San Jose Mercury: Tedford names Riley as Cal's starting quarterback

Jonathan Okanes

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Cal coach Jeff Tedford named redshirt junior Kevin Riley as his starting quarterback Monday.  The decision doesn't come as much of a surprise, as Riley is the only signal-caller on the roster that has taken a meaningful snap in a game. He started nine games last year. Riley has taken the overwhelming majority of first team snaps during training camp. Redshirt sophomore Brock Mansion will be the backup.

"Kevin (has) experience with game situations and with the offense, and he's been more accurate and consistent throwing the ball," Tedford said. "He has been pretty consistent all the way through." Riley averaged just 123.6 yards passing per game last season with just 14 touchdown passes, but also threw only six interceptions as he shared time with Nate Longshore. Tedford originally said he would name the starter Wednesday, but decided to make his decision public Monday to avoid distractions. Wednesday will be Cal's first practice preparing for the season-opener against Maryland on Sept. 5.

Cal Athletics: Fan Appreciation Day Set for August 29th

With football season fast approaching, the California football team will host its annual Fan Appreciation Day presented by the Contra Costa Times at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, August 29. The event will include a chance for fans to interact with players and coaches from the 2009 Cal football team. The Golden Bears are looking for their eighth straight winning season, as well as their seventh consecutive bowl bid and fifth postseason victory in a row in 2009.

Festivities will run from noon-2 p.m., with a pre-event starting at 11 a.m. near the North Tunnel. ALL FANS MUST ENTER THROUGH THE NORTH TUNNEL ENTRANCE. The stadium will not open for the event prior to noon. Fans are encouraged to use public transportation (BART) when visiting the Cal campus. For specific parking information, log on to pt.berkeley.edu.

Members of the team and coaching staff will be available for photo opportunities and autographs during the event. We ask all fans to respect the "one autograph per player or coach" guideline this year. The dance team, the Cal Marching Band and Cal's lovable mascot Oski will also be on site to greet fans and pose for pictures. In addition, the California Victory Cannon, which debuted at the 1964 Big Game, will be on display and available for pictures.

The 2009 Cal Football Official Game Day Tee, additional Cal merchandise and season tickets will be for sale. Free burritos will be available to the first 1,000 fans courtesy of Rubio's and soft drinks and other samplings will be served, compliments of Rubio's, Coca-Cola and Odwalla. In addition, Sports Gallery will be on hand to showcase classic Cal memorabilia.

Cal Athletics: Cal Ranked 12th

California has been ranked No. 12 in the Associated Press Top 25 Preseason Poll released on Saturday, equaling the spot the Golden Bears rank in the USA Today Coaches' Preseason Poll released on August 7.

The ranking also equals the second-highest preseason ranking the Bears have received in the AP Poll since Jeff Tedford became the team's head coach in 2002. In the Tedford era, Cal has also been listed among the AP's Top 25 teams heading into the season in 2004 (No. 13), 2005 (No. 19), 2006 (No. 9) and 2007 (No. 12).

"Preseason rankings really don't mean all that much other than it is a situation where there are people that feel like you have the potential to be a good team," said Tedford. "What we do with that potential is totally up to us."  Defending national champion Florida is the country's top-ranked team in both polls and received 58 of the 60 first-place votes from AP. Texas, Oklahoma, USC, Alabama, Ohio State and Virginia State are ranked No. 2 through No. 7 in both polls. Texas picked up the other two first-place votes in the AP Poll.  No. 8 Mississippi (No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll) is the first variation between the two polls, while Penn State and Oklahoma State are tied for the No. 9 position in the AP Poll after being ranked No. 8 and No. 11 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll, respectively.

The remainder of the AP Top 25 includes LSU, Cal, Georgia, Boise State, Georgia Tech, Oregon, TCU, Florida State, Utah, Brigham Young, North Carolina, Iowa, Notre Dame, Nebraska and Kansas.

Cal is in the midst of its 2009 training camp that continues through August 29 with that day's practice followed by Fan Appreciation Day at Memorial Stadium from noon-2 p.m. All practices are closed to the public.

 

The Bears begin their 2009 campaign with a nationally televised ESPN2 contest against Maryland at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, September 5 (7 p.m.). Cal fans are encouraged to participate in a Blue Out in the season-opener.

Contra Costa Times: Tedford to Name Starting QB on Wednesday

Jonathan Okanes

Cal wide receiver Jeremy Ross sometimes doesn't have much contact with the outside world, so hunkered down during training camp does he become. But when he does rejoin the outside, he is asked a pretty popular question. "Everywhere I go, they ask me who the quarterback is going to be this year," he said. Those inquiring minds will get their answer soon. The Bears will practice one last time today before beginning to put in their game plan for the season-opener against Maryland on Sept. 5. While the players are enjoying an off day Tuesday, Cal's coaching staff will be getting together to determine its depth chart. Cal coach Jeff Tedford said he will announce his starting quarterback Wednesday, the Bears' first practice in preparation for Maryland. Incumbent Kevin Riley appears to have the job all but locked up. The redshirt junior has taken the majority of first-team snaps during camp, especially as the days have wore on. Redshirt sophomore Brock Mansion has had some nice moments, but he clearly hasn't done enough to take more reps away from Riley.

As recently as Friday, Tedford said he didn't know who the starter was going to be. He estimated Riley has taken about 70 percent of the first-team snaps during camp but cautioned that doesn't mean Mansion isn't a serious contender.  "It's all been pretty even and pretty competitive as far as opportunity is concerned," Tedford said. "We don't look at it like (Mansion) has to take the job from him. It's who actually is doing the things on a consistent basis." Riley started nine games last season, splitting time with Nate Longshore to lead an offense that ranked just 83rd nationally in passing. Riley threw for just 123.6 yards per game and 14 touchdowns but also tossed just six interceptions. Longshore is now departed and Riley is the only quarterback left on the roster who has taken a meaningful snap in a game.

"I think I've played well throughout camp," Riley said. "I did what I wanted to do _ get better every day, which I did." Riley appears to have the confidence of his teammates. Several players have talked about Riley's leadership in camp, and Riley himself appears to have embraced his role as the dean of Cal's quarterbacks.

Link to rest of article.

Cal Ranked 12th in AP Poll

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SF Chronicle: It's better to receive and give Best help

Ron Kroichick

They ran pass patterns in Berkeley, ran The Hill in Pinole, ran along the sand in San Francisco. Cal's wide receivers ran and ran and ran this summer, trying to distance themselves from an underwhelming 2008 season and position themselves for better days ahead in '09.

The sessions at Memorial Stadium usually unfolded in front of 70,000 empty seats. Nyan Boateng, Marvin Jones, Jeremy Ross, Verran Tucker and their colleagues diligently worked on their routes, trying to sharpen timing with quarterbacks Kevin Riley, Brock Mansion and Beau Sweeney. The visits to Pinole meant joining tailback Jahvid Best on his punishing offseason ritual, scaling a steep hill in a quiet residential neighborhood. The trips to Baker Beach involved sprints on the sand, more hill climbing and footwork drills. All the while, the echoes of last season - when Cal's passing game ranked 83rd in the country and the offensive burden fell heavily on Best - rang in the receivers' collective ears.  "We got tired of people saying we weren't good last year," Boateng said. "We just want to shut up the critics. ... We want to be the group that really steps up and does well for the team. I think we're headed in the right direction." As the Bears prepare for their season opener Sept. 5 against Maryland, the wide receivers know they must make strides. Two years ago, the position offered pizzazz and production - DeSean Jackson zooming downfield, Lavelle Hawkins crossing the middle, Robert Jordan doing his thing.

Hawkins (72 catches), Jackson (65) and Jordan (47) each posed a serious threat in 2007. Last year, no Cal receiver caught more than 29 passes (Boateng), dragging the Bears' output from nearly 242 yards passing per game in '07 to less than 190 in '08. The drop-off was not entirely surprising, given the receivers' lack of experience and the revolving door at quarterback with Riley and Nate Longshore. Still, as a group, the wideouts struck little fear into defensive coordinators throughout the Pac-10. "It was a big struggle for us last year," Ross said. "Jahvid kind of carried this team and it got rough - one man can't carry a team. It was up to us to step it up and we didn't really do the best out there.  "I think we can be way more effective this year; we have way more experience. We can take the load off Jahvid and be a threat, so the defense has something else to think about." Ross is pushing for playing time after starting four of the final five games last season. Boateng and Jones still are on track as the probable starters in the opener, giving the Bears two sizable targets.

