Aug. 17, 1997
Carter, Smith Shine in Fall Workouts
BERKELEY, Calif. - The Cal Football team finished its unpadded portion of its fall practice
session in Turlock on Saturday with two long practices. On Sunday, the Bears
have their first full-contact padded practice which is scheduled at 2:30 p.m.
It is the only practice scheduled during the day. While some of Cal's top
players such as tailback Tarik Smith and offensive lineman John Welbourn have
only participated on a limited basis in non-contact practices thus far, both
are scheduled to participate fully in Sunday's practice.
Cal's touted freshman class got a chance to show its skills during a pair of
Saturday practices and a quartet of the top players shown brightly. Tight end
Corey Smith, from Galt HS, has emerged as a player who will demand immediate
playing time -- even in the opener at Houston -- as he showed the ability to
separate from defenders during 7-on-7 drills and caught the ball flawlessly
during both Saturday drills. The coaching staff seems more and more comfortable
that he's ready to contribute early in the season.
Cal's freshman All-America Andre Carter has been everything the coaches have
hoped for, as his dedication to being a superior performer has impressed
everybody in camp. His speed off the snap and his attention to detail belies his
fresman status. Tailback Marcus Fields is playing at 201 pounds and shows signs
that he could easily play at 215 pounds, a la Eric Dickerson, without any
dropoff in his 4.5 speed. Quarterbasck Samuel Fields has the strongest arm in
the fall camp and, if he can now develop the touch needed, will be a national
honors candidate before his Cal career is over.
