[Tuck4Bama]

MICHIGAN ST CALIFORNIA Sat, Aug 30 8:00 PM -- Berkeley, CA

[Quack Attack]

Ringer's running will test Cal's new defense


Rusty Simmons, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, August 29, 2008



That can't actually happen until next year, when he's projected to be one of the top two backs selected in the NFL draft. Throughout his amateur career, however, Ringer's legs have certainly been his playmakers.
In part-time duty last season, Ringer ran for 1,447 yards - fourth-best among the nation's returning players - and six touchdowns. The 5-foot-9, 200-pounder packs a load in his lower half.

"My legs are the No. 1 priority on my body," Ringer said. "That's how I do basically everything I need to do. My success comes from legs."
They are the reason he can squat more than 600 pounds and the reason he's been clocked at 10.6 seconds in the 100-meter dash. They are the reason he rarely goes down on first contact and the reason he'll offer the ultimate test for Cal in Saturday's season opener in Berkeley.
"Without a doubt, you can't just arm-tackle; you have to make some hard hits on that guy," Cal nose tackle Derrick Hill said.

"He's a guy who has great balance and vision and is tough," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "He'll run between the tackles, and you better make sure you wrap him up or he'll bounce out of there and make some big plays."
In a highlight-reel run against Michigan last season, Ringer took a pitch on the left hash, almost immediately ran through one tackle and spun out of another. He reversed fields, waited for a blocker and sprinted up the right sideline for 72 yards.

"Of course, I pride myself on never letting the first guy bring me down," Ringer said. "I think all running backs should think that way."
There are many who think that way, but there are far fewer who can put it into practice. Ringer was Michigan State's first 1,000-yard back since T.J. Duckett in 2001 and has a 6.09-yards-a-carry average over his career.

He runs behind an offensive line that returns three starters and averages 311.6 pounds. After three seasons of splitting carries, Ringer is finally the face of program's power-running attack.

"We're not playing a spread team," Tedford said. "We're playing a downhill, physical football team. We better be ready for it." In the final four games last season, Cal yielded an average of 257.75 rushing yards and 29.25 points a game. The collapse, along with better use of the personnel on hand, prompted the switch to a 3-4 defensive scheme during the offseason.

"At the end of last year, we let ourselves down, but stopping the run and playing smash-mouth football is our pride," Hill said.
"I just put myself in their coach's shoes, and all he's heard about is our 3-4 defense," outside linebacker Zack Follett said. "I'd be ready to test our run defense and see if we can hold up."