Boateng, a senior who began his college career at Florida, is physically imposing at 6-foot-2 and 211 sculpted pounds, while Jones, a sophomore, offers speed and a more slender 190 pounds on his 6-2 frame. He also presents one compelling reason to expect more out of Cal's receivers this season. Jones caught only one pass as a true freshman, when his season was curtailed by a lingering knee injury. But he came back to have a strong spring, and he has stood out in training camp by snagging virtually all passes tossed his way. Coach Jeff Tedford noticed, as did Riley. Most encouraging to the quarterback is the way Jones plucks wayward throws out of the air - not every pass must hit him squarely in the chest to become a completion. "Everything you throw, Marvin catches it - high passes, low passes, whatever," Riley said. Said Jones: "If we need that catch, just throw it up and I'll get it. I'm not picky at all. If the quarterback throws the ball and it's in my area, I've got to get it, no excuses." Cal could still use contributions from Ross and Tucker, probably the best deep threat (team-high 17.2 yards per catch last season). Sophomore Michael Calvin might grapple for playing time, too, though he had arthroscopic knee surgery last week and will miss 2-3 weeks.

However the puzzle sorts itself out, the Bears clearly need their receivers to divert defensive attention from Best.  "We have the most explosive player in the country right now (Best), so obviously the run game is going to be there," Jones said. "We really need the passing game to click. It's important to get it going."

Daily Cal: Following Follett

Matt Kawahara

Two weeks into fall camp, the Cal football team is still looking for the right fit at weakside outside linebacker -- possibly because the void left by last year's starter, Zack Follett, is so huge.  When the Bears adopted the 3-4 to exploit their depth at linebacker, Follett was the ideal candidate for the "rush" backer -- explosive, strong and obsessed with rushing the passer. When Cal linebackers coach Kenwick Thompson says that Follett "really, really had a passion for getting to the quarterback," he still might be understating things a bit. Follett is the guy who set a picture of Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge as the background of his MySpace in the months leading up to their 2007 meeting, then destroyed Ainge on a blitz two minutes into the game, forcing a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.  "His get-off and speed were outstanding," says Thompson. "He played on a lot of emotion and that part of the game he really got up for."

In short, Follett's a tough act to follow on the weakside, and that's beginning to show. For the first two weeks of camp, the Bears had senior Devin Bishop and junior transfer Jarred Price split first-team reps at the position. A few days ago, they shifted junior Mike Mohamed to the outside with the first team and Bishop inside where he will stay for now, according to defensive coordinator Bob Gregory.  "Neither one of them (Bishop or Price) echoes Zack right now," Gregory said Friday. "That's why we moved Mike there -- to see if we can find the right guy for that position."

Link to rest of article.

Daily Cal: Fall Camp Notebook: Day 16

Matt Kawahara

Cal held its last two-a-day of camp on Saturday, practicing in shells in the morning and full pads in the afternoon, while hundreds of students moved into campus housing a few blocks from Memorial Stadium. The implication was clear: August has gone by fast. "The zone of proximity's closing in on us," Bears coach Jeff Tedford said as the fog rolled in Saturday evening. "Soon we're going to be doing a lot of game situations and then it's game planning pretty quick."  Only two practices, one of them Monday's scrimmage, remain before the Bears start to settle into their in-season schedule on Wednesday, which is also the target date that Tedford has set for having a solid depth chart heading into the Maryland week. The players have Tuesday off from practice, so the coaches will spend the day making the depth chart.

The scrimmage itself will have little impact on depth, Tedford said, as the coaches already have a "pretty good idea" about who is fitting in where. Monday, then, will consist of mostly game situations featuring the first- and second-teams.

Link to rest of article.

SF Chronicle: Sore big toe keeps Best frustrated

The restlessness is readily apparent in Jahvid Best's eyes. He wore shoulder pads Thursday morning, played catch, even engaged in some drills on the sideline. But Shane Vereen, not Best, lined up at tailback with the first-team offense in Cal's practice at Memorial Stadium.

Best has been sidelined for nearly a week by soreness in his left big toe (coach Jeff Tedford described it as a bone bruise). Doctors told Best the soreness is probably connected to offseason surgery on his left foot. The pain, significant every time Best ran last weekend, has subsided the past few days. "I'm a little frustrated," he said. "But it's almost back to 100 percent. I'll be ready. ... We're just taking the safe route to make sure I'm ready for the season." Best has nursed several injuries in his two years at Cal, from a hip problem his freshman season to foot and elbow injuries last season. He hopes to rejoin practice in the next few days, a sight Tedford obviously would welcome. Best missed all of spring practice as he recovered from the surgeries on his foot and elbow, so he has taken few practice repetitions in the past eight months. Cal opens its season in 15 days, Sept. 5 against Maryland.  "No matter what, you need some reps before you play," Tedford said. "He's got to get in there and get a little of the rust off." 

Speed demons: Usain Bolt's world-record dash Sunday, when he covered 100 meters in 9.58 seconds, left Best suitably impressed. Best won the California state championship at 100 meters in 2007, running 10.31.  "It was a perfect race," he said of Bolt's performance in the world championships. "He can still run faster. We might see a 9.4."

Smith's pain: Tight end Tad Smith knew right away. He went down on an innocuous running play in Tuesday night's scrimmage, saw a teammate roll into his right knee and then felt the knee buckle.  Smith tore his ACL, will have surgery Sept. 1 and will miss the entire season. It was an especially cruel blow given that Smith came back from ACL surgery on his left knee in 2006 and another operation on his shoulder this past spring. "This is kind of surreal, because I fought so hard through rehab," he said. "I just didn't really believe it happened."

Washington Post: No. 15 California

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Why They're Worth Watching

This is the second-most talented team in the Pacific-10 and the team with the best chance to knock off perennial favorite Southern California. Running backs Jahvid Best, who had seven runs of 60 or more yards last season, and Shane Vereen are big-play threats who will run behind a deep and stout offensive line. With eight starters back, the defense should be better than it was last season, when it ranked second in the Pac-10 in scoring and fourth nationally in forced turnovers. Everyone is back in the secondary, including preseason all-American cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson, the Golden Bears' active career leader in tackles (208), interceptions (6), passes defended (32), punt returns (28) and punt return yardage (344).

Player to Watch

Jahvid Best, Jr., RB

Best is a human highlight film and a strong Heisman Trophy candidate. He finished second in the nation in all-purpose yards and had three runs of 80 or more yards. Best missed spring practice after recovering from offseason surgeries, but he could be the nation's most explosive player.

Why They're Vulnerable

The Golden Bears have flopped recently when anointed as a title contender; in 2007, they climbed to No. 2 in the nation before fizzling out, and last year's upset loss at Maryland derailed any momentum the Bears had early on after opening wins over Michigan State and Washington State. Quarterback Kevin Riley should be the man under center, but Coach Jeff Tedford's support has been lukewarm, leaving open the possibility that Brock Mansion could play. The wide receivers were very green last season and need to mature. The passing game averaged 190 yards per game last season, and the Golden Bears finished sixth in the conference in pass efficiency.

 

Seattle Times: Can Cal Bears finally end Rose Bowl blues?

By Bud Withers

Like a lot of Old Blues, Don Kosovac had plans, plans for a glorious celebration in Pasadena to end California's interminable absence from the Rose Bowl.  "We had reservations and everything that year," says Kosovac, a retired Air Force man from Point Richmond, Calif. "My kids were going in an RV. It was a huge heartbreak." The year was 2004, and like most seasons of Cal football, there was an element of ringing disappointment. Now it's five years hence, and the 50-year anniversary of Cal's last Rose Bowl was in 2008. About this time of year, the old grads are given to thinking: Isn't it about time?

"Each year, the expectations are high," says Kosovac, a 1958 Cal grad. He adds, "I went through a lot of seasons where the big fun was the tailgating."  Now here's Cal, poised on the doorstep again, with a team that might be the equal of the monolith at USC. Can the Bears get over the hump? They're the longest sufferers in the Pac-10, of course. Washington State scratched a 67-year itch in 1997. Even Oregon State, which had an NCAA-record 28 losing seasons in a row, has been to Pasadena more recently (1965) than Cal.  The joke has been that Jeff Tedford, the eighth-year Cal coach, is keeping a lot of old people alive. He keeps bumping into longtime Bears backers who tell him, "I just want to see one Rose Bowl, and then I can die." You have to conclude that the Bears haven't been very lucky. The renaissance under Tedford has come at a time when USC has assembled one of the supreme dynasties in the history of the sport. Even at that, in that '04 season that pained Kosovac and so many other Cal faithful, the Bears played toe-to-toe with USC in the L.A. Coliseum before a short, fourth-down pass from Aaron Rodgers that would have given Cal the lead with 76 seconds left fell at the feet of a receiver who slipped in the end zone.

Still, as the unbeaten Trojans marched to the national-title game, the Rose Bowl was there for a 10-1 Cal team — until Texas' Mack Brown became Public Enemy No. 1 to Old Blues by lobbying the Longhorns into the BCS, jilting Cal. BCS machinations could again bollix Cal's hopes. If, say, the Bears go unbeaten and make the national-title game, they'd go to Pasadena, but technically, the Rose Bowl is a week before that. (Of course, the Bears could make the Rose Bowl as the Pac-10's No. 2 team, a la the near-miss of 2004.)  And next year, there's the added twist of the Rose Bowl being required to take an outlier — for instance, Boise State or Utah — if the bowl loses the Pac-10 or Big Ten champ to the BCS title game, and that non-BCS team is ranked among the top 12.

