BearTerritory.net - Fall Camp Day 1: The Opener

August 8, 2009

Chris Nguon
BearTerritory.net Senior Writer

The 2009 season officially kicked off for the Cal football team Friday evening at Memorial Stadium. The Bears ran through a brisk two-hour practice to open Fall Camp, which featured a handful of newcomers and old-timers alike going at each other. As you could probably guess, head coach Jeff Tedford was very excited to get back on the field and work with his players.

One of those players out there was junior college transfer Ryan Davis, who will be one of the more closely watched athletes this Fall Camp. BearTerritory caught up with Davis to see how his first day went.

When a program heads into the pre-season ranked in the top-15 in almost every poll put out there, that means there aren't many concerns surrounding what the team can do.

One of the few questions that does hover over the Bears this season however is the linebacking corps with respect to how they might go about replacing three starters from last season.

The 6-foot-4, 247 pound Davis is hoping that he's part of that answer. With Zack Follett on to the NFL, the Cal staff brought in Davis and fellow junior college transfer Jarred Price to add extra depth and talent to the corps in hopes of eventually filling Follett's huge void at the outside linebacker position.

Friday's practice was especially crucial for the former defensive end Davis, who dropped back in coverage more in one practice then he has done his entire high school and junior college career combined.

"I know I can get a lot better," Davis said afterward. "I'm just coming in so I have a lot to learn and a lot to catch up on. The practice went well but just observing I do see I have a lot to catch up on."

Wearing No. 22, Davis certainly looked the part of what the staff described him to be when they secured his signature out of Cerritos (Calif.) College last recruiting season.

Davis is a tall and lean athlete who moves very well for someone his size, especially someone who has played with his hand in the ground his entire football career.

The junior college transfer saw some time with the third-team unit Friday evening and looked very good rushing the passer. However, is was clear that Davis was still getting used to backpedaling to cover a 'back or receiver coming from the other side of the line of scrimmage.

"I dropped into coverage once at Cerritos and almost had a pick," Davis said. "But 'almost' doesn't count so I have to learn to step up more."

On one particular snap in the 11-on-11 session, Davis acted as if he was going to rush the passer, before dropping back towards the left flat to cover a tight end who had released from the line and into his route.

The play eventually ended in an incomplete pass down the field, but Davis received a first-hand experience of the many reads he had to make at the line of scrimmage from his hybrid defensive end/linebacker position that Follett was able to excel in.

After that play, position coach Kenwick Thompson ran over to Davis and yelled, "Good job, good job." Thompson then took Davis aside and explained to him a couple of things he could've done better on the play.

"He was just giving me the basics," Davis said. "He let me know what I did wrong and what I did well. It was good criticism. He let me know that I should read the run before I play pass. I played d-end so my whole thing is getting up field and trying to chase the quarterback so once I make that adjustment I'll be good."

The whole basis that surrounded Davis' recruitment out of Cerritos was whether he could excel in the 3-4 defensive scheme. As fans recruiting understand, some defensive ends who play in a 4-3 scheme coming out of high school are simply not comfortable switching to the hybrid linebacker position.

We asked Davis point blank what convinced him he could make that move from defensive end to outside linebacker.

"I listened to what the coaches had to say," Davis explained. "I do realize that I would be a smaller defensive end (on the collegiate level). I have the height but I don't have the weight. Seeing Demarcus Ware and all the other good athletes, including Zack Follett, I did want to make that change."

"I played defensive end my whole life so I could've made a change to play a better style of defense," he added. "Cal was basically my number one choice and being able to work with these coaches, turning from a defensive end to a hybrid d-end/linebacker would be the best choice for me, especially looking at Coach Thompson's resume with what he did last year."

Ware is one of the leading athletes in the NFL at that hybrid 3-4 position and Davis admitted other player's success playing the position had a lot to do with why he felt he could and needed to make the switch.

