Riley's clutch passing gives Cal balance
By JON KRAWCZYNSKI,
AP Sports Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Try as he might, California's sensational running back Jahvid Best can't do everything.
Despite rushing for 114 yards and three touchdowns in the first half against Minnesota on Saturday, he wasn't of much use to the Golden Bears when they faced a third-and-16 at their own 22 in the fourth quarter of a tie game.
So when Best needed a little help, quarterback Kevin Riley [formerly of Beaverton High] was right on the money. Riley threw a strike between two Gophers defenders for a 35-yard completion to Jeremy Ross, moving the chains and jump-starting the game-clinching drive in a 35-21 victory.
"After that, I think everybody on this team knew we were going to win the game," said Riley, whose Bears climbed two spots to No. 6 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday.
It was the first time this season that Cal (3-0) needed the passing game to come through. The Bears outscored their first two opponents 111-20 and were never really tested until Minnesota tied the game at 21 heading into the fourth quarter at TCF Bank Stadium.
After Best scored on runs of 33, 27 and 2 yards in the first half, the Cal offense didn't get a first down until Riley's big throw to Ross. And that was only the beginning.
The junior quarterback was 3 for 4 for 77 of his 252 yards on that drive, hooking up with Ross again on a 31-yarder three plays later to set up Best's 2-yard TD dash that gave Cal a 28-21 lead.
"I thought it was great for Kevin and the Bears that the passing game got a chance to be the catalyst," offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig said. "We've run the ball very well and thrown the ball when we wanted to. But here, there were a couple situations where we felt like we had to throw the ball." [By the way, does Andy Ludwig sound familiar? He was the OC for Oregon for awhile when Oregon's records were mediocre. Then he went to Utah and helped deliver them an undefeated season, but Utes still didn't like him for some reason. So he went to Kansas State, only to bolt to California before the season started. And so far the fine folks at Berkeley love him.]
With all eyes on Best, who averaged 8.1 yards per carry last season, the big question coming into this year was whether or not Riley and his receivers could give the offense the balance it needed.
Riley split time with Nate Longshore last season, going 7-2 as a starter but losing that job twice during the season. He also played as a freshman when the Bears rose as high as No. 2 in the nation before losing five of six games to fall out of contention.
Now the position is his and his alone.
He looked shaky in the early going against the Gophers (2-1), who surprised him by mixing in a 3-4 formation on occasion to go with their traditional 4-3 set. Riley was nearly intercepted twice and fumbled once in the first three quarters, but he also connected with Verran Tucker on a 59-yard completion to set up Cal's second touchdown of the game.
"He feels good about what he's doing," coach Jeff Tedford said. "He's very poised and very confident. He never panics. I think he's playing really solid."
Never moreso than in the fourth quarter. He was 5 of 8 for 105 yards in the period to help the Bears snap a four-game road losing streak.
"Last year, people know we struggled with our passing game sometimes," Riley said. "In games like these where we would run the ball well and, when we got in passing situations, we wouldn't be able to make plays with it. I think we've gotten a lot better at, and it makes our team that much better."
The performance should make opposing defenses think twice about crowding the line of scrimmage to stop Best, who set a modern school record with five touchdowns and finished with 131 yards rushing.
"It's about belief," Best said. "I feel like this team is really a family. So when times get hard and times get rough, I feel like [blahdy, blahdy, sappy Hallmark crap, yak yak." Thank you for that tear jerker moment, Mr. Best. Now get a band-aid. You cut your leg shaving.
OK. So did you see it? Did you see how Oregon is going to beat Cal? It was right there! I guess it helps if you watched the Cal-Minnesota game. It was actually right there, in Minnesota.
The Gophers had the right defensive plan against Cal. Take another look at this line . . .]
He [Riley] looked shaky in the early going against the Gophers (2-1), who surprised him by mixing in a 3-4 formation on occasion to go with their traditional 4-3 set. Riley was nearly intercepted twice and fumbled once in the first three quarters . . .
[Minnesota's strategy was to pressure and confuse Riley, then force Best to beat them. It was working for awhile. But ultimately, the Goph's didn't have the horses to get the job done. It wasn't just those passes by Riley that ultimately did them in. It was also Best's speed running to the sides. Minnesota didn't have the personnel to beat Best to the sidelines, nor did they have very good D-backs.
Oregon does. Oregon also has the ability to disguise their defenses like Minnesota. Utah can attest to that. And Alliotti also knows when to bring the heat and blitz Riley.
Simply put, Minnesota's defense had the right idea. Oregon now has film on Minnesota's game plan, and a better defense to execute it.
What does Oregon have to do to win? They have to score more points than Cal. Duh. But how? The Ducks' D will have to lead the way. Pressure Riley. Force him into mistakes. To say that he's poised and never panics is to suggest that he hasn't been shown enough pressure yet.
Minnesota wanted to pressure Riley 
Hold Best below his average. Oregon has successfully done that to all other starting running backs this season.
This will give Oregon's offense the chance it needs to get it's mojo back. Week by week, the Big O is getting hotter. The word is at practice this week, Masoli threw lots and lots, and he and his receivers practiced really really hard on passing. I, for one, am glad to hear it.
Saturday will be their perfect chance to pass Cal. ] --kb
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