So all the Bears can do is control what they can control, which may be a lot. "We feel we have something special," said Mike Mohamed, a junior linebacker. "We've been pretty close these last couple of years. It just seems like it's one play in this game, another play in this game, and all of a sudden, we don't win the Pac-10. It's just about the little things." Cal has tailback Jahvid Best, the nation's leading returning rusher with 1,580 yards, who has been slowed in fall camp by a toe injury. More than anything, Cal needs better play from quarterback Kevin Riley, who emerges from a sometimes mystifying platoon with departed Nate Longshore. Riley completed only 51 percent of his passes.

"If we're going to achieve our goals," says Tedford, "we're going to have to be more consistent in the passing game." The defense should be among the best around. The Bears lost three starting linebackers but the reserves played extensively, and Tedford says, "We may be more talented and athletic at that position."

Cal is a year into its move to a 3-4 defense, and, says Tedford, "the familiarity with the 3-4 will allow us to do a little bit more. I believe we may be improved on defense." The big equation, Tedford knows well.

"I think our fans would prefer to go to the Rose Bowl than the national championship," he says. "They're so starved for the Rose Bowl." They're absolutely famished. And the Old Blues aren't getting any younger.

SF Examiner: Cal football shakes the rust in offense versus defense scrimmage

By Rob Calonge

The Golden Bears held a team scrimmage Tuesday night that pitted the offense versus the defense.  The point of the scrimmage was to get a good look at some of the less established Bears and help determine the overall depth chart going into the season.

Details of the outcome, as far as roster positions goes, were not evident right after practice.  "I need to watch the film before we can do that," Coach Tedford explained.  He went on to say, "We're gonna' do that tonight, tomorrow, have a good evaluation process on some of the young guys there of course.  So, I can't tell you right now until I watch the tape and look at them all."

When he goes to look at tape, he should find that Brock Mansion's offense had less trouble reaching their goal than any of the other offenses.  The issue wasn't the quarterback as much as it was his protection and ground game.  Kevin Riley didn't have Chris Guarnero snapping to him on the day and it was evident in a fumbled snap and a couple of slips when dropping back to pass.  Riley was swarmed for most of the afternoon and was put in 3rd and long situations throughout the day.  When Riley did have the time, he was on target and throwing for touchdowns.

Link to rest of article.

 

Cal Ranked 16th in Preseason by LA Times' Dufresne

By Chris Dufresne

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No. 16 California

 

First, a little context: California football was 0-11, 3-8 and 1-10 in the three seasons before Jeff Tedford arrived as coach in 2002. The Golden Bears would have counted their lucky stars to land Tedford, but they didn't have any.  The team Tedford inherited from Tom Holmoe was this bad: Cal was supposed to play at Rutgers the weekend after Sept. 11, 2001, but the game was postponed to Nov. 23. When November rolled around, Cal was 0-10 and Rutgers had lost its last three Big East Conference games by the scores of 80-7, 42-0 and 38-7. Rutgers wanted to cancel the game, but Cal said no way. It was willing to fly across the country to pick up its only victory, 20-10.

Cal then got a huge break. Tedford, an assistant on Mike Bellotti's Oregon staff, was set to take the San Diego State job when Cal made an 11th hour call to change his mind. Tedford is 59-30 in seven seasons at Berkeley and his team is pressing to make another run at USC for this year's Pacific 10 Conference title. The Golden Bears rate higher in other preseason publications -- Phil Steele (9), Athlon (11), Lindy's (12), ESPN.com (13) and USA Today (12) -- but Rankman is more cautious if only because he has followed Cal's ups and bumps through the years. Cal has been a good, not great, program that needs to finish a sale. In 2003, Cal appeared destined to become USC's primary challenger after it shocked the Trojans in a triple-overtime thriller.

But the story ended with Cal finishing 8-6 and USC winning the Associated Press national title. Cal has since lost five games in a row to USC. Why will this year be different? "We have great respect for them," Tedford said of the Trojans. "We don't fear them. We don't look at that differently this year, only that we play them at home." In 2006, Cal was 8-1 before consecutive losses at Arizona and USC wrecked the team's outright conference title hopes (Cal was co-Pac-10 champion but lost the BCS bid to USC).

In 2007, Cal was 5-0 and mere yards from becoming the No. 1 ranked team in the country for the first time since 1951 when it suffered a crushing home loss against Oregon State and collapsed to a 7-6 finish. Last year, an early-riser loss at Maryland lost Cal some national credibility. Is it finally Tedford time? His team has the league's fastest running back in Jahvid Best. Cal has had a 1,000-yard rusher in each of Tedford's seven seasons. The Golden Bears return eight starters on defense and USC loses eight. Cal has another early-morning test, at Minnesota on Sept. 12. But at least this year the team is flying in early to get body-clock acclimated. And, before Cal gets to USC on Oct. 3, it must play at Oregon on Sept. 26.  If Cal can get to 4-0 before it faces USC, that becomes the Pac-10 game of the year and another Berkeley now-or-never moment.

SF Chronicle: QBs Riley, Mansion solid in scrimmage

Ron Kroichick

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Cal interrupted the tedium of training camp with a scrimmage Tuesday at Memorial Stadium - referees in full uniform, simulated crowd noise, the works. This offered a fresh setting for the quarterback duel between quasi-incumbent Kevin Riley and sophomore Brock Mansion.  "It's completely different," Mansion said. "At practice, you feel like sometimes your hand is being held a little, like daddy's behind you. Here, you're kind of thrown out in the wild."

Redshirt freshman Beau Sweeney officially remains in the competition, though Riley and Mansion have taken the bulk of practice snaps with the first-team offense. They both had their moments Tuesday, from Riley's 14-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Ross to Mansion's nicely thrown 20-yard scoring strike to Charles Satchel.  Riley showed noticeable poise in running the offense, especially as the clock ran down a few times. He seems to have the inside track on the starting job, though coach Jeff Tedford has offered few clues. He's likely to make a decision by next week, with the season opener against Maryland only 17 days away (on Sept. 5).  "The quarterbacks made some good throws," Tedford said of Tuesday's scrimmage. "We need better throws in certain situations. I'd say they played average."

Best out: Running back Jahvid Best did not participate in the scrimmage because of a sore toe. Tedford called the injury "nothing serious," but Best has not taken a practice repetition since Friday.

More injuries: Cal is nursing other noteworthy injuries, too. Starting center Chris Guarnero had surgery Tuesday to repair torn ligaments in his thumb; he could return to practice later this week.  The receiving corps also absorbed some blows. Tight end Tad Smith sustained a knee injury of unknown severity during Tuesday's scrimmage and wide receiver Michael Calvin had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Monday and will miss "a couple of weeks," according to Tedford. Calvin had reconstructive surgery on the same knee in October after tearing his ACL.

Detail work: Senior cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson enters the season on several award watch lists. He blossomed into a lockdown, dare-you-to-throw-this-way cornerback last year, when he intercepted four passes, broke up 14 more and earned all-conference honors.  Thompson, reflecting on his 2008 season, illustrated why Cal coaches probably want their young defensive backs to listen to the guy with the flowing dreadlocks. "I felt like I had a good season last year, but I could have done better," he said. "There's technique work I can do better - getting hands on receivers more, working on my footwork, using my eyes better. I can always get better at the little things. I'm never satisfied with my game."

CBS Sports: Jahvid hoping to run Cal to Best in west

Dennis Dodd

Georgia Street is a steep incline near Jahvid Best's Vallejo, Calif., home. The neighborhood pavement has been as good as any track or personal trainer for the West's best Heisman candidate.  Nature's elements are always in play and Best also has to dodge cars, but Georgia has rewarded Cal's tailback. Since high school, Best has periodically attacked the incline with a series of 60- and 70-yard uphill sprints. The work he puts in doesn't feel good at the time, but as Best puts it, things get easier in the fourth quarter when those lithe calves and solid thighs allow him to slip out of the grasp of a tackler.

That's where the fun really begins. Defenses best stop Best early in his runs, because letting him going can be deadly. That's another way of saying that Best might be the fastest running back in the country. The nation's leading returning rusher put himself in that Heisman conversation by rushing for 1,580 yards and averaging 8.1 yards as a sophomore. As for Best's training tool, might as well call it Metaphor Hill. It's one thing running up a street in your neighborhood, it's another climbing a mountain in the Pac-10.

And there is quite a Matterhorn in Berkeley. The clock is at 50 years and running on the Bears' last Rose Bowl appearance. It's seven years and counting on USC's complete domination of the Pac-10.  Maybe, with Best's help, the stars have aligned to end both streaks. Cal will start the season ranked in the top 15 and is expected to challenge USC for the conference title. Cal gets the Trojans at home on Oct. 3. Meanwhile, the league has gotten tougher, if you count a shift to more physical, ground-based offenses. Best is one of five returning 1,000-yard Pac-10 rushers (a conference first). "Our expectations are so high, and I feel like we're going to live up to them this year," the tailback said.

