Contra Costa Times: Lynch shown the bench after two early fumbles

Jay Heater

Showing he is not going to give preferential treatment to his star tailback, Cal Coach Jeff Tedford benched Marshawn Lynch for the second half Saturday after Lynch lost two fumbles in the Bears' 23-20 loss to Oregon State.  While Tedford was making a point, Cal's running game came to a halt. The Bears finished with 75 yards against the Beavers -- 58 of which came from Lynch in the first half.  ``Marshawn was having a hard time holding on to the football,'' Tedford said. ``We could not afford to have that happen to us again. I don't care who it is. Normally, Marshawn is real good about'' holding on the ball. Tedford, who said Lynch will return as the starter next weekend against Washington State, said he did not know if the cast on Lynch's left hand had anything to do with the fumbles. He speculated that it was more likely that Oregon State worked to strip the ball when Lynch was stood up while fighting for extra yards.  Lynch said he wasn't going to change his running style. ``They did a real good job on defense stripping the ball,'' he said. He added that he expected Tedford to bench him in the second half. ``I put the ball on the ground twice, so that's what happened.''

• After Tedford spoke to his team following the loss, Bears senior rover Donnie McCleskey called a players-only meeting in which he called for his teammates to do whatever is necessary to break this two-game slide.  ``We just have to get it done, that's the bottom line,'' McCleskey said. ``We will get it done.'' The loss spoiled a good day for McCleskey, who appeared to make the biggest play of the game when he knocked the ball away from Yvenson Bernard as the Oregon State tailback was crossing into the end zone for an apparent touchdown. The ball touched the chalk marking the side of the end zone before it was recovered by Oregon State's Mike Hass. It was ruled a touchback.  McCleskey also had a sack and an interception.

• Bears linebacker Mickey Pimentel, a junior, intercepted the first two passes of his career, both in the second quarter. He returned the second one 77 yards to the Oregon State 16, setting up a touchdown. ``I was just playing within our defense, although I kind of baited the quarterback on the first one,'' Pimentel said.

• Cal snapped Hass' string of nine games with at least 100 yards receiving. He finished with four catches for 17 yards.

• Cal had not committed five turnovers in a game since a game against Oregon in 2001.