ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

	Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
	Nate Longshore stepped in for injured Kevin Riley and passed for 136 yards in California's 26-16 victory over Oregon.

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Nate Longshore didn't tell reporters he felt vindicated. California's embattled ex-starting quarterback didn't say he didn't care what people thought and that he only cared about the 85 guys in the Bears locker room.

Longshore didn't tell reporters anything about his workmanlike yet critically effective effort in Cal's soggy 26-16 victory over No. 24 Oregon. He bolted the stadium to be with his wife and family, leaving the media in the lurch.

Who can blame him? He's a fifth-year starter who has answered a lot of redundant questions about the good and bad things he's done playing quarterback for Cal. But mostly the bad things.

He's been cheered and he's been booed. The booing is harder to forget.

And when coach Jeff Tedford wouldn't write him off this year, the media almost unanimously judged that decision to be anywhere from strangely stubborn to downright stupid.

So, yeah, it was gratifying for Tedford to watch Longshore lead the Bears to their biggest win of the season.

"It's been difficult on Nate," he said. "He's a fifth-year senior and he's had a lot of success here. And he's had a lot of heartache, too."

Longshore won't become a Heisman Trophy candidate with his performance. He might not even start next weekend at USC.

Kevin Riley, who had finally -- presumably -- emerged victorious from the game of musical starting quarterback he'd been playing with Longshore, went down with four and a half minutes left in the first quarter with a concussion.

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Turnovers are always critical. But what you do with them is often just as important.

California got better value out of Oregon's three turnovers than the Ducks got out of the Bears' three turnovers, and that's why Cal walks away with a sodden 26-16 victory headed toward a key showdown at USC next Saturday.

The Bears had two touchdown drives of less than seven yards due to an Oregon interception and fumbled punt. They also got a safety on a snap that sailed over the Oregon punter's head.

That's 16 points.

Meanwhile, the Ducks transformed Cal's miscues into just six points (they botched the PAT).

Here's another crushing mistake: Trailing 19-16 but with all the momentum on their side, Oregon faced a third-and-1 on the Bears 10-yard line.

But the Ducks were flagged for a false start and couldn't convert.

Matt Evensen then missed a 29-yard field goal to tie the game.

And the momentum swung away to Cal for good.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

BERKELEY, Calif. -- California is winning this slop-fest in a drenched Memorial Stadium because it looks more comfortable dealing with the conditions than the Oregon Ducks, who hail from the sodden Pacific Northwest.

The first half has been about turnovers: three for Cal, two for Oregon.

And special-teams screwups. Oregon has muffed a hold on a PAT, given up a safety when a snap sailed over the punter's head and failed on a fake punt. Cal has missed two field goals, one due to a muffed snap.

If you like offense, well, you might want to turn away, particularly Ducks fans.

Oregon had 46 yards and three first downs on its opening drive, which produced a touchdown, the team's only points. It finished the half with 76 yards and six first downs.

Meanwgile, Cal has a respectable 264 yards -- the Bears' mix-and-match offensive line has dramatically outplayed their counterparts -- but only lead 16-6. And the Bears only secured that margin by scoring a touchdown with 18 seconds left before halftime.

Of course, that touchdown came because Cal took advantage of Oregon's sloppiness. Linebacker Worrell Williams returned a Jeremiah Masoli interception 50 yards to the Ducks 3-yard line.

And that will decide this game: Who can better handle the conditions in the second half?

The weather isn't going to get much better -- water is accumulating in the north end zone, meaning the Memorial Stadium drainage system is struggling.

If Oregon is going to come back, it's going to have to force Cal to make some more mistakes -- only the team has to take advantage of them, which the Ducks didn't in the first half.

As for Cal quarterback Kevin Riley, he may have a concussion -- he looked out of it on the Bears sideline. Count on Nate Longshore finishing this one.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Nate Longshore might have retaken the California quarterback job, though not in a way anyone would have wanted.

Kevin Riley appeared to get his bell rung on a scramble in Oregon territory with three minutes left in the first quarter, bringing in Longshore.

Riley started slowly -- his first pass was an interception, which set up Oregon's only touchdown -- but he caught fire before he went down. After missing his first three passes, he completed 7 of 9 for 80 yards with a touchdown.

Longshore came in cold but immediately converted on a fourth-and-14 and Cal had second-and-goal from the Ducks 5 when the first quarter ended.

Cal leads 9-6 but is down 2-0 in turnovers. Here's something we wrote previewing the game this week.

In [Tedford's] seven years at Cal, the Bears are 31-3 when winning the turnover battle and 12-18 when losing. In Pac-10 games, the difference is even more decisive: 20-1 vs. 6-16. Cal lost the turnover battle in each of its six losses in 2007.

Yet sometimes trends reverse themselves.

Here's why in the first quarter: Cal is 5-for-7 on third-down conversions and 1 for 1 on fourth down.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Two hours before game time and the weather may favor the Ducks.

It's breezy and pouring as No. 24 Oregon (6-2, 4-1) and California (5-2, 3-1) prepare to clash in this critical Pac-10 showdown.

Word around the open-air press box ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Arghhhhhhhhhh!

Kidding!

... is the hard stuff may starting coming down around 1 p.m. PT. But it just started getting messy, so we shall see (I am presently typing with my computer inside a plastic trash bag -- I'll let you and my editors come up with some quips about that image).

Rain would seem to favor a team with a robust ground game, and Oregon just so happens to rank fifth in the nation with 278.75 yards rushing per game.

California isn't a bad running team (177 yards per game). But the Bears offensive line is beaten up.

The preseason depth chart featured tackle Mike Tepper and Chris Guarnero. Both out. Chet Teofilo started the previous seven games at left then right tackle. He's out. Backup tackle Matt Laird? He's out. Noris Malele started the previous seven games at right guard.

Is he in?

No. He's out, too.

That sort of carnage on an offensive line could damage a running game, not to mention pass protection against a defense like the Ducks that leads the Pac-10 with 3.5 sacks per game.

While home-field advantage has been huge in the Pac-10 this year, Oregon has won three of four on the road, the lone defeat coming at USC.

Cal is good inside Strawberry Canyon. But Oregon isn't afraid of the road.

While those elements -- hey! "elements" that's rich! -- favor Oregon, Cal's 3-4 defense might give the Ducks spread-option some problems. The Bears linebackers are fast, active and physical, and they might clog up the running lanes more than previous teams.

An element we may need to account for: Which team is the best at freestyle?