Link to rest of article.

ESPN: Cal Shuts Down Practices

Ted Miller

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Enjoy this practice report because it appears that California coach Jeff Tedford is closing down practices. Both quarterbacks are playing well. Injury news in both stories on Jahvid Best, center Chris Guarnero, tight end Tad Smith and receiver Michael Calvin.

Oakland Tribune: Cal tight end Smith lost for the season with torn ACL

Jonathan Okanes

Cal tight end Tad Smith has a torn anterior cruciate in his right knee and is out for the season, coach Jeff Tedford said Wednesday. Smith suffered the injury during Tuesday night's intrasquad scrimmage.

Unless he petitions the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility, Smith's college career is over. The fifth-year senior used his redshirt year in 2005.

Smith had been battling sophomore Anthony Miller for the starting job vacated by Cameron Morrah, who left school after his junior season for the NFL draft. Smith was Morrah's primary backup last season and played in 12 games, catching three passes for 23 yards and a touchdown.  Smith tore the ACL in his left knee in 2006 and missed that season as well.  Smith's absence means Miller should begin the season as the starting tight end with senior Skylar Curran and redshirt freshman Jarrett Sparks and Spencer Ladner fighting for a backup role.

ESPN: Longest-Tenured Coaches with no BCS Bowls

Tim Griffin

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Tedford is ranked 8^th.

“Of those on the list, I think that Tedford has the best opportunity to break that streak this season as the Bears might be in line to challenge USC in the Pac-10 and maybe be in contention for a BCS at-large berth.”

Oakland Tribune: Cal Tight End Curran Gets Up to Speed

Jonathan Okanes

Cal coach Jeff Tedford says tight end Skylar Curran has been coming into his own during training camp.

That shouldn't be too surprising — the Bears have had their share of luck with players from Butte College.  Curran may not make the same impact as former Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who went on to become a first-round NFL draft pick by the Green Bay Packers. But Tedford said Curran should see a lot of playing time this season.

"The guy who is having a great camp is Skylar Curran," Tedford said. "He has really showed up. He's improved everything. He's finally caught up with the speed of the game."  Despite the early departure of Cameron Morrah to the NFL, tight end appeared to be one of the deepest positions on the team entering training camp. Last year's backup, Tad Smith, is back, and sophomore Anthony Miller, who caught the winning touchdown pass in last season's Emerald Bowl, could supplant him as the starter. Redshirt freshman Spencer Ladner was one of the Bears' top scout team players last year and also figures in the mix. Curran seemed to be a forgotten man. But he started getting some first- and second-team reps in the spring and should push Smith and Miller for playing time this season.

Link to rest of story.

SF Examiner: Riley the Favorite as QB

Glenn Dickey

Kevin Riley has the inside track to be the starting quarterback for the Cal football team this fall, stabilizing a position that has been in turmoil since Aaron Rodgers left.  Coach Jeff Tedford said this spring that Riley’s mechanics were out of whack last season, which caused his inconsistency. He gave Riley some instructions on what to work on and Riley has been throwing the ball with consistency, both in the spring and the early workouts this month, including the two I’ve watched.

“It’s clear that he’s done a lot of work on his own,” Tedford said after the Saturday workout. “No quarterback is perfect [indeed, Tedford had reminded a writer who wondered why the quarterbacks sometimes followed a good play with a bad one that: “Even Joe Montana missed at times”], but what you look for is consistency.”  Tedford said he probably won’t name a starter until the middle of next week, but Riley was the starter coming out of spring ball and is still the starter.

“If he continues to improve, yeah, I’d say he’ll probably be the guy,” Tedford said. The quarterbacks behind Riley — Brock Mansion and Beau Sweeney — have also looked good, but Tedford said that Riley’s experience gives him the edge; he’s a junior and has played parts of two season while Mansion, a sophomore, and Sweeney, a redshirt freshman, have not. “We should be in good shape at that position for some time because of the youth,” Tedford said.

Link to rest of article.

 

 

Daily Cal: Fall Camp - Scrimmage No. 1

By Matt Kawahara

Neither Kevin Riley nor Brock Mansion seized outright control of the Cal football team's quarterback competition and Jahvid Best headlined a number of regular starters missing from the first scrimmage of fall camp Tuesday evening.

Best was present and dressed but did not set foot on the field, still nursing a sore toe that hasn't allowed him to take a rep at tailback since Friday. In his absence, ShaneVereen, Dasarte Yarnway and Covaughn DeBoskie -Johnson split the majority of the carries as the offense and defense squared off in a series of situational drives -- and no running back found the end zone on the ground all afternoon.

Scoring instead came by the passing game in the quarterbacks' first real opportunity this season to run the offense with the coaches on the sidelines -- or as Mansion put it, without having their hands being held. Riley and Mansion shared equal time with the first and second teams and posted almost identical numbers: Riley completed 11 of his 21 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns, while Mansion was 14-for-22 for 141 yards and three scores.

Link to rest of story.

 

Daily Cal: Fall Camp Day 11

By Matt Kawahara

With its first scrimmage scheduled for tomorrow, the Cal football team took it easy in a helmets-only practice on a cool Monday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. The Bears worked primarily on technique during the two-hour session, and there were no competitive 7-on-7 or team sessions between the offense and defense -- they'll see each other up close tomorrow in full pads and at full speed.

"They've been practicing really well," coach Jeff Tedford said. "Now (the coaches) are getting off the field, we're going to let them play. We're looking for organization, discipline -- on offense getting out of the huddle and executing and on defense making sure that we're assignment perfect."

Tedford said that he doubts tailback Jahvid Best will participate in the scrimmage. Best is still nursing a sore toe that bothers him when he cuts, and he hasn't had a full day of practice since last Wednesday. He spent a good amount of today's practice softening up his hands on the tennis ball machine and caught a few balls thrown to him by Tedford.

In Best's absence, Tedford said, Shane Vereen should play limited series tomorrow and younger backs like Dasarte Yarnway, Kevin Lewis and Langston Jackson will all see significant playing time. Redshirt freshman Covaughn DeBoskie-Johnson will be watching from the sideline, as he has been out for the last two days with what Tedford called a pulled muscle.

Link to rest of story.

 

The California: Former Pacific Grove Star Waiting for Chance at Cal

After the first week of football practice, California redshirt sophomore John Tyndall is excited. Every year seems to be called "the year" Cal breaks through and wins the Pac-10. Tyndall and the rest of the Bears are leaving nothing to chance this time around.  “We're working hard, looking and looking forward to the next couple weeks," Tyndall, the former Pacific Grove High School standout, said.

After winning Scout Team Player of The Year honors his first season in Berkeley, the 6-3 Tyndall has sights on being the first team fullback. The Bears' schedule opens with Maryland coming West on Sept. 5, a game that has special meaning for Tyndall since he missed the last one.  Tyndall hurt his foot in the second game against Washington State and had to miss last year's trip to College Park where the Bears lost 35-27. Tyndall played mostly on special teams last season with a single carry on offense.

Link to rest of article.

ESPN: Pac-10 Villains

By Ted Mille

Link.

Current villain: Mack Brown. The Texas coach vociferously -- and with little justification -- lobbied to be promoted in the national polls past California so the Longhorns could earn a BCS bowl berth. A number of voters listened, changed their voting patterns and denied the Bears their first Rose Bowl invitation since 1959. Dispirited, Cal sleepwalked through a Holiday Bowl loss to Texas Tech.

All-time villain: Tyrone Willingham. Willingham? Well, while Stanford's coach from 1995-2001, Willingham went 7-0 in Big Games. How can that not be incredibly annoying to Cal fans, even more so today, considering the trajectory of Willingham's coaching career?

Daily Cal: Fall Camp Day Ten

By Matt Kawahara

The Cal football team continued Sunday to ratchet up the realism of its situational drills in preparation for its first scrimmage of fall camp on Tuesday.  Coach Jeff Tedford brought officials out for the second day in a row and the Bears finished their 11th practice in 10 days with three situational team sequences: one with the offense starting on its own 33-yard line, one at the goal line and a two-minute (in this case 90-second) drill with the offense starting from its own 40. Quarterback Kevin Riley ran with the first-team offense in all three drills -- as he has done for the majority of fall camp -- while Brock Mansion quarterbacked the second team.

Mansion had a good practice highlighted by a nearly flawless touchdown drive on the final sequence -- getting some help from a 15-yard defensive penalty on a third down. The sophomore completed all six of his passes on the drive, including two to redshirt freshman receiver Ross Bostock and two to tight end Skylar Curran, and capped it with a sharp touchdown pass on a slant to tight end Tad Smith.

Mansion was on point during the earlier sequences and 7-on-7's as well. He threw consecutive touchdown passes to Curran and Jeremy Ross during skeleton offense and made possibly his best throw during the goal line exercise. He put a ball right in the crook of tight end Jarrett Sparks' right arm for a touchdown from about five yards out as Sparks was fighting off a linebacker with his left arm.