"It played a lot into my decision," he said. "Demarcus Ware is my favorite player and James Harrison plays for my favorite team. Ware had the most sacks in the league and Harrison was the Defensive MVP of the league so that flipped the switch (in my head) and it told me that I would either have to gain a lot of weight to play in the 4-3 or I could stay my same weight and basically adjust."

While Davis also admits he has a ways to go before completely feeling comfortable at his new position, the one thing BearTerritory learned about Davis' personality during his recruiting journey is how determined the young man is to succeed.

In fact, this quote back on Signing Day pretty much says it all.

"I will get it done at Cal," Davis proclaimed. "I know it."

AUDIO: Ryan Davis post-practice interview

MANSION BEGINS WELL

Redshirt sophomore Brock Mansion has a tough road to take if he's going to unseat Kevin Riley as the starting quarterback this season.

But, that doesn't mean the big Texan won't give it his all in hopes of doing so. Mansion threw the ball well his first day of practice, putting good zip on several long balls down the field. Overall, Mansion had a solid first practice.

"My goal is to just compete," Mansion said afterward. "I just want to be consistent. That's the biggest thing."

During every off-season, the Cal staff sits down with each player individually to iron out a new set of goals for the upcoming year.

What did Tedford say to Mansion this off-season?

"Basically he wants me to be more accurate," Mansion said. "Just little things as well, like keeping the ball (high) and not swinging it. He said I had all the intangibles to be a good Cal quarterback."

Without a doubt, the 6-foot-5, 237 pound gun-slinger possesses all the physical tools needed to be a top-notch signal-caller on the Division-I level. Eventually, it becomes a mental hurdle that every gifted player needs to overcome to make that jump from inconsistent, potential laden athlete to consistent contributor.

"Experience contributes a lot to (success) but everybody is ready at different times," Mansion said. "I'm just growing into my own and starting to be more comfortable with everything. Today I felt very comfortable."

Mansion definitely appeared relaxed in the pocket Friday evening, even though the first day of camp always brings out tremendous emotion.

"The very first play I had, I was juiced," Mansion said. "But after that, I wasn't nervous once. It just felt natural making my reads and doing the things we talked about."

Mansion really picked up the pace during the latter stages of practice, especially in the 11-on-11's. Mansion threw a trio of gorgeous balls down the field, including a perfectly thrown deep ball that was lofted over the shoulder of safety Marcus Ezeff and right into the hands of tight end Anthony Miller.

Whether Mansion wins the starting nod or not this upcoming season, it'll be very likely that Mansion will see some time under center. Last year for example, nine out of the 10 Pac-10 teams used their second-string quarterback for reasons other than mop-up duties at some point in time, including Cal.

Partly because of that, Mansion was quick to point out that preparing as if he'll start come September 5 will help him and the team in the long run.

"We all prepare like we are the number one guy," Mansion said. "(But) it does help knowing that if I prepare like I'm the one, I'd be prepared if someone went down."

AUDIO: Brock Mansion post-practice interview

TEDFORD speaks ?

? on the first day of practice: "It was very spirited, great enthusiasm. Really happy in the shape we came back in. Guys were flying around. You can tell there is a lot of experience at positions we didn't have last year such as the receiver position. Very pleased with the first day."

? on assessing the receivers: "The assessment comes to the knowledge of the offense. It's great to see them play fast."

? on the team's experience: "The leadership out there allows you to move fast and let the young guys pick up on it. There's no question that the experience with the returns allows everything to move much smoother."

? on Kevin Riley: "He looks much more compact in his fundamentals. He's much more confident. You can tell when he gets to the line of scrimmage he knows what he is doing."

? on Riley's role: "He's taking on the leadership role. He's the veteran quarterback."

? on the new guys: "Certain guys flashed. You take a look at Ryan Davis, you take a look at Isi, those guys flashed. Dasarte Yarnway."

? on keeping team level headed: "We are not trying to hide from the expectations. The high rankings mean we have the potential to be a good football team. How we do is up to us and how we practice and how we work. It's all in our hands to take care of business. Our veteran group understands what it takes day in and day out to be successful."

