Longshore’s Second Injury Not Like First

Bears quarterback Nate Longshore dropped back in the pocket, checked down his options and located wide receiver Sam DeSa in stride for a completion before being greeted by an incoming pass rusher.

Over the past year and a half, Longshore has proven himself to be one of the more durable signal-callers in the game, starting the last 19 games for the Cal football team. But on Sept. 5, 2005, in his first collegiate start against Sacramento State, the then-redshirt freshman collapsed on his knees, having suffered a broken fibula in his left leg.

Despite the brief quarterback shuffle that followed, during which second-stringer Joseph Ayoob threw 10 consecutive incompletions before being benched in favor of converted-fullback Steve Levy, Cal did eventually claim a 41-3 decision without Longshore.

But the crowd of 65,398 could only leave Memorial Stadium with a bitter tongue, their once-high hopes wandering in uncertainty.

Now fast-forward two years over to Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., and there again laid Longshore behind his linemen, clenching his ankle in pain as the Bears held a 24-24 tie late in the second half.

For those who had witnessed Longshore’s season-ending injury in 2005, the sight must have conjured up all sorts of memories of the season devastated by quarterback controversy.

Meanwhile, back on the field, Longshore remained on the ground. But he knew that the injury wasn’t as profound as the one he suffered two years ago.

“I could tell it was different from when I broke it, and it was just kind of a relief,” Longshore said. “I was just more hoping that everything was all right.”

So did the Cal faithful, which was relieved to see Longshore eventually limp off the field on his own. But Bears coach Jeff Tedford was left to second-guess whether the signal-caller wouldn’t suffer long-term consequences.

“I didn’t think it was as serious as it was before (when Longshore broke his ankle), and it’s not,” Tedford said. “But Nate is very, very tough, so you never know. When he broke it before, he got off the field and walked off on his own. You just never know.”

Between the two injuries, tough has indeed been the word to describe the second-year starter. Since returning from the broken leg in 2006, the redshirt junior hasn’t missed a start, silencing any durability questions that may have followed his season-ending injury.

When asked if either of the ankle problems had any sort of profound implications on his on-field mentality, Longshore—in a truly Romo-esque response—maintained a nonchalant air about the past, reluctant to give it much of a story.

“They’re two separate injuries, two separate things,” Longshore said. “Anytime you play football you get little injuries, and you just (have to) get them better.”

No. 2 Cal knows all about those little injuries. Still, despite missed time by multiple key starters, the Bears remain undefeated.

But if Longshore’s recent high ankle sprain had proven to be more serious, causing him to miss a game or two, his absence would likely have stung the Bears deeper than any other personnel loss. Needless to say, the nature of the position renders finding an adequate replacement quite the task.

Since recovering from the broken fibula, Longshore has done his part to keep the bar high for future Cal starting quarterbacks, though it didn’t quite come together all at once.

As a first-year starter for Cal, a team that had legitimate Rose Bowl aspirations in 2006, Longshore lost three road games against Tennessee, Arizona and USC, against whom he completed a combined 45-of-94 passes (a 47.9 percent completion) for two touchdowns and six interceptions.

In year two at the helm thus far, Longshore has righted his wrongs against those same opponents. In the Bears’ early season wins over the Volunteers and Wildcats, the quarterback notched a markedly improved 60.3 completion percentage (35-for-58) for three touchdowns and one pick.

And to stifle any lingering doubts, one needs to look no further than the Bears’ latest win. Longshore racked up a stellar road performance at the Autzen Zoo, one of the most hostile venues in the nation, leading Cal to a 31-24 win.

Two weeks later, mere days before the Bears face the Beavers. Longshore affirmed after practice Wednesday that his ankle “feels good” and that he was “happy with its progress.”

When teammate Justin Forsett was asked for a second opinion of whether Longshore’s effectiveness returning from an injury should be a matter of concern come gametime, he suggested the worries be placed elsewhere.

“His (injury) isn’t as bad as mine,” Forsett said. “I’ve been living in the training room these past couple weeks, and knowing that he’s got the same ankle problem as me, I know he’s going to be alright.”

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