Riley struggled in the final hurry-up drill after being sacked by linebacker Jarred Price on the opening play. He completed a one-yard pass to Anthony Miller (cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson made a nice tackle to keep Miller in bounds), scrambled for eight yards and then overthrew a well-defended Miller on a wheel route on fourth down. Aside from that drive, Riley did not have a lot of opportunities to throw the ball during team sessions, although he did connect with Shane Vereen for a touchdown during the goal line set.

Tedford said after practice that the naming of a starting quarterback could happen "anytime" and not necessarily as late as the Wednesday a week and a half before the Maryland game -- the date by which he has said the depth chart will likely be finalized for the season opener. Tedford also said that Tuesday's scrimmage will not have a "great deal" of influence over his decision.

Link to rest of article.

 

Daily Cal: Fall Camp Day Nine

By Katie Dowd

People walking by Memorial Stadium on Saturday morning kept stopping to peer inside because, for all the world, it sounded like football season had started. In the quiet of Strawberry Canyon, Memorial was alive was blaring crowd noise, referees' whistles and, occasionally, the hard plastic thud of pads.

In the morning session of the Cal football team's double day, the Bears spent a good chunk of their two hours on the field doing situational 11-on-11's. Unlike a scrimmage, the ball was placed at strategic locations and the first, second, third and fourth strings battled it out in each scenario under the watchful eye of a team of referees and with the added challenge of recorded crowd noise.

"There's obviously some things that were learned," coach Jeff Tedford said. "As much as we can, (we) put them out there on their own and get them used to that. It's as simple as backers manipulating the umpire in there, receivers communicating with the linemen, so on and so forth."

No official score was kept, but it was pretty obvious that the defense had won the day. In many ways, however, the offense was self-defeating. The wide receiver corps -- and almost everyone else who went out for a pass -- had a case of the drops. Several nicely-thrown balls by quarterbacks Kevin Riley and Brock Mansion were dropped on would-be first downs.

A sample of what situational drills looked like today:

Link to rest of article.

Baltimore Sun: Terrapin Defense is a Hit in First Scrimmage

Link.

SF Examiner: Riley looks sharp in camp - Day 9 morning notes

By Rob Calogne

The early start time for the morning session was perfectly scheduled for the weather. Unlike the cool evening weather the night before, Saturday morning was very warm--suntan lotion warm.  Today we were treated to crowd noise, officiating, and situational 11-on-11 practice. It was the first practice of Cal's first of three two-a-days this camp.

The first-team linemen, (or the linemen that were lined up first): Mike Tepper (LT), Matt Summers-Gavin (LG), Chris Guarnero (OC), Justin Cheadle (RG), and Mitchell Schwartz (RT). It's far too early to have a set depth chart and some of the slotting could be due to some guys getting more rest than others.  "Most of the time," Coach Tedford explained, "They're slash one's two's.  It's not like a four is taking rep's with the one's."  While the quarterbacks worked with the receivers, there were a couple of nice catches.  The best catch was one by Marvin Jones where he was able to use one hand to prevent a high pass from going incomplete.  The ball was sailing overhead when he stuck his left arm up, and pulled it down far enough to make a two-handed catch.

Link to rest of article.

Daily Cal: Fall Camp, Day Eight

By Matt Kawahara

Bears Deal With Some Nagging Injuries With First Two-a-Day Scheduled for Tomorrow

The red jerseys were out in numbers Friday afternoon as the Cal football team began week two of fall camp with a few starters battling injuries.

Cornerback Darian Hagan, linebacker Mychal Kendricks and receiver Nyan Boateng all sat out their second consecutive practice. Hagan has a sore knee, while Kendricks and Boateng are both recovering from concussions. They were joined on the sideline Friday by Chris Conte, who coach Jeff Tedford said has a "little pulled muscle," and safety Sean Cattouse, who has a pulled hamstring.

After not participating in most of the team and group drills yesterday, Jahvid Best ran through a normal first half of practice and sat out the majority of the second half, including a red-zone team drill and a kickoff return session.Tedford said that Best is "a little sore," and the rest is to "let his aches calm down a little bit," although Best looked as explosive as ever on one play during early team sessions, taking ahandoff right and slipping into the second level of defenders through a virtually nonexistent gap.

Receiver Michael Calvin, who appeared to tweak something at the end of a route during one-on-one's Friday and immediately walked over to a trainer, has a pulled muscle as well.

But so it goes as fall camp progresses, Tedford said, and as of right now, nobody is expected to be out for a significant amount of time.  "It's been physical," he said. "We practice at a high tempo all the time, we have full gear on and shoulder pads on and so it's that time of camp right now. We start getting some tired legs and some tweaked muscles. It's to be expected."   The absence of several veterans cleared the way for some younger guys to take reps with the first team. Redshirt freshman Josh Hill filled in for Hagan across from Syd'Quan Thompson, and during nickel packages -- when Thompson becomes the nickel back and shifts over to cover the slot receiver -- Hill and junior Bryant Nnabuife covered the wideouts. D.J. Holt replaced Kendricks at inside linebacker alongside Mike Mohamed.

On the other side of the ball, with Best taking it easy, Shane Vereen played the majority of the first-team downs with freshman Dasarte Yarnway also getting some work with the ones, particularly in goal-line situations. Tedford said that he wanted Yarnway -- who has played mostly behind the third-team O-line during the first week -- to see some better running holes, and that the freshman "has done a nice job" so far in camp.  "He's got a bright future," Tedford said.

Link to rest of article.

SF Chronicle: Starting Linebackers Different, Not New

By Tom FitzGerald

Link.

Losing three stellar linebackers may lead onlookers, and maybe even opposing offensive coordinators, to conclude that Cal is hurting in that one unit of an otherwise loaded defense.   The Bears say that would be incorrect. For one thing, there are several experienced backers, even if they might not have the credentials of the departed Zack Follett, a seventh-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions, Worrell Williams or Anthony Felder.

Mike Mohamed, for one, was second on the team in tackles last year despite bouncing around between the four linebacker spots. And Eddie Young started on the strong-side outside spot. Others saw action in reserve roles.  "A lot of these guys have been here, and the JC guys are fitting in well," Mohamed said after a training camp session Friday night. "I'd watch out for us. I wouldn't write off the linebacking unit. We're working hard to try to duplicate last year's success."  Coach Jeff Tedford summed up his new group as "excellent. I feel great about the linebackers. People think we're inexperienced there. A lot of those guys played last year."  Sophomore D.J. Holt, for example, is fighting for an inside spot and looked sharp Friday. In the span of a few snaps during an 11-on-11 drill, he stuffed a running play and intercepted a Kevin Riley pass.

Sophomore Mychal Kendricks looks like the other inside starter at this point, while the biggest battle is shaping up on the weak-side outside spot, which Follett vacated. Senior Devin Bishop, freshman Chris Little and junior college transfers Ryan Davis and Jarred Price are in the hunt, although Bishop may play on the inside as well.

"It might be certain guys on certain downs," defensive coordinator Bob Gregory said. "We've got to put guys in the right positions and give them the right things to do."  He'll stick with the 3-4 defense because it's easier to recruit linebackers than defensive linemen, he said, plus it's easier to adjust to one-back offenses out of the 3-4. "We'll be in the 3-4 as long as I'm here," he said.

Bumps and bruises: Today is the first of double practice sessions, and many of the Bears are already beaten up. "It's been physical," Tedford said. "We practice at a high tempo all the time, whether we have full gear on or just shoulder pads. It's that time of camp. You get some tweaked muscles."

Anger's fake: Sophomore punter Bryan Anger, already one of the best in the nation, recalled a punt fake that backfired against Oregon State last year. He was supposed to pass the ball, but the snap went instead to the up back. Maybe Anger will get to work on his passer rating this year. "Mainly I'm working on my consistency," he said.

SF Examiner: Training Camp Highlights

By Rob Calonge

I attended my first training camp practice Friday evening.  If there was a word to describe the evening practice, I would have to say that I would pick the word--EFFICIENCY.  I'll get back to that, but let's just say that I could use a little of what Coach Tedford is selling to his team.

Originally, I had planned to meet up with Cal's football PR staff at Haas Pavilion, but the meeting was changed to the stadium where the Bears would be holding their practice.  For some reason, I chose to park at a parking garage near the gymnasium instead of the football field.

By the time I had realized the mistake, I was already hoofing my way up Bancroft, backpack on shoulder.  Let's just say that nothing tells you how old you are or how out of shape you are, as much as making a half-mile trek up a street with a grade of 10 to 20-degrees.

Link to rest of article.

Isi Sofele's High School Highlights

Contra Costa Times: Bears Need to Fill Fullback Position

Link to entire article.

Excerpts:
One of the positions Tedford is following closest is fullback, where the Bears need to find somebody to replace underappreciated Will Ta'ufo'ou. Cal is taking a close look at Brian Holley, Will Kapp and John Tyndall, and so far nobody has taken the lead.

"It's hit and miss," Tedford said. "They're doing some good things and then they're busting some other things. That's why we're out here practicing. All those guys really haven't played before, so every day is a learning process for them to feel it out. You get them making all the right decisions, then you let them show their physical abilities."

