Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller
A lot has been written about California quarterback Kevin Riley. Much of it is not very complimentary.
But Riley led the Bears on a clutch fourth-quarter drive that set up the go-ahead field goal in a 23-21 victory at Arizona State.
He and Cal might have turned a corner on the season.
Riley was 5 of 6 for 85 yards on the 11-play drive that was capped by a 24-yard field goal with 21 seconds left from Giorgio Tavecchio, who previously had missed field goals of 34 and 39 yards.
On a day when the Bears running game was bottled up, Riley completed 27 of 44 for 351 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Moreover, the Bears improved to 6-2 on the year and 3-2 in the Pac-10. They've won three consecutive games since losing to Oregon and USC by a combined count of 72-6, which featured offensive meltdowns that were largely blamed on Riley.
Cal plays host to Oregon State next weekend in what could be a key game for establishing the Pac-10 pecking order. The Beavers (5-3, 3-2) withstood a second-half comeback from UCLA to win 26-19.
A lot has been written about California quarterback Kevin Riley. Much of it is not very complimentary.
But Riley led the Bears on a clutch fourth-quarter drive that set up the go-ahead field goal in a 23-21 victory at Arizona State.
He and Cal might have turned a corner on the season.
Riley was 5 of 6 for 85 yards on the 11-play drive that was capped by a 24-yard field goal with 21 seconds left from Giorgio Tavecchio, who previously had missed field goals of 34 and 39 yards.
On a day when the Bears running game was bottled up, Riley completed 27 of 44 for 351 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Moreover, the Bears improved to 6-2 on the year and 3-2 in the Pac-10. They've won three consecutive games since losing to Oregon and USC by a combined count of 72-6, which featured offensive meltdowns that were largely blamed on Riley.
Cal plays host to Oregon State next weekend in what could be a key game for establishing the Pac-10 pecking order. The Beavers (5-3, 3-2) withstood a second-half comeback from UCLA to win 26-19.
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Ted Miller
Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-10. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
PAC-10 SCOREBOARD
Saturday, 11/21
Final Arizona State 13 UCLA 23 Final 19 Oregon State 42 Washington State 10 Final 25 California 34 17 Stanford 28 Final/2OT 11 Oregon 44 Arizona 41
