Aug. 19, 2010

2010 Cal Football: Outlook | Schedule | Roster | Tickets | Information Guide
CSN Cal Preview Show | Football Bear Blog | Fan Appreciation Day | March to Victory Luncheon

BERKELEY - Faced with a double day session Thursday only one day removed from an intense practice with live game situations the previous afternoon, the Cal football team still managed to have some fun during their third of four scheduled double days of 2010 training camp.

A beautiful day in Berkeley started with a 5:30 a.m. wake-up call, with the team beginning its morning workout at Memorial Stadium at 8:25 a.m. The Bears did not do any full 11-on-11 sessions but did go through some 7-on-7 work and participated in individual drills during the helmets only practice.

But the real story of the morning practice was the fun the Bears had at the end. True to his preseason pledge and to the enjoyment of many of the players, head coach Jeff Tedford continued to incorporate competition and fun into the team's training camp. This time, he had a portable basketball hoop and a throwing net set up in the north end zone. The team was then divided into their offensive and defensive units for a competition to see which side could first either make 11 free throws or hit the middle target on 11 throws, with their teammates cheering (or jeering) them on.

Laughter erupted throughout the stadium, especially when some of the team's offensive and defensive linemen were forced to try to hit the target with the football.

"It was fun and a little bit of competition," said Tedford.

For the record, both the offense and the defense won while shooting free throws, but when asked if that concerned him Tedford laughed and didn't seem too concerned. "The offense actually jumped to an early lead with the net but then [offensive lineman Justin] Cheadle got up and he couldn't come close," said Tedford. "He got stuck for a while."

"If I was in there, it would be a different story," said senior defensive lineman Derrick Hill, who loved talking about it despite not having competed. "If I was in there on free throws, it would have been nothing but net. On the passing one ... that was a little hard. But I would have got it in three tries."

Hill then talked a little more seriously about what the event and others like them have meant to the team.

"It's one of those things where in football we get so caught up in the aspect of `X's and O's' and conditioning, and all of those things, that we forget about the aspect of fun," said Hill. "I've always said the most important thing to me when it comes to football is having fun. At the end of the day, if you don't have fun, you don't put passion into it. Doing things like this is bringing fun into the game."

Hill also talked about some of the other benefits the spirit of competing and having fun have had during the club's 2010 preseason workouts.

"When we have little team races for conditioning, those things are fun," said Hill. "You're getting your conditioning in, but at the same time you're having fun doing it so you want to do it even harder. That's the type of stuff that we need and it's making for a great environment around here now and in the future. The commarderie around here is great."

Tedford also decided that after Wednesday's intense practice the Bears needed a bit of a lighter workout in the afternoon to prepare for the upcoming days, which are expected to be mostly intense workouts once again.

Rather than conduct the originally scheduled practice in full pads, the Bears went through a walk-thru similar to what they would do the night before a game and then spent the remainder of the evening also resembling the activities they would conduct during the 24 hours before a contest.

STARTERS
Tedford told reporters after Thursday's second practice that several players have established themselves in starting roles. The players he mentioned on the offensive side of the ball were offensive linemen Mitchell Schwartz and Chris Guarnero, tailback Shane Vereen, quarterback Kevin Riley, tight end Anthony Miller, and wide receivers Marvin Jones and Keenan Allen. On defense, he said that Cameron Jordan, Mike Mohamed and Mychal Kendricks were starters. According to Tedford, the starting roles for the other starting spots are all still to be determined.

He also added that Giorgio Tavecchio would be the starter for both kickoffs and field goals if the first game were played today, and that Bryan Anger would be the starting punter.

TEDFORD TALKS
Tedford had several more comments as he spoke at length with reporters after both practice sessions.

On the team's health in general
"A lot of guys are starting to come back. There are no new injuries."

On tailback Shane Vereen
"Shane practiced a little bit today. He was in the huddle and ran some plays."

More on Vereen when asked when he would practice more
"I would say definitely [he'll be back by Monday]. I'm guessing maybe Saturday could be a day for him. He's taking team reps now. He took them today. I would see him taking some reps tomorrow during team sessions. We're not going to throw him right back into it though. We'll monitor his reps."

On his reasons for the lighter workouts Thursday
"We've been hitting a lot. You get to the point of camp where we've banged them a lot, they've run hard, so now the focus today is going to be to get their legs back and get them fresh for the next two days. Then we'll have another day on Sunday to get them fresh and get them ready for Monday's practice."

On the general state of the team's two-deep
"We're still working on some of it. After the practice on Monday, we should have a pretty good idea."

On some of the first-year players that he expects to be on the two-deep
"David Wilkerson, Nick Forbes, Keenan Allen, Jacob Wark, and all the new receivers, really, will be in the mix."

On the team's cornerbacks
"The corners are doing fine. I think there's some depth there with [Darian] Hagan and [Bryant] Nnabuife, [Steve] Williams and Marc Anthony is playing really, really well. I've been pleased."