Extra points

Tedford said he has been pleased with the play of quarterbacks Kevin Riley, Brock Mansion and Beau Sweeney. "The quarterbacks are much improved, even from the spring," Tedford said. Tedford has said he won't name a starter until about 10 days before the Sept. 5 opener against Maryland. ... Cornerback Thompson and linebacker Eddie Young missed practice Wednesday for a team violation but were back on the practice field Thursday. ... Backup tight end Spencer Ladner has been out since Sunday with a pulled hamstring near his tendon. ... Single-game tickets for Cal's game against USC on Oct. 3 are sold out. The only remaining way to purchase tickets for the game is to buy season tickets.

 

Daily Cal: Fall Camp Day Seven

By Katie Dowd

The Cal offense has been running the reverse with several different players in practice, but when all 5-feet-and-a-generous-7 inches of wide receiver Isi Sofele had the ball in his hands, the play was finally gasp-worthy. In one of the first plays of 7-on-7's on Thursday, Sofele burst up the sideline -- sprung free about ten yards from the line of scrimmage by a block from offensive lineman Mike Tepper -- for an easy score.  With one explosive play, it appeared that Sofele had written the storyline of Thursday's practice as one dominated by the offense. But cornerback Charles Amadi made sure the defense got a piece of the action too.

A few minutes later, quarterback Kevin Riley zinged a 20-yard pass to wide receiver Marvin Jones in the corner of the end zone. Jones turned around to catch the ball, but Amadi reached in to break up the would-be touchdown.  It went like that for the rest of practice.  "It goes back and forth," coach Jeff Tedford said. "Defense made some good plays. Syd (Thompson) covered real well ... Amadi down here in the corner made a good play on Marv. Really competitive. Guys working really well together."

The most interesting portion of practice came in the last few minutes of the day. The Bears ran a two-minute drill (with the clock actually set to 1:30), first with Riley and then with sophomore quarterback Brock Mansion.

Link to rest of article.

Daily Cal: Fullbacks Vie for Starting Job While Striving to Meet Ta'ufo'ou Standard

By Matt Kawahara

In Will Ta'ufo'ou, the Cal football team lost a 6-foot, 255-pound fullback who could bulldoze a linebacker, surprise you with his speed, catch a pass out of the backfield and -- despite guiding 1,500-yard rushers in back-to-back years -- probably go unnoticed on campus.

In Ta'ufo'ou's replacement, the Bears are looking for somebody who can do all of those things (the latter is probably optional) and fill what running backs coach Ron Gould right now calls a "void" in the backfield. Fortunately for an offense riding a streak of seven straight seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher, Ta'ufo'ou taught his potential replacements quite a bit before he left.

"I learned a lot of things from Will, man," says senior Brian Holley. "Playing fullback, it's not glorified, its not anything. Just be humble, go in there and get the job done. That's what I learned from Will. He did that every day."

Link to rest of article.

AP: Cal Football Preview

2008 SEASON IN REVIEW: Usually nine wins in a season is recognized as a successful campaign, but the 2008 Golden Bears underachieved as they were looked upon as one of the team's to compete for the Pac-10 title.

Powered by one of the top running backs in the nation, Jahvid Best, the Golden Bears stormed out of the gates in 2008, grabbing a hard-fought 38-31 victory over Michigan State, followed by a dominating 66-3 win over Washington State. The team took a step back with a tough 35-27 loss on the road to Maryland, but fortunately coach Jeff Tedford's bunch rebounded with back-to-back victories over Colorado State and Arizona State. The team fell to 4-2 on the year with a 42-27 setback to Arizona, but once again the Golden Bears bounced back with two victories, defeating UCLA and Oregon at home. Any chance for a shot at the Pac-10 title were dashed over the team's next two matchups, as the Golden Bears were defeated by USC (17-3) and Oregon State (34-21).

Although the team's conference aspirations were all but lost, the players didn't give up, proven by the way they closed out the regular season, pummeling Stanford and Washington by a combined 85-23 margin.

Link to rest of article.

 

Sporting News Ranks Cal 21st

Link.

One question summarizes Cal's prospects for the 2009 season, and it's not, "Will the quarterbacks play better than they did last year?"  Instead, the question in Berkeley is: If not now, when?  If the Bears cannot overtake USC now—with the Trojans breaking in a new quarterback and a new defense and having to visit Berkeley on Oct. 3—then when will they?  If they can't make the big plays and the big stops in the big late-season games now—with all that talent at the skill positions and eight starters returning on defense—when will they?

"Everybody believes we can be Pac-10 champions," quarterback Kevin Riley said.  And Riley will an integral part of Cal's success, or failure, in that long-awaited endeavor. If there is efficient, consistent quarterback play, then all things are possible for the Bears, who boast one of the top defenses in the conference and one of the top playmakers in the country in tailback Jahvid Best.  Best rushed for 1,580 yards last season despite missing a game to injury and not having a complementary aerial attack. Defenses were designed to stop him, yet he still averaged 8.1 yards per carry and 131.7 yards per game.

But the Bears haven't fielded a top-notch quarterback since Aaron Rodgers was under center in 2004. The current troubles actually began in the second half of the '07 season, when coach Jeff Tedford stuck with Nate Longshore through a dreadful series of performances. Last fall, Tedford took the opposite approach and used a quick hook with Riley, yanking the sophomore despite a 3-1 record and solid numbers. The seasonlong rotation with Longshore produced stagnation at the position and a fourth-place finish.

Longshore's gone, but Riley's back for his junior year to compete with sophomore Brock Mansion and redshirt freshman Beau Sweeney for the starting job.  There is much greater uncertainty about how Riley will play than whether he'll play: He's mobile and tough and can make all throws, but his accuracy has been an issue in the past. With the help of Tedford and new offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, Riley has tweaked his mechanics and hopes to improve on his efficiency rating (117.85).  The Bears lost All-American center Alex Mack and guard Noris Malele but have veteran replacements at both spots and should be solid up front—they can go nine or 10 deep if necessary.  Like Riley, the receivers are experienced but must become more efficient: They must catch a higher percentage of passes and run crisper routes. Six players are competing for playing time, but all the Bears need is for one to emerge as an impact player and make defenses pay for stacking the line to stop Best.

Defensively, the Bears are set at nine spots, the only holes in their 3-4 alignment being at linebacker. Depending on their success filling those holes, coordinator Bob Gregory's unit could be even better than it was last year—and that was pretty good. The Bears were fourth in total defense, second in scoring defense and first in takeaways.  They have all-conference talent on every level, from end Tyson Alualu to linebacker Mike Mohamed and cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson.

Cal facts

2008 record: 9-4 overall, 6-3 Pac-10

Bowl: Champs Sports, beat Miami 24-17

Coach: Jeff Tedford

Schedule (ET)

Sept. 5: Maryland 10 p.m.

Sept. 12: Eastern Washington 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 19: at Minnesota Noon

Sept. 26: at Oregon 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 3: USC 8 p.m.

Oct. 17: at UCLA TBA

Oct. 24: Washington State TBA

Oct. 31: at Arizona State TBA

Nov. 7: Oregon State TBA

Nov. 14: Arizona TBA

Nov. 21: at Stanford TBA

Dec. 5: at Washington 6:30 p.m.

Three to watch

Jahvid Best, RB, Jr. Heisman candidate after back-to-back first-team all-Pac-10 seasons, and the leading returning rusher in the nation.

Syd'Quan Thompson, CB, Sr. Started all 39 games of his college career and is Cal's active leader in tackles, interceptions and four other categories.

Tyson Alualu, DE, Sr. Made 62 tackles last year, most for a Cal defensive lineman since Duane Clemons in 1995

Contra Costa Times: Cerritos connection pays dividends for Bears

By Jonathan Okanes

right and early on National Letter of Intent Day, one Cerritos College alum called a current Falcon to make sure they would be united.  Cal coach Jeff Tedford, who played at the Southern California junior college from 1979-80, placed a call to current Cerritos linebacker Ryan Davis to confirm that his oral commitment to join the Bears was solid.  "He called me and woke me up," said Davis, who signed his letter of intent with Cal later that morning. "It was all cool because I know Coach Tedford is a good guy. We both come from Cerritos." Tedford didn't call every potential recruit that morning, but Davis had just orally committed a few days earlier after decommitting from Washington. That followed a decommitment from Cal. Almost one week into training camp, Davis is happy with his decision to come to Berkeley. He's battling Devin Bishop, Chris Little and fellow junior college transfer Jarred Price for the starting job at weakside outside linebacker, the spot that former standout Zack Follett vacated.

"My expectation coming in was just to learn more, get better and adjust to a new system," Davis said. "They told me I would have an opportunity to compete. What I need to do is learn the plays more and ask more questions. I really do have a long way to go." Davis played defensive end at Cerritos, but the Bears believed he was a perfect fit to play rush linebacker. Problem is, Price, who was recruited to play both inside and outside, has separated himself during the early days of camp. And Little, who was the star of the spring scrimmage, is pushing Bishop more than anyone. Bishop has been taking the first-team reps at that position.

