Jul 30, 2008

Cal football capsule

By Jon Wilner / Bay Area News Group

CAL

Camp starts: Monday.

Location: Memorial Stadium.

Public workouts: Aug 23 (fan appreciation day).

Season opener: Aug. 30 vs. Michigan State.

Ticket info: Call 1-800-GO-BEARS or visit http://calbears.cstv.com/tickets/08-footbl-tix.html

2007 recap: The Bears beat Tennessee in the season opener, won a thriller at Oregon and rose to No. 2 in the nation. Then they dropped five of six, starting with a last-second home loss to Oregon State. Cal rallied from a three-touchdown deficit to defeat Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl.

2008 outlook: The Bears were picked fourth in the Pac-10 Conference media poll. They return nine starters on defense, have an All-American center (Alex Mack) and a favorable conference schedule. If the young receivers develop and the quarterbacks are solid, Cal could win eight or nine games. If the passing game struggles, the Bears could post the first losing season of the Jeff Tedford era.

Quarterback competition: Senior Nate Longshore and sophomore Kevin Riley will compete for the starting job. Longshore, a two-year starter, is a pocket passer with limited mobility. Riley is mobile and dynamic but has only one career start. Don't expect Tedford to pick a starter until the week of the season opener.

It will be a successful training camp ... Tailback Jahvid Best returns to his pre-injury form. The defense assimilates the new 3-4 alignment, which was installed during spring practice. Florida transfer Nyan Boateng emerges as a go-to receiver. Safety Marcus Ezeff makes the Bears forget Thomas DeCoud. Oft-injured defensive end Rulon Davis stays healthy.

Keep an eye on ... Tackle Derrick Hill, a 300-pound sophomore who could anchor the Bears' run defense. Tight end Cameron Morrah, who had 13 catches in '07 playing behind Craig Stevens. Receiver Michael Calvin, a former prep All-American who redshirted last season.