? on seeing Jahvid back on the field: "It's nice. It seems like he never left. He looks like Jahvid. He's still fast."

? on Isi Sofele: "He'll move around. He'll be a special teams player. We'll put him outside, we'll put him inside."

AUDIO: Coach Tedford post-practice interview

Quarterback Notes

The focal point for the quarterbacks this camp is simple. With Kevin Riley now in his fourth year and Brock Mansion in his third year, both athletes should have a pretty good understanding of the playbook by now. Additionally, the staff knows what each guy can and cannot do from a physical standpoint. So the theme should be about accuracy this fall. How many balls will be delivered on time and on the money?

As expected, the junior Riley began camp as the first-team quarterback. Riley performed solidly, making the reads he was supposed to make and delivering balls on the money. Riley unleashed a couple of beautiful deep balls in the team sessions.

As mentioned above, Mansion also had a pretty good day. For Mansion to win the starting job, he has to clearly out-duel Riley this fall. Although it'll be tough, Mansion definitely believes he's up to the task.

Beau Sweeney also saw a handful of snaps in the team sessions, especially the 11-on-11's. Sweeney threw a couple of good passes, but also threw a couple of passes that he would've liked to have back.

Meanwhile, true freshman Allan Bridgford got his feet wet as well. Bridgford took a total of seven snaps under center in the team sessions. The majority of Bridgford's throws were check downs underneath.

Statistically, here is how each quarterback matched up in the team sessions. It's important to note though that these stats do not tell the whole story of how each quarterback performed, as these numbers exclude good and bad reads, longer/shorter passes down field, great catches to save incompletions, bad routes, etc ?

Riley:
7-on-7's: (3-for-6, 2 dropped passes)
11-on-11: (3-for-6)

Mansion:
7-on-7's: (3-for-5)
11-on-11: (3-for-5, 1 dropped pass)

Sweeney:
7-on-7's: (4-for-8)
11-on-11: (2-for-3)

Bridgford:
7-on-7's: (3-for-3)
11-on-11: (1-for-2)

Running Back Notes

The last time we saw Jahvid Best practice was in preparation for the Emerald Bowl way back in December. After off-season surgery, Cal's Heisman Candidate didn't participate in Spring Ball. As fans could probably guess, Best expressed supreme excitement leading up to this week about getting back on the field.

The dynamic speedster wasted no time showing off what he can do, hit holes in a blur. When Best was able to get into the open field, he showed off his world-class speed. As Tedford noted, it seems as if Best never left. And yes, he's still fast.

Meanwhile, the rest of the running back rotation went as expected. Shane Vereen took snaps behind Best and Covaughn DeBoskie saw some strong action as well.

Vereen saw a handful full of carries, running hard up the middle. Without a doubt, Vereen and Best make up one of the best duos in the country.

Kevin Lewis, Langston Jackson and Peter Geurts also each broke off a decent run. Of the three, Jackson's power through the middle of the line was probably the most impressive.

As expected, Brian Holley saw the majority of first-team reps. Will Kapp saw a lot of second-team reps. This battle will be one of the more heated ones to watch as camp progresses.

Wide Receivers Notes

Much like the quarterbacks, the thing to focus on this fall for the wide receivers is simple. From watching the athletes in action last season, fans and opponents alike know the physical capabilities of Cal's receiving corps. Consistency will be the big issue, especially when it comes to not dropping passes that should be caught. How reliable will this receiving corps be?

Overall, the receivers had a decent day catching the ball. after starting practice extremely slowly with several drops in the warm-ups, the receivers picked up the pace once they had defenders to go against.

The rotation went as expected, as Nyan Boateng and Marvin Jones took first-team snaps.

The second-team consisted of Jeremy Ross and Alex Lagemann. Mike Calvin and Verran Tucker also rotated in a lot with the top units.

The wide out that had the best overall practice was probably Tucker, who made several over-the-shoulder and quick-route catches in stride. The senior looked very smooth running around.