Link to rest of article.

Daily Cal: Day Six Training Camp Report

Matt Kawahara

Kevin Riley was efficient, accurate and comfortable quarterbacking the Cal football team's offense on Wednesday. Which, he says, considering his experience, is the way it should be.  "I know that much more about the system, I feel that much more comfortable and every call I go with I'm 100 percent with it," Riley said after practice. "I've been working on my form and in this camp I've been a lot more consistent than I have in the past."

The junior strengthened his case for the starting role on a warm Wednesday evening at Memorial Stadium, putting together his best practice of the Bears' fall camp. He worked primarily with the first-team offense, opening Cal's team session with back-to-back completions to Marvin Jones andNyan Boateng, and overall outplayed Brock Mansion, who threw several nice balls but couldn't match Riley's consistency.

Riley showed quick decision-making on one play where he rolled out of the pocket to find a linebacker in his face and zipped a pass to tight end Anthony Miller in the flat. He showed nice touch several plays later, floating a pass to a streakingJahvid Best up the far sideline that hit Best in stride but bounced off his fingertips. Working with the second team during the third team session of the afternoon, Riley again put just the right amount of air under a screen pass forCovaughn DeBoskie -Johnson, who caught the ball in a full sprint near midfield and probably would have scored had the team been running a live situation.

Link to rest of story.

Cal Football Training Camp Report - August 12

Here’s the link to Jonathan Okanes’ report.

Seattle Post Ingelligencer: Best gives California high hopes

Jeff Tedford knows there's no use in avoiding all the talk about the Heisman trophy and California star running back Jahvid Best.

It's hard not to link college football's most coveted award with a running back who averaged more than 8 yards a carry a year ago, has the game-breaking speed that makes him a threat to score from anywhere on the field and the character to ensure the lofty talk won't go to his head.

"He realizes that the team's success is first and foremost," Tedford said. "If there's any personal accolades that come along with that then so be it, but he is so well-respected by his teammates, and he respects his teammates and knows that the team is No. 1. He is so sincere about it that I don't have any problems with trying to keep it hush-hush with the Heisman or anything like that."

Best was a front-row witness to the Heisman hype machine two years ago, when a fast start by Cal put receiver DeSean Jackson into contention for the award. Then came an epic collapse, as the Golden Bears went from being on the verge of being No. 1 in the country to losing six of their final regular season games, ending any talk about any awards for Jackson.

So Best knows that the only way the individual accolades will come his way is if the team is successful.

"If you've got a guy going around saying he's the best man on the team, then you can't build trust with your teammates," Best said. "So, that's not what I want to do. I'm just going to make sure I do what I can to be the best for the team. The biggest thing is winning. Nobody really wins the highest honor on the team. But if we win, my chances will go up, so I will do the best I can."

Link to rest of story.

ESPN: Best Case/Worst Case: California

(Thanks to Jeremy for sending me this link)

 

By Ted Miller

Link.

Best case

Last year, California running back Jahvid Best blew a technicolor pizza on national television at Maryland. This year, he made the Terrapins nauseous.  In a tour de force performance that announced his Heisman Trophy candidacy like a bolt of lightning, Best rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 105 yards and a score -- most of which came on a 58-yard touchdown off a screen -- in a 44-10 victory.  Best produced touchdown runs of 55 and 68 yards but sat out the second half of a blowout victory over Eastern Washington. The Bears overcame a shaky start at Minnesota and rolled in the second half for a 30-17 win. That set up a marquee showdown for the No. 8 Bears at No. 5 Oregon with ESPN's College GameDay on location in Eugene. Lee Corso donned the Duckhead. Kirk Herbstreit tapped the Bears.

"It's fair to say the winner of this game will send a player to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony," Chris Fowler said about Best and Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli.  The Bears led 17-10 at the half, a 76-yard run from Best being the difference. With 3:05 left, the Bears led 24-20. From the Oregon 47, Cal quarterback Kevin Riley did a play-action fake to Best and launched a bomb.  But Ducks safety T.J. Ward didn't bite on the fake, and he out-leapt Marvin Jones for the interception. Masoli drove the Ducks to Cal's 32, but faced a fourth-and-8 with 0:55 remaining.  Masoli set up to pass, but Bears end Cameron Jordan was on him. Masoli stiff-armed Jordan, and started to backpedal. Jordan was joined by Mike Mohamed in pursuit of Masoli, who reversed the field and started directing receivers downfield.

There was room to run. Masoli tucked and made a break, but just short of the line of scrimmage, he stopped and lobbed the ball into the corner of the endzone. Tight end Ed Dickson leapt, but the ball was tipped away by safety Brett Johnson. And onto the turf. Autzen went silent. "California might be the best team in the nation," Herbstreit said after the game. "See you next week in Berkley," Fowler concluded.

No. 2 USC vs. No. 4 California. Big. Perhaps the biggest game in Cal history.

"People have contemplated the origin and evolution of the universe since before the time of Aristotle," said George Smoot, Cal physics professor and Nobel Prize winner. "Very recently, the era of speculation has given way to a time of science. The advance of knowledge and of scientific ingenuity means that at long last, we can actually test our theories. But no body will be testing anything Saturday because the Bears are going to stomp 'SC. Go Bears! Whoooo! How 'bout another margarita!"  One piece of good news that emerged from the day as a sidebar was that Memorial Stadium, awaiting a major seismic retrofitting, proved it could withstand a minor earthquake.

We know that because the rumble inside Strawberry Canyon probably could have be heard across the Bay in San Francisco when Best went 75 yards for a touchdown on the Bears first possession, having outraced Trojans safety Taylor Mays the final 35 yards.  On the biggest stage, Best and Riley and an inspired defense pushed the Trojans around in a 40-17 victory, the worst loss of the Pete Carroll era.

Cal rose to No. 2 in the rankings. Texas coach Mack Brown complained. According to an ESPN.com poll, 78 percent of the college football nation believed he should quit whining.  When Texas' Colt McCoy and Oklahoma Sam Bradford combined for six interceptions in a 10-7 Sooners victory on Oct. 17, the door opens for the Bears.  "It's the matchup everyone wants to see," Fowler says. "Florida vs. Cal, Tim Tebow vs. Jahvid Best. SEC vs. Pac-10. It's freaking beautiful."  The Bears rolled through their next seven games by an average of 24 points. The offense ranked third in the nation with 41 points per game, the defense fifth with 13 ppg. On a technicality, however, Cal didn't play in its first Rose Bowl since 1959.  "While disappointed we're not playing in the Rose Bowl, it is some consolation to play for the national title in the Rose Bowl Stadium against a fine team like Florida," Cal coach Jeff Tedford sighs.

Best, already called the best player in the nation by Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, won the Heisman.

During a pre-BCS title game press conference, a reporter asked Best whether he won the Heisman because folks were tired of hearing and reading about Tebow.

"I hope not," Best says. "Because that would mean people are really stupid. Tim Tebow is the greatest college football player in history. And he's a great person. And I use the term 'great' in its true sense, not as a casual compliment. Why would people get tired of hearing about a guy who does so much good? A guy who remains humble despite all the accolades? I don't care if you don't subscribe to his religion. I don't care if you don't like Florida. I certainly don't like Florida this week. But the idea that people are tired of hearing about such an outstanding person bothers me and it should bother you. It's the worst type of cynicism." Florida nipped Cal 43-42 in triple-overtime when Gators linebacker Brandon Spikes tipped away a Riley pass on a 2-point conversion.

Worst case

California opened 2-0 with wins over Maryland and Eastern Washington, but a team that wanted to contend for championships had to win on the road.  And Cal still didn't prove that it can, which became clear when the Bears fell at Minnesota, 28-24, the program's fifth consecutive road defeat.

That, of course, didn't bode well for a visit to Oregon. This time the Bears were sharp to start, but Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli led a fourth-quarter rally and the Ducks prevailed, 27-24.  A home loss the following weekend to USC left a season that started with such promise on the brink of disaster. Coach Jeff Tedford announced he was benching quarterback Kevin Riley in favor of Brock Mansion.

While the passing offense continued to struggle, running back Jahvid Best and a tough defense led the Bears on a five-game winning streak.  But Best hurt his shoulder in the overtime win over Arizona, meaning he missed the Big Game vs. Stanford. In the second overtime of the Big Game, needing a field goal to tie, Stanford called a flea flicker, and quarterback Andrew Luck found Richard Sherman, who was uncovered, for the game-winner. Stanford improved to 9-3 and earned a berth in the Holiday Bowl.

Cal slipped Washington in the season-finale and headed to the Sun Bowl. The Bears whipped Notre Dame 38-10. The following day, Best, Jordan, Mohamed and cornerback Darian Hagan announced they will forgo their senior seasons and enter the NFL draft a year early.  And Tedford was named the Oakland Raiders head coach.  Cal hired John Mackovic.

