John Crumpacker

In the greatest recurring theme in recent Bay Area sports history, the California Golden Bears won another national championship in rugby Saturday with a masterful dissection of a rugged and capable BYU side.   Cal steadily and efficiently built up its lead at Steuber Rugby Stadium on the Stanford campus until the score reached 32-0 with a minute to play. Brigham Young finally broke across the goal line for a try with a minute left and Cal responded with a quick try as time expired on a 37-7 victory for the Bears.  

For Cal, it was its fourth straight national championship, 16th in the last 17 years and 23rd overall since 1980. The Bears finished the season 25-1, with their only loss coming to Rugby Super League champion Old Mission Beach Athletic Club by six points.  "They had a pretty good run, didn't they?'' Cal coach Jack Clark said of his players. "This was a team that could have gone through undefeated. I'm really proud of them. I'm so pleased that when they put their guts into it, it worked out. Nobody knows how hard they work.''  Sophomore center Colin Hawley was named most valuable player of the tournament for his work against Navy in the semifinals and BYU in the final. He scored a try against the Cougars on a dash of about 30 meters and was resolute in his play on the front line.  "We could have played a lot better,'' Hawley said. "We missed a lot of opportunities, our kicking wasn't too good, but we hung on. I don't believe it was our best rugby. We just gritted it down.''  To the lay observer, however, it appeared that the Bears took advantage of the chances they had while at the same time making sure BYU's most dangerous players did not cause them harm. In particular, lightning-quick wing Vito QaQa scarcely had the ball in his hands throughout the 80-minute contest played out on a blissful afternoon before 4,417 fans.

"It's hard,'' said an exhausted Louis Stanfill, Cal's stalwart No. 8 position. "I have played on the international level and semi-pro here and with these guys. They play a high-tempo style and they hit hard. They play the way men should play. It was very satisfying.''  BYU gave up very little to the Bears in the first half and the Cougars still trailed 13-0 after the first 40 minutes. Hooker Chris Biller scored Cal's first try in the opening minutes of the game and Chris Gurecki booted through a penalty kick later for an 8-0 advantage.  Cal captain Chase Brogan came up with the game's niftiest moment when he and a BYU player were both racing for a punted ball bouncing toward the Cougars' goal line. Brogan got his hands on the ball just short of the line and touched it down for a 13-0 lead and more than a little momentum for his team.  "Just got a lucky bounce,'' he said. "Coach Clark always says to the hustler goes the reward. That really helped us and gave us a confidence boost.''  Cal got second-half tries from Kevin Kroll, Hawley and Brendan Wright and led 32-0 before BYU scored.  "This Cal team was better than the Cal team we played last year,'' BYU coach Dave Smyth said. "They're a more complete team. They were a little more creative. That's a bad thing for us.''  In losing to Cal for a second straight year in the title game, Smyth said, "I can tell you sincerely we're not going anywhere. We plan on being back here next year.''

 

ESPN: Favored Trojans will face multiple Pac-10 challenges

Here’s the link.

 

Excerpts:

 

Pac-10 success generally starts at quarterback, where little intrigue remains to be analyzed in advance of fall camp.  USC quarterback John David Booty is a leading Heisman Trophy candidate. If he falters, California's Nate Longshore could become one.

 

 

Most dynamic player: When California receiver and return specialist DeSean Jackson has the ball, he's just scary. He led the nation in punt returns last year, returning four for touchdowns. He also caught 59 passes for 1,060 yards -- 18 yards per reception -- with nine touchdowns. If the Bears start fast -- read: beat Tennessee -- Jackson could become a Heisman Trophy candidate.

 

Team that may disappoint: California coach Jeff Tedford has laid very few eggs in his five years in Berkeley, quickly transforming a moribund program into a budding national power. Oh, the Bears went belly-up in the 2004 Holiday Bowl against an inferior Texas Tech team, but other than that things have been mostly smooth. At least until that 35-18 humiliation at Tennessee that made Cal look ill-prepared for the big time and set tongues wagging on Pac-10 mediocrity. The Volunteers visit Strawberry Canyon this fall. If Cal wins, buckle up for a banner season. If it loses, things could become unsteady. A potential Achilles' heel: Six marquee starters from last year's underachieving defense need to be replaced.