True freshman Isi Sofele, who is wearing No. 20 this season, practiced with the wide receivers Friday evening. As Tedford said though, Sofele will be moved around quite a bit.

Meanwhile at tight end, Tad Smith and Anthony Miller split time with the first team.

Offensive Line Notes

Since Tedford has been at Cal, the offensive has never really been a big concern heading into a new season. This year is no different, but there are definitely some issues to watch as new position coach Steve Marshall begins to fully implement his style of play towards his new players.

The rotations went as expected except for one, as Mike Tepper, Chris Guarnero, Chet Teofilo and Mitchell Schwartz made up the first-team unit. The mild surprise was that Matt Summers-Gavin, and not Mark Boskovich joined the other four on the first team.

The second-team unit consisted of Donovan Edwards, Mark Boskovich, Richard Fisher, Justin Cheadle and Justin Prueitt. Redshirt freshman Dominic Galas saw snaps at center with the third team. It's important to note though that positions at left guard and center could very well be flipped tomorrow.

Definitely good to see Big Tepper back on the field. This time last year, Tepper sat out with what he thought to be at the time a relatively minor pectoral muscle strain. As it turned out, the injury was more serious than he expected, to the point where he eventually missed the entire season. Tepper's lost year is Cal's gain, as the sixth-year senior gives the Bears another veteran offensive lineman that coaches know they can count on.

Going up against All-Conference standout Tyson Alualu, Tepper should get better of preparation in time for the season. The two team leaders are both crucial pieces to the team's success this season and they'll definitely get after each other once the pads go on early next week.

Defensive Line Notes

The three linemen to begin practice on the first team were Tyson Alualu, Derrick Hill and Cameron Jordan. For all three players, the new year brings a new set of goals to hit.

Alualu was extraordinary last season, putting together the best single-season campaign (62 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles) since Ryan Riddle's record breaking outing in 2004. While Alualu might be hard pressed to match some of those numbers, there's no reason to believe he won't be just as productive this season. The senior is simply one of the best out there at his position.

For Hill, this is year 2 of the physically demanding nose tackle role. Hill takes on two blockers on almost every snap and his job is essentially to have his teammates make a play on the ball by occupying blockers. The junior Hill was solid in that role last season, but had a penchant to instinctively try to rush the passer instead of staying put. Hill came into the program as a quick and nifty defensive tackle, so it was certainly understandable. The biggest thing for the Oakland native this season is to simply stay healthy.

For Jordan, many are predicting and hoping that this is the year that he breaks out into an All-Conference type player. Since his freshman season, the Arizona native has gotten better and better as each month has passed. Now with Rulon Davis gone to the NFL, it is Jordan's time to shine.

The second team consisted of Trevor Guyton, Kendrick Payne and Keith Browner. The third team consisted of Ernie Owusu at one end and a handful of players including Keni Kaufusi, Mike Costanzo, Kevin Bemoll and Aaron Tipoti rotating around.

With the team only in helmets Friday evening, it is difficult to judge who had great days. The bigger test will come early next week when the players get in full gear.

Linebackers Notes

As expected, the first-team unit consisted of Eddie Young, Mychal Kendricks, Mike Mohamed and Devin Bishop.

The second team consisted of Charles Johnson, D.J. Holt, J.P. Hurrell and Chris Little.

You can tell from watching the redshirt freshman Little play that he has a lot of physical ability. Little was an absolute stud at Oakland (Calif.) Castlemont High and it appears that he'll be a major player in the coming years. However, Little still has a lot to learn. Thompson pulled him aside on more than one occasion to discuss x's and o's.

Another thing we noticed about the linebacking corps Friday evening was Holt, who looked in very good shape. Standing6-foot-1, 250 pounds, Holt is one of the bigger linebackers on the team and passes the eyeball test as a prototypical middle 'backer. During the tackling dummy drills, Holt hit the dummies with a ferocity that we've never seen him exhibit before in his career.

This might be the most athletic linebacking corps in the Tedford era. The 'backers were all over the field Friday, getting there hands on several balls. Reserve Robert Mullins was the most fortunate of the bunch when he smartly stepped in front of a Beau Sweeney pass and took it the other way.