SF Chronicle: Ezeff applies - loudly - for leadership position

By Ron Kroichick

Cal safety Marcus Ezeff delivered a spirited speech after Sunday's practice at Memorial Stadium. Ezeff lectured his teammates to become more mature - "We gotta grow up and step up!" he shouted at one point - and reminded them of their goal to win the Pac-10 title.

The speech resulted from an unspecified off-the-field incident during the first weekend of training camp. Coach Jeff Tedford called it "a team thing," and Ezeff suggested it was merely playful misbehavior.  "It was just guys being guys during camp, having fun," Ezeff said. "Maturity wise, we've got to be better. ... I believe the guys got the message. I haven't really been that passionate since high school, but coach Tedford is still looking for leaders."  Ezeff, a senior from Santa Rosa who started all 13 games last season, counts as a logical candidate. He's not exactly outspoken, in the mold of since-departed defensive standouts Rulon Davis, Worrell Williams and Zack Follett, but he also recognizes the importance of players holding each other accountable.

"We're kind of a quiet group - we don't have vocal leaders like we had last year," Ezeff said. "Every team needs a vocal leader. We need one person who can hit that spot." Best report: Running back Jahvid Best spent a sizable portion of Sunday's practice stretching on the sideline. Best sustained a mild sprain of his left ankle Saturday, prompting him to miss the last stretch of that practice and then part of Sunday's session. He also was nursing blisters on his foot.  Best returned to the field for 11-on-11 drills and seemed to move well.  "Everything's fine," he said afterward. "I didn't feel it at all."  Best was named Friday as one of 30 candidates for the Walter Camp Award, honoring the nation's top player. He's one of eight running backs on the "watch list." 

Briefly: Wide receiver Verran Tucker and tight end Spencer Ladner hobbled off the field with leg injuries; Tedford was unsure of their severity. ... Wide receiver Nyan Boateng missed practice because of a death in his family. Boateng is expected back in camp today. ... Cal players wore shells (helmets and shoulder pads) for the first time Sunday. They will don full pads for the first time Tuesday.

Daily Cal: Fall Camp Notebook Day Four

By Katie Dowd

For the first time since fall camp opened last Friday, the Cal defense noticeably seized control of the day's practice. On what became an increasingly foggy Monday evening, the Bears' defense swarmed all over the offense's running game, which was the focus of much of the 11-on-11 time.

Senior defensive end Tyson Alualu set the tone with a hurry of quarterback Kevin Riley in the first session of 11-on-11's. And although they were still in shells, redshirt freshman linebacker Chris Little asserted the defense's physicality with a solid tackle of running back Covaughn DeBoskie-Johnson in the backfield for a five-yard loss.

In 7-on-7's later in the day, the secondary got in on the action as safety Marcus Ezeff picked off a Riley pass intended for wide receiver Alex Lagemann. Cornerback Darian Hagan had a would-be interception thrown right at him by Riley, but he dropped the ball to the groans of his defensive teammates.

The offense clicked under freshman quarterback Beau Sweeney in 11-on-11's, however. Sweeney threw a beautiful strike right into the arms of wide receiver Charles Satchell who, without breaking stride, streaked into the back of the endzone for the score. Sweeney added another touchdown pass with a low ball thrown only where wide receiver Verran Tucker could reach it. Tucker pulled the ball in as it headed for the turf, just barely gaining possession as he went down.

Link to rest of story.

Daily Cal: Fall Camp Notebook Day Three

By Matt Kawahara

Responding to a team-wide upbraiding by coach Jeff Tedford at the end of Sunday's practice, senior Marcus Ezeff delivered a passionate address of his own to the players around him on the importance of maturity.  And like that, the typically reserved safety became the Cal football program's next true -- if somewhat surprising -- vocal leader.

Tedford lectured the team for several minutes on representing the program in light of an off-the-field incident that he called a "team thing."Ezeff described the incident as "just the guys being the guys during camp, trying to have some fun because, like I said, every day out here is an everyday grind. Got to find some type of fun to be a kid ... Nothing happened to anyone."

Then, while the players stood in stretching lines, Ezeff walked out into the middle and spoke his piece. A team that wants to compete for the Pac-10 title, he said, needs to "grow up." He also stressed that "the only place where we can (mess up) is in here, not out there," referencing the need to limit mistakes outside Memorial Stadium, where consequences can be stronger. "I haven't really been passionate like that since high school," Ezeff said after the nearly three-hour practice. "I just felt like Coach Tedford was talking to me, so I had to do what I had to do.  "I believe a lot of guys got the message."

Link to rest of story.

Daily Cal: Fall Camp Notebook Day Two

By Katie Dowd

Saturday afternoon's practice ran a bit late for the Cal football team, and the Bears' wide receiver corps packed in the action with the extra minutes on the field.  It was a day for wide receivers, as the unit showed that its summer conditioning -- which included running in the sand -- was paying dividends in practice in the form of flashy plays and tidy grabs.  Sophomore Marvin Jones had perhaps the catch of the day, going up sideways over two defenders to seize a 20-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Brock Mansion.

Fellow sophomore Alex Lagemann -- who sat out all of 2007 with a foot injury and played on the practice squad last year -- added another solid reception with a 15-yard touchdown grab from junior Kevin Riley during red zone 11-on-11 drills.  "The more repetitions you get, the more situations you're in, the more comfortable you are with them," coach Jeff Tedford said. "Guys being on the same page, those type of things. Right now we're able to practice at a speed because people know what they're doing and they're experienced. Rather than last year when people were pretty tentative trying to figure out what they were doing."

Junior tailback sensation Jahvid Best also made good use of his time lined up as a receiver. After scrambling free of the collapsing pocket, Riley found Best -- burning his defender along the sideline with his trademark speed -- and threw a 45-yard dart for a touchdown.

Link to rest of story.

Daily Cal: Fall Camp Notebook: Day One

Team drills during day one of the Cal football team's fall camp were familiar all over the place: Kevin Riley quarterbacked the first-team offense, Jahvid Best flanked him, Nyan Boateng was out wide and the defensive line and secondary lined up in the 3-4 across from them were carbon copies of 2008. The old faces meant experience, and for a team that broke in a new group of receivers and a completely new defensive scheme last year, that's new. It showed in a spirited 90-minute practice Friday night, during which the Bears moved through a standard practice for the first time since spring looking like they were way past learning how to walk.

"You can tell that there's a lot of experience in certain positions we didn't have last year, such as the receiver position," coach Jeff Tedford said.  "There's no question the experience with the defense, the experience with the offense, with the returners, everything moves much more smoothly."

Riley, as Tedford said he would, took the majority of the first-team snaps flanked by Best, who looked healthy and agile after missing all of spring ball recovering from surgeries on his elbow and foot. The junior quarterback connected with receiver Marvin Jones for a 60-plus-yard pass on the third play of skeleton offense and was quick with his delivery throughout. He also looked comfortable taking snaps from one of the few new faces on offense -- center Chris Guarnero, who moved over from guard during the offseason to replace departed All-American Alex Mack -- as the offense didn't botch one snap.

Link to rest of story.

SF Chronicle: Riley opens camp as starter

Kevin Riley stepped on the field Friday night in a new role - as the quarterback sporting the thickest resume. He still must fend off challenges from Brock Mansion and Beau Sweeney, but he began Cal's training camp as the erstwhile incumbent. "It's just fun to be out here again playing," Riley said. The Bears opened fall practice with what coach Jeff Tedford called a "very spirited" session at Memorial Stadium. Riley balanced sparkling moments (a majestic, accurate 67-yard pass to Marvin Jones) with less-flattering moments (two interceptions).

That neatly mirrors last season, when Riley bounced between impressive and mediocre. Tedford has suggested throwing mechanics were part of the reason - which led to a spring full of one-on-one work, Tedford and Riley trying to sharpen his motion.  Riley said he unwittingly changed his throwing motion when things weren't going well in 2008 - he often dropped his elbow, which sent passes off target. His mission this offseason was keeping his elbow up and making his delivery quicker.  Beyond the mechanics, Riley carries newfound confidence into this training camp. He's 22 now, a fourth-year player (he redshirted in 2006) dispensing wisdom to his teammates more than seeking it.  "I'm much more comfortable being out there," he said. "I got a solid amount of time last season, every type of work in games. That does so much for you."

Best is back: Friday night marked running back Jahvid Best's first official team practice in 2009 - he missed spring drills while recovering from surgeries on his foot and elbow.  "It seems like he never left," Tedford said. "He looks like Jahvid. He's still fast."

Briefly: Cal was ranked No. 12 in the USA Today preseason coaches' poll released Friday. USC (No. 4), Oregon (No. 14) and Oregon State (No. 25) were the other Pac-10 teams in the top 25. ... Best was named as an official candidate for the Doak Walker Award, honoring the nation's top running back. Cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson (Jim Thorpe Award) and punter Bryan Anger (Ray Guy Award) also were named to "watch lists" this week.

Cal Ranked #12 in USA Today's Coaches Poll

Here’s the link.