On the academic progress of the team
"I'm really pleased with the academic progress of a lot of people. I thought they did a really nice job during summer school. Some of the guys who have had a real challenge throughout their four years are getting ready to graduate, so it's been really gratifying to see how they've battled through some academic challenges and figured it out, and become better students. I think they've gained more confidence as people because of that academic success."

On whether the 2010 training camp has been much different than previous camps
"We've been hitting quite a bit and there has also been a major emphasis on running. The guys have all done a great job of trying to do everything we've asked them to do. But it's been very physical. Even the times we don't have pads on, it's been very physical."

On what he told the team today
"I told them toughness and hitting is not going to be an issue, because we've been doing that since day one. Now, we need to get fresh, have mental practices, know what we're doing. Not to say we're done hitting, because we're not. But you can only go so far until you need to give them a little break from hitting so you can get some more out of them. Then, there's always that time during camp where it's time to get the legs back and get them fresh, and now's that time."

On what he's doing to help the true freshmen get ready
"A lot of mental work, a lot of meeting time, a lot of walk-thru, those types of things. They'll play so much faster if they know what they're doing. If they're unsure and kind of paralyzed because they're over-thinking things, you don't want that. I was pleased in yesterday's practice that they got aligned well, they knew their assignments. We just have to keep doing that. When we kick it off that they know everything that we're doing."

MELLOW MUSIC
The Bears were mellow with the day's music choices during pre and post-practice stretching, with the highlights including "Jammin'" by Bob Marley.

2010 CAL FOOTBALL PREVIEW SHOW DEBUTS FRIDAY ON CSN CALIFORNIA
The 2010 Cal Football Preview show will debut on Comcast SportsNet California this Friday, Aug. 20, at 10:30 p.m. PT. Hosted by Damon Andrews, the show includes a sit-down interview with head coach Jeff Tedford and a candid look at quarterback Kevin Riley. Tailback Shane Vereen will take viewers behind the scenes with his Flip Video camcorder to get the scoop on the team's offensive line.

The show will also examine Cal's new-look defense headed by former NFL defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast in his first season with the Bears, and anchored by preseason All-American linebacker Mike Mohamed and defensive lineman Cameron Jordan.

After the program's Aug. 20 debut, it will replay on CSN California on Sat., Aug. 21 (12:30 p.m. PT) and Tue., Aug. 24 (7:30 p.m. PT).

For additional air dates and times, visit CSNCalifornia.com.

FAN APPRECIATION DAY
Cal football will host its annual Fan Appreciation Day at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 28, where fans can meet the team's players and coaches. Gates open at 11:15 a.m. and all fans must enter the stadium through the North Tunnel. The two-hour event will include an autograph session and the opportunity to take photos and interact with players and coaches. Visit for more information.

2010 HOME SCHEDULE
Cal opens its 2010 season by hosting UC Davis at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 4 (1:00 p.m. PT) in a game to be televised locally on Comcast SportsNet California. The entire seven-game 2010 Cal football home schedule for the final season in the current configuration of Memorial Stadium is listed below.

Day, Date - Opponent - Time (TV)
Sat., Sept. 4 - vs. UC Davis - 1 p.m. (CSN California)
Sat., Sept. 11 - vs. Colorado - 12:30 p.m. (Fox Sports Net; locally on CSN Bay Area)
*Sat., Oct. 9 - vs. UCLA (Homecoming) - TBA (TBA)
*Sat., Oct. 23 - vs. Arizona State - TBA (TBA)
*Sat., Nov. 13 - vs. Oregon - TBA (TBA)
*Sat., Nov. 20 - vs. Stanford - 12:30 p.m. (Fox Sports Net; locally on CSN Bay Area)
*Sat., Nov. 27 - vs. Washington - TBA (TBA)
*Pac-10 Game

CAL FOOTBALL
When Cal takes the field for the first time in 2010, the Golden Bears will do so as one of the most accomplished Pac-10 teams of the last eight years. Cal's 67 victories over that period (an average of 8.4 wins per season) are the second-most by a Pac-10 squad. The Bears have a current school-record-tying string of eight consecutive winning seasons, making head coach Jeff Tedford one of only eight FBS coaches with an active winning streak of at least that length. Cal has also won five bowl games, made seven bowl appearances and captured seven Big Games over Stanford during Tedford's tenure - all at least equaling school records for a Cal coach.

For a complete 2010 season outlook, visit CalBears.com.

CAL FOOTBALL TICKETS
Call the Cal Athletic Ticket Office at (800) GO BEARS or visit CalBears.com to purchase your 2010 season tickets now. Cal fans that purchase season tickets and maintain their donation levels this year will have access to the best possible season-ticket seat locations when Cal football plays at AT&T Park in 2011 and returns to the renovated Memorial Stadium in 2012.