Secondary Notes

The first-team unit consisted of Syd'Quan Thompson, Darian Hagan, Brett Johnson and Marcus Ezeff. Barring a major surprise, these four will likely begin the season as the starters.

The one exception could be at the second cornerback position, where Chris Conte heads into his third Fall Camp looking to retain a starting role at that spot. Conte came to Cal under tremendous fan fare back in 2007, when Conte spurned hometown UCLA for Cal at the last moment. Although Conte has been beaten at times, he's been a very solid third corner throughout his first two seasons. In fact, the 6-foot-3, 205 pound athlete would probably start for many teams out there right now.

Conte is a very tough competitor who won't go down without a fight, so Hagan needs to bring his form from last season into camp. Because of the experience that the aforementioned have, the position battles in the secondary are likely to reside within the second team.

Numerous players could battle for those positions. Friday evening, the second-team unit consisted of Conte and Marc Anthony at corner with D.J. Campbell and Sean Cattouse at safety.

The interesting thing about the rotation Friday evening was that Conte played some second-team safety and Cattouse played some first-team safety. When Conte moved over to safety, redshirt freshman Josh Hill and junior Bryant Nnabuife spilt time at corner. Nnabuife had a solid day, knocking away several passes in the team sessions.

Bottom line, the Bears have tremendous depth in the secondary.

Special Teams Notes

A lot of attention will be placed on the kickers, but that will have to wait another day. There was no special teams session during Friday's practice.

PITCH & CATCH (NO DEFENDERS)

Usually, this session should have a 95 percent completion rate at this level. Outside of the first route, Cal came close to that mark Friday evening. Honestly, chalk up the drops and missed throws in this session to rustiness. The percentages will get a lot higher in the coming days.

Here is how each route broke down by completion rate during the pitch and catch session (no defenders, all three QBs throwing passes);

ROUTE: Hitch 24-of-24

ROUTE: Curl towards north end zone 3-of-12 (One drop after another; Nyan Boateng, Verran Tucker, Jeremy Ross, Mike Calvin, Charles Satchell, Ross Bostock, Jackson Bouza, Spencer Hagan and Isi Sofele)

ROUTE: Curl towards south end zone 11-of-12 (Verran Tucker made a great shoe string catch, the only incomplete came on a pass that was too high for Charles Satchell)

ROUTE: Slant 8-of-12 (Two drop passes and two passes that were too high)

ROUTE: Go 4-of-6 (Probably toughest catch to make of all the routes ran; passes hit fingertips of Nyan Boateng and Marvin Jones that were just out of reach)

1-ON-1's (skill positions)

After an average effort in the warm-up, the receivers looked a whole lot sharper once the team went to 1-on-1's. Each pass that was put on the hands of the wide outs was pulled in. The best catch of the session was probably pulled in by Mike Calvin, who used his body to shield Tyre Ellison on a ball down the field.

Meanwhile, outside of getting beat a few times deep, the defensive backs were very sharp.

Starting safety Marcus Ezeff was able to get his hands in on a pass and so was cornerback Bryant Nnabuife. While most of the receptions were completed (as expected in the open spaces of 1-on-1 play), the defensive backs closed on routes very quickly after catches were made.

Also note that athlete Isi Sofele showed off his speed on all the routes he ran Friday, especially in the 1-on-1's.

