BERKELEY, Calif. -- Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser will be wearing a hard flak jacket to protect his tender ribs, and he probably won't even start in the Cougars' conference opener at California.

Yet no one is ruling him out, especially coach Mike Price.

Gesser has promised to play for Washington State (3-1; No. 18 ESPN/USA Today; No. 16 Associated Press) as it goes for its fourth consecutive victory over the Golden Bears (3-1) Saturday.

''I know there's a bulls-eye on me, whether my ribs are sore or not,'' Gesser said. ''That's football, and I understand that.''

While Gesser did practice at full speed this week despite being slowed by a dislocated rib on his right side, third-string freshman Chris Hurd took most of the snaps with the Cougars' No. 1 offense. That's because backup Matt Kegel also is banged up. He has a bruised right knee that limits his ability to run.

Hurd used to play football in Strawberry Canyon, which surrounds the Cal campus, when he was a 5-year-old and his father, Mike Hurd, was an assistant track coach at the university.

He might start, or it could be Kegel.

''We're not skipping a beat,'' Price said, ''no matter who is quarterback.''

A year ago, Gesser had a career day against Cal, on the same day Bears quarterback Kyle Boller got benched.

Gesser passed for 432 yards and four touchdowns in a 51-20 victory. Washington State had a total of 513 yards in the air to establish school records for both teams: the most yards passed for in a game by the Cougars and the most passing yards allowed in a game by Cal. In all, the Cougars' offense piled up 30 first downs and 605 yards of total offense.

''He's really inspiring,'' Price said of Gesser. ''He's going to play no matter what, as long as he's not going to make it worse. If it's pain, he's playing.''

Boller would like to make up for some lousy showings against the Cougars. He and his teammates know their surprising success early will mean little if they don't prove themselves in the Pacific-10 Conference.

''We haven't done too well against these guys,'' Boller said. ''Last year I was pulled, we had the lead. That was last year. I never like to get pulled from a game.''

In that game, the Bears lost 118 yards on 12 penalties, gave up two fumbles and threw two interceptions. Eric Holtfreter took over for Boller early in the second quarter, but Boller returned for the final period. He completed 10 of 22 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns.

This Cal team has heard it all from opponents over the years. The Bears need just one victory to match their victory total of the past two seasons combined.

''We got this: 'You guys are Cal and you guys are never going to beat us,''' defensive back James Bethea said. ''But did we deserve respect?''

Things are different now, or so it seems.

Jeff Tedford, in his first year at Cal, is eager to see how his team responds following a frustrating defeat last week to Air Force, Cal's first setback of the season, which ended on a failed two-point conversion with 31 seconds left.

Cal had propelled its program into the Associated Top 25 for the first time in six years following a 3-0 start, but made a quick exit from the poll with the defeat.

The receiving corps is looking for a better showing after combining for 11 dropped balls against the Falcons.

The Bears' wideouts -- LaShaun Ward, Geoff McArthur and Jonathan Makonnen -- will have to contend with senior cornerback Marcus Trufant, the Cougars' versatile defensive leader who returned four punts for 110 yards last week in a 45-28 victory over Montana State. He's the Pac-10 leader in punt returns.

''We've talked to them about going out and having a great week of practice, of rededicating yourselves and focus on catching balls,'' Tedford said.

Price called Cal's comeback a positive step for the town of Berkeley, the conference and college football.

''Everyone is checking their erasers about their preseason pick on Cal,'' he said, swearing he's not one of those who ruled the Bears out. ''They have been surprisingly impressive. I am happy for them because they have struggled. But not so happy that I don't want to beat (them).''