Lynch getting love on ESPN

ESPN has put up a good bit on Marshawn Lynch, including a feature article and chat transcript. “Lynch lets his production speak for itself” describes Lynch’s good-natured and humble personality, while highlighting his accolades on the football field. Lynch’s chat on Sportsnation also shines light on him being a great guy. Thanks Chris B.

SportingNews.com also has a short interview with Lynch. Take a look.

Cal #9 in AP poll

The Associated Press has ranked Cal #9 in their poll. Take a look here.

First scrimmage highlights

The team has posted about highlights from today’s scrimmage, the first of fall camp. Both DeSean Jackson and Lavelle Hawkins returned kicks for touchdowns, hopefully indicative of their explosive abilities and not a lacking coverage unit.

All three quarterbacks appear to have performed well, but Coach Jeff Tedford stated that they still have to work to improve execution. On the defensive side of the ball, Rulon Davis (DE) made a big splash in his debut with 3 sacks and 5 tackles. Things look pretty good overall, but check the site for more details.

ESPN ranks Cal #10

ESPN has ranked Cal #10 in its Power 16 rankings. Take a look here.

SI: Cal is BCS bound

CNNSI is predicting that Cal will face Texas in the Fiesta Bowl this postseason in their 2006 NCAA Football Preview. It also projects USC and Michigan in the Rose Bowl (meaning they think USC will win the Pac-10 while Cal will receive an at-large bid). This is in addition to their #8 preseason ranking for Cal and defensive tackle Brandon Mebane making their All-American list. Thanks Chris B.

Jackson returning punts, Lynch returning kickoffs

The Oakland Tribune wrote a feature article about receiver DeSean Jackson today. It also notes that Coach Jeff Tedford has decided to have Jackson returning punts (teamed with Tim Mixon) and will again have Marshawn Lynch returning kickoffs (teamed with Marcus O’Keith).

Now, we really have our most dangerous players in the open field. Hopefully, this will be an improved year on special teams.

Jackson ranked #6 preseason receiver

Rivals/Yahoo has named DeSean Jackson the #6 receiver in the nation for the preseason. They write:

6. DeSean Jackson, Cal, So., 6-0, 166
Despite missing one game due to injury, this true freshman led the Golden Bears in receptions (38), receiving yards (601) and TD receptions (seven). He also returned a punt 49 yards for a touchdown. Jackson had perhaps his best game of the season in Cal’s bowl game with 130 yards and two TDs on six receptions. With a year of experience and no health problems, Jackson is poised for a breakout year.

See the article here.

More notes from fall camp

The SF Chronicle has another report from training camp. They describe the defense doing well, a mean false-alarm scare from Marshawn Lynch, and an update on punter Andrew Larson, a junior-college transfer. They also report that the offensive line is looking good.
For more information on Larson, here’s an article in the Oakland Tribune about the new transfer and how he got to Cal.

In other news, freshman defensive tackle Mike Constanzo suffered a sprained right knee and will be out for four to six weeks. Due to this setback, he’s most likely redshirting his first year. Unfortunately, the defensive line is looking thinner than what we expected.

To avoid ending on bad news, the SF Chronicle ran an article yesterday about offensive lineman Scott Smith, detailing his success as an athlete, student, and outstanding member of the community. Take a look.

Training camp update: offense/defense shine

The team is making some good progress in fall camp. Yesterday, the fifth day of camp, both the offense and defense were making big plays. The quarterbacks (especially Nate Longshore and Joe Ayoob) were connecting with their receivers (especially DeSean Jackson). Meanwhile, the defense also shined. See Cal’s report here. They also have some quotes here.

These practices are closed to the public, but there will be an open one on August 26.

Lynch/Forsett top RB tandem in nation

ESPN‘s Todd McShay has ranked Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett as the nation’s top running back duo. He writes:

1. California Golden Bears
Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett

Lynch rushed for 1,246 yards despite missing two games with injuries and sharing time with Forsett last season. While Lynch is unquestionably the more explosive back, Forsett averaged 1.2 yards more per carry as the backup. Cal has more experience in the passing game and that should help spread defenses out this year. If that’s the case, Lynch and Forsett could combine for nearly 3,000 rushing yards after notching 2,245 in 2005.

Cal is ranked in front of Auburn, Michigan, Texas, Arkansas, TCU, Georgia, Florida State, Penn State, and Boston College.