The PLAY-BY-PLAY

- Nyan Boateng catches a ball in front of Marc Anthony

- Verran Tucker beats Josh Hill deep

- Alex Lagemann with a catch in front of D.J. Campbell

- Marvin Jones wrestles a ball away from Syd'Quan Thompson in the middle of the field

- Jeremy Ross cuts in front of Syd'Quan Thompson for a short catch

- Pass is too high for Mike Calvin, who was defended well by Bryant Nnabuife

- Marcus Ezeff does a great job to knock a ball away from Charles Satchell deep

- Isi Sofele gets free of Chris Conte but can't come up with the ball

- Pass is too high for Taylor Tedford, who was defended by Chris Moncrease

- Ross Bostock with a short reception in front of Tyre Ellison

- Jackson Bouza gets inside Vachel Samuels for reception

- Pass is too long for Verran Tucker, who beat Marc Anthony deep

- Josh Hill with great coverage to force incompletion against Nyan Boateng on deep route

- Marvin Jones again manages to keep ball away from Syd'Quan Thompson on quick route

- Alex Lagemann beats Chris Moncrease for reception

- Mike Calvin runs past Sean Cattouse down sideline but ball is underthrown and picked off

- Jeremy Ross cuts in front of Bryant Nnabuife for reception

- Isi Sofele sprints pass Jesse Brooks deep for long catch

- Charles Satchell pulls in catch in front of Alex Logan

- Verran Tucker beats Josh Hill for reception

- Ross Bostock shields ball from Brett Johnson to pull in catch

- Spencer Hagan managed to get pass Steve Williams for impressive catch

- Jackson Bouza's attempt at a catch is knocked away by hand of Marcus Ezeff

- Marvin Jones beats Darian Hagan deep for long reception

- Nyan Boateng pulls in a short pass in front of Chris Conte

- Mike Calvin makes a nice catch deep over the shoulder of Tyre Ellison

- Alex Lagemann puts a nice move on D.J. Campbell but can't pull in the ball

- Jeremy Ross cuts in front of Marc Anthony for reception

- Ross Bostock goes deep and dives for ball to no avail after beating Alex Logan

1-ON-1's (big boys)

No big man 1-on-1's Friday evening.

7-ON-7's (NO LINEMEN)

The defense was pretty impressive in this session, keeping the majority of passes in front of them. This particular drill is especially fun for the linebackers, who get to show off their quickness and speed dropping into coverage.

Linebacker Robert Mullins recorded an interception while there were several would-be sacks if it were full-contact that came from some of the 'backers. Some people argue that linebackers are the least hardest to replace of the three defensive units and at least judging on what happened day 1, it looks like Cal's linebackers didn't miss a beat.

The most impressive offensive play was by virtue of sophomore wide out Marvin Jones, who blew past the secondary for a beautiful touchdown score. After the score, defensive backs coach Al Simmons went over to his unit and calmly said, "get together and figure out what happened."

The PLAY-BY-PLAY

Kevin Riley under center

- Pass is too high for Anthony Miller, defended nicely by Marcus Ezeff

- Riley hits Marvin Jones deep for a TOUCHDOWN

- Riley's pass is dropped by tight end Tad Smith after ball went a little behind him

- Riley hits Will Kapp short

- Pass is dropped by Peter Geurts

- Riley hits Nyan Boateng short

Brock Mansion under center

- Pass is bobbled by Shane Vereen, popped in the air by Marcus Ezeff and almost intercepted

- Skylar Curran with a nice catch in traffic as Mansion fired the ball in there

- Mansion complete to Mike Calvin for 10-yard gain

- Mansion throws to Alex Lagemann but nice defensive play by Bryant Nnabuife to knock ball away

- Mansion hits Alex Lagemann down the middle of the field for 15-yard gain

Beau Sweeney under center

- Incomplete intended for Spencer Ladner

- Bryant Nnabuife with another nice play knocking pass away intended for Jeremy Ross

- Sweeney is PICKED OFF by linebacker Robert Mullins

- Sweeney hits Jarrett Sparks short

- Sweeney goes deep for Spencer Hagan to no avail

- Sweeney fires ball into hands of Charles Satchell for short gain

- Spencer Hagan gets in the mix with a short reception

- Sweeney finds Jarrett Sparks down the field for nice gain

Allan Bridgford under center

- Pitch and catch to Charles Satchell for short gain

- Tight end Garry Graffort hauls in short reception

- Bridgford finds Graffort short again

11-ON-11 (FULL TEAM)

Much like the 7-on-7's, the defense was able to keep the ball in front of them this session. This session also saw a lot of players get some snaps, including some of the true freshmen. There were some carries mixed in for the running backs, but the session Friday had a lot of passing plays throughout for all four quarterbacks.