 

Pac-10 Projections

Post-spring picks, predictions and prognostications:

1. USC

2. California

3. UCLA

4. Oregon State

5. Arizona

6. Oregon

7. Arizona State

8. Washington State

9. Washington

10. Stanford

 

Fun quote: “At least seven teams could make a reasonable case they are bowl worthy. Of the bottom three -- Washington State, Washington and Stanford -- only the Cardinal appear completely hapless.”

CBS Sportsline Looks Ahead to 2008 Draft

Here’s the link.

 

6. DeSean Jackson, WR, California: This junior can fly. Every time he touches the ball, the opposition has to fear the big play. He's a heck of a return man as well.

Rivals.com: Longshore Ranked 7th Best Deep Passer

Here is the link.

 

7. Nate Longshore, Jr., California: The fact that 51 of his 227 completions last year went for at least 20 yards shows that Longshore isn't afraid of throwing long. Why should he be when California boasts one of the nation's top deep threats in DeSean Jackson? Oregon State sure knows about Longshore's ability to deliver an accurate long ball. Longshore threw four touchdown passes - all at least 27 yards - in a 41-13 triumph over the Beavers last year. He also had a 62-yard touchdown pass against Arizona, a 48-yarder against Minnesota and a 44-yarder against UCLA.

Scout.com: Hurrell Makes It Two For Cal

By Jim McGill

The Cal Bears received their second commitment of the young season this week, securing the services of their first Bay Area recruit from across the bay in San Mateo. Serra (San Mateo) High School linebacker J.P. Hurrell (5-11/195, 4.58 forty, 80 tackles, 4 sacks) gave the Bears word that he was heading to Berkeley in 2008.  Hurrell was excited when he received his offer from Cal two weeks ago after previously getting his first three offers from BYU, Oregon and Washington earlier. "Coach Tedford was really sincere and straightforward," said Hurrell "and he said that even though I’m not the biggest guy around, he knows I have a lot of heart and he saw that on the highlight film and he wants me to be a part of the Bear family and I’m really excited about that.”

Read the entire article here.

 

Register-Guard: Analsyis of the Duck's Oponents

Here is the link.

 

Sept. 29, vs. California

Marshawn Lynch is gone at running back, but Justin Forsett is still around, and his average yards per carry of 6.39 last season is tops in the country among returning players, the Chronicle reported. But coach Jeff Tedford wouldn't mind another solid two-back rotation, and James Montgomery made himself a candidate this spring for such a role.

Tedford blasted his offense as spring closed, but the unit was without four starters on the line due to graduation and injuries. The Bears also auditioned replacements for graduated corner Daymeion Hughes.

Minimum of Two Cal Football Games To Air on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2

Tennessee and USC Games Locked in to Pac-10 TV Deal

BERKELEY - A minimum of two California football games have been selected for broadcast on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2, the Pac-10 announced on Tuesday. Cal's home games with Tennessee (Sept. 1) and USC (Nov. 10) will be televised nationally and will kick off at 5 p.m. (Pacific). Four other Golden Bear games have the potential to be picked up by the network through its 12 and six-day selection slots.   In addition, the Colorado State game (Sept. 8) will be aired nationally by College Sports Television. That game will kick off at 11 a.m. (Pacific) from Fort Collins.  Game times and television information for other Golden Bear contests will be released when available.

In the first five years of head coach Jeff Tedford's tenure, 47 Cal football games have been televised; in the five years prior to that, 30 Cal games were televised. National television broadcasts have more than doubled in that time. Last year, 11 Golden Bear contest were televised. The Colorado State game will mark Cal's first game on CSTV.

The 2007 Cal season kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 1 with the Golden Bears hosting Tennessee at memorial Stadium. After the road trip to Colorado State, the Bears return home to face Louisiana Tech in another inter-sectional game. Season tickets are now available at www.CalBears.com or by calling 1-800-GO-BEARS. Single-game tickets will go on sale in June.

 

Current ABC 2007 Televised California Football Games

Sept. 1 - Tennessee at California, 5:00 p.m., ABC

Nov. 10 - USC at California, 5:00 p.m., ABC or ESPN or ESPN2