Shannon Shelton
After months of waiting, Michigan State discovered on Saturday night that it wasn’t yet ready to take that next step to becoming part of college football’s elite. The Spartans had a golden opportunity to make a statement on Saturday night when they faced California in their season opener. Not only were they playing before a national audience in ABC’s coveted 8 p.m. time slot, they were attempting to prove to themselves that they were poised for a breakout season after going 7-6 last year. They might still be on the cusp of something great — but just not yet. MSU fell, 38-31, to Cal at Memorial Stadium after suffering through early special teams miscues, penalties, offensive line breakdowns and a failure to find balance in its passing and running games. The Cal defense was also solid, and limited MSU to 81 yards rushing.
“We made mistakes,” said MSU quarterback Brian Hoyer. “Whether it was turning the ball over or penalties, we can’t do that.” The Spartans were never down by more than two touchdowns, but they never were able to climb from the hole they created in the first half. In the fourth quarter, for example, MSU was behind, 31-24, with 4:21 left when Cal’s Shane Vereen ran 81 yards for a touchdown, widening Cal’s lead to 38-24. Hoyer connected with Mark Dell for a 29-yard score on the next drive, but MSU failed to score on its last drive. Dell had a strong game, collecting 202 yards on nine receptions.
Although MSU was down just 24-21 midway through the fourth quarter, Cal quarterback Kevin Riley made the play that shifted the momentum permanently in the Bears’ direction. With MSU defenders approaching from all directions on a third-and-13 at MSU’s 49, Riley still managed to get a 26-yard pass off to Cameron Morrah. Sophomore running back Jahvid Best, who led all rushers with 111 yards, ran 19 yards to set up the eventual touchdown play. With Riley’s five-yard throw to Will Ta’ufo’ou, Cal took a 31-21 lead. The Cal defense put plenty of pressure on Hoyer, and MSU’s offensive line couldn’t open enough holes for Ringer, who averaged just 2.8 yards per carry in the first three quarters.
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