Kevin Riley threw two interceptions in the session, but one was a great play by Darian Hagan and the other appeared to be a wrong route ran by a wide receiver. Brock Mansion threw the ball very well in this session while Beau Sweeney and Allan Bridgford got in on the action as well.

The PLAY-BY-PLAY

Kevin Riley under center

- Jahvid Best off right tackle for 1 yard

- Riley finds Nyan Boateng for 6-yard reception

- Darian Hagan PICKS OFF a pass deep intended for Marvin Jones

- Shane Vereen runs up the middle for 3 yards

- Ball is battled at the line of scrimmage and almost picked off by Mychal Kendricks

- Jeremy Ross gets a step on Chris Conte and beats him deep for reception

- Covaughn DeBoskie right up the middle for 1-yard gain

- Chris Conte PICKS OFF Riley pass. Afterwards, Tedford goes over and talks to wide receiver, signifying that wide receiver ran an incorrect route

- Riley finds Skylar Curran for a short gain

- Peter Geurts up the middle for 1 yard

- Kevin Lewis up the middle for 1 yard

Brock Mansion under center

- Mansion finds Covaughn DeBoskie for short gain

- Peter Geurts off right tackle for 3 yards

- Mansion hits Nyan Boateng against sideline for 8 yards

- Nose tackle Aaron Tipoti with a clear offsides. On following snap, Covaughn DeBoskie runs up the middle at Tipoti, but is stuffed for no gain

- Peter Geurts rumbles up the middle for 10 yards

- Mansion lofts a pass perfectly to tight end Anthony Miller who had a step on Marcus Ezeff

- Incomplete intended for Tad Smith

- Mansion again finds Anthony Miller deep but this time ball bounces right off Miller's hands

- Jahvid Best goes off left tackle for a 20-plus yard gain

- Shane Vereen up the middle for 5 yards

Beau Sweeney under center

- Langston Jackson sprints up the middle for a 10-plus yard gain

- Sweeney hits Garry Graffort for short gain

- Kevin Lewis off left tackle for 11 yards

- Deep incomplete intended for Isi Sofele

- Langston Jackson up the middle for 2 yards

- Sweeney scrambles for short 3-yard gain

- Dasarte Yarnway gains 6 yards over right tackle

- Sweeney finds Jarrett Sparks down the field for 12 yards

Allan Bridgford under center

- Dasarte Yarnway up the middle for 1 yard

- Jarrett Sparks drops nice pass from Bridgford

- Darsarte Yarnway up the middle for 3 yards

- Bridgford finds Sparks deep for 10-yard gain

- Dasarte Yarnway up the middle for 2 yards

Extra Points

Like every year, a huge emphasis at the beginning of Fall Camp is reminding players about fundamental aspects of football. Specifically, Tedford ran his team through a variety of ball security drills, where athletes were put in simulated game-situations where fumbles, loose and batted balls and tucking and running were the big issues. In all, there were eight different "stations" where each group of players participated in. Each group was run by an assistant coach and consisted of about five minutes of work.

Offensive line coach Steve Marshall chewed out his unit for not running to the line fast enough and made them do it three times. No big deal? It came on the very first snap of practice. How's that for intensity?

Kevin Riley led pre and post-practice chants. One of the things Riley said? "Let's have a good year fellas." Tedford noted afterwards that different players are asked to lead the chants each day. His teammates called on Riley to do the job Friday.

Team gets back together tomorrow for another helmet-only practice. Full pads don't come until Tuesday.

Chris Nguon is the lead football writer for BearTerritory. He's well known for his recruiting and game coverage in the star-studded Oakland Athletic League, plus his numerous contributions with The Daily Californian, UC Berkeley's only independent, student-run newspaper. Nguon is also a correspondent with the Oakland Tribune, and will cover Cal football and men's and women's basketball in 2009.

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