Sophomore quarterback Kevin Riley was named the opening-day starter by Cal coach Jeff Tedford on Thursday night. Riley, who choreographed a 21-point comeback to earn Armed Forces Bowl MVP honors, emerged in the last portion of training camp. He consistently made the right reads, showed off his arm strength and created plays with his legs. "I'm excited to play," Riley said. "It's a dream come true to be a starter in the Pac-10, so I've got to take advantage of it." There are some caveats to the decision. Tedford said senior incumbent Nate Longshore will play at some point Aug. 30 against Michigan State, and the competition between the duo will be continuous. "Kevin is going to start the first game," Tedford said. "We feel like both of them have had great camps. Kevin will take the first snaps, and we'll see where we go from there. "We're confident in both of them, but we want to see the roles reversed and how that works. We're looking for the best chance to be successful."
Riley was 36-of-56 for 563 yards, five touchdowns and one interception as a redshirt freshman. His 269-yard, three-touchdown performance against Air Force seemed to erase his last-second debacle against Oregon State (when he was tackled without getting a pass off) in the eyes of fans. Longshore, who declined comment, ranks fourth all-time at Cal in passing efficiency, sixth in passing touchdowns and seventh in passing yards. His 18 wins are second in school history. "It's an honor to be named the starter, especially after what Nate has done at Cal," Riley said. "We're in goods hands, having two great quarterbacks here."
Briefly: Sophomore tailback Jahvid Best had the day off, which has been a common occurrence during training camp. Thursday's day off was odd, however, considering the team is not scheduled to practice today or Sunday. ... Tedford said walk-on kicker David Seawright has beaten out Jordan Kay for place-kicking duties, but the kickoff role is still being evaluated. "I feel like (Seawright) has a great upside with his leg strength. Once he got his bearings, he's been very consistent and gives us a little more range," Tedford said. ... Receivers Michael Calvin, LaReylle Cunningham and Sean Young took the majority of the first-team repetitions. Florida-transfer Nyan Boateng ran only one route with the starters. "We probably won't know the starters until game time, when we see what the game plan will be," Tedford said. "There will probably be a broader rotation than we've ever had with the receivers." ... Tedford said receivers Verran Tucker and Marvin Jones won't redshirt, joining defensive tackle Kendrick Payne, linebacker Mychal Kendricks, tight end Anthony Miller and safety Bryant Nnabuife as newcomers who will play right away. Corners Marc Anthony and Josh Hill could join that group.
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