By Jon Wilner
Seven quick thoughts on Cal’s 38-31 victory over Michigan State and one longer thought on the performance of backup quarterback Nate Longshore, and what it means …
1. The Bears simply had too much speed, which allowed its defensive line to generate pass pressure with a three-man rush and the linebackers to fill holes and contain MSU tailback Javon Ringer (81 yards on 27 carries). And speed obviously was a factor in everything Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen did.
2. The Cal defense was very good, allowing just two touchdown drives of any substance (one MSU touchdown came off an interception, another on a short field following a fumbled punt). The Bears contained Ringer, were solid on third down/short-yardage situations and were at least as physical as the Spartans. Cal will need several more first-rate defensive efforts while the offense finds its rhythm with a new coordinator, quarterback, tailback, receivers, tight end, left guard and left tackle.
3. A Kevin Riley thought that might be obvious but seems noteworthy: The biggest pass of the game, 26 yards to Cameron Morrah, on third down, in the fourth quarter, was the result of Riley stepping up in the pocket, buying time and making something out of nothing. It was a play, and a pass, that Longshore never could have made.
4. My (Cal) stars of the game:
Three-stars: Defensive end Tyson Alualu, who was fantastic — much better than his tackle total (three) indicates — and quarterback Kevin Riley, who threw two touchdowns and didn’t commit a turnover. Two stars: Best, who had 277 total yards; Brett Johnson, whose blocked punt led to Cal’s first touchdown; and inside linebacker Anthony Felder. One star: Cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson; Morrah; and punter Bryan Anger. (I was going to give Anger two stars until he mishandled that snap; his first-quarter punts were huge in the field-position game and he rolled one to the MSU three yardline late in the third quarter.)
5. I thought new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti called a good game, especially when it came to getting Best the ball on the perimeter, where he’s most effective. Best was used between the tackles but had plenty of opportunities on screen/swing passes and sweeps. Cignetti also made a terrific call on the third-and-10 midway through the fourth quarter — the inside screen to Sean Young that went for 13 yards. With all the misdirection plays, you can see why Jeff Tedford felt he and Cignetti were on the same page philosophically. “He did a nice job mixing it up with the run and the play action and drop back stuff,” Tedford said.
6. That said, the Bears are a major work in progress offensively. With a couple exceptions, the new receivers had trouble getting open or dropped the passes thrown to them (especially Nyan Boateng). The downfield passing game to receivers was almost non-existent. Cal’s best options are screen/swing passes to the backs, Morrah over the middle/seam routes, or perimeter runs by Best.
7. In case you’re wondering: That was a Pac-10 officiating crew on the field and in the replay booth. The decision to overturn MSU’s first-half touchdown was correct (Mark Dell never had possession), and the crew probably made the right call on the long pass play in the fourth quarter. I thought Darian Hagan had more of the ball than Dell, but it was close enough that you could see why the replay officials would let the call on the field (a reception) stand.
*** Now, to the Longshore situation …
The first interception was a bad throw into double coverage; the second interception was an awful pass into quadruple coverage (it didn’t look like Morrah, the intended receiver, even realized he was the intended receiver). Frankly, I was surprised Longshore was sent back out for the second series. At this point, you have to figure that the coaches have lost some confidence in Longshore, and that the Bears have lost some confidence in Longshore, and that Longshore has quite possibly lost some confidence in himself. And that could be a huge problem for the Bears over the next three months. It’s hard for me to believe that Riley will stay healthy enough to take every meaningful snap the rest of the season, and that he’ll avoid a rough patch along the way. If he gets hurt, if he slumps, then the Bears will need Longshore to step in, possibly in a critical situation. And then what happens? How will the senior — who not only lost his starting job but, when given a chance to prove himself, threw interceptions on back-to-back possessions — react? It sure seems like the chances of Longshore playing well in relief got significantly more remote after what happened Saturday. He needs a pick-me-up. Maybe Washington State will provide it.
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