BERKELEY, Calif. – Two years ago, Johnny Forzani barely knew a football had pointed ends. Now he’s starring at wide receiver for Washington State.

Forzani, a speedy junior out of Calgary, Alberta, hauled in his second long touchdown pass in as many games Saturday at California.

After setting a school record with a 99-yard reception against Arizona State, Forzani hauled in a 68-yard bomb from Jeff Tuel on Saturday. He finished with season highs of four catches and 111 receiving yards.

“He’s got speed and he seems to be making the plays with his hands,” WSU coach Paul Wulff said. “It’s good to see him do that. It’ll open up our offense more.”

Forzani is the son of Canadian Football League Hall of Famer Tom Forzani. However, Johnny was a basketball player – and yes, he also played hockey as a youth in Canada – until he played football for the first time last year on a team of 18- to 22-year-olds sponsored by the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders.

Despite his lack of football experience, Forzani is a junior by NCAA standards, since he started college in 2006 and played basketball on the Canadian equivalent of the small-college national champions in 2006-07.

Forzani is modest to a fault (“I make a lot of mental mistakes”) except when it comes to his speed.

“I’ve got wheels,” he says casually.

“He’s coming along,” WSU coach Paul Wulff said. “He keeps making steps in the right direction.”

Tardy report

Four-year starter Dwight Tardy, who has struggled with a high ankle sprain and poor blocking this season, did not start at running back for the first time Saturday.

Sophomore Logwone Mitz made his second college start, but it was true freshman Carl Winston who led the Cougars with 51 rushing yards (WSU totaled only 55). Most of Winston’s yardage came on a 37-yard run, the longest by a Cougar this year.

Tardy had just one carry for no yards. However, he returned kickoffs for the first time since his freshman year (when he had two returns for 20 yards) and led the Cougars with five returns for 93 yards, including a 38-yarder. He also threw a pass for a 31-yard gain.

“He did a great job,“ offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy said. “Dwight’s a great competitor.”

Sturdy said Winston, Mitz and Tardy will share the running workload the rest of the way.

“I’m sure he’d (Tardy would) like to carry it more,” Sturdy said. “I’d be disappointed if he didn’t feel that way.”

Tardy leads the feeble WSU running game with 186 yards on 57 carries. Mitz has 112 yards on 37 carries, and Winston has 104 yards on 22 carries since being activated three games ago. Each player has run for one touchdown.

Sweeney plays

The Bears replaced starting quarterback Kevin Riley in the final five minutes with No. 2 QB Kevin Sweeney, the grandson of former WSU coach Jim Sweeney.

A redshirt freshman, Sweeney started ahead of WSU starting quarterback Jeff Tuel at Clovis (Calif.) West High School. Tuel saw most of his action as a wide receiver his junior year while waiting for Sweeney to graduate.