By Rusty Simmons
Cal coach Jeff Tedford put an end to the quarterback debate Tuesday, announcing that sophomore Kevin Riley is the starter and senior Nate Longshore will be used in a customary backup fashion. Riley was named the starter during the last week of training camp, but Tedford said he'd use a two-quarterback system and evaluate the position. That all ended Tuesday. "Kevin's our quarterback," Tedford said. "He's earned that right with his last two performances and a solid camp." Riley was 17-for-24 for 202 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions in Saturday's 38-31 win over Michigan State. Longshore, who entered on Cal's first possession in the second quarter, was 3-for-5 for 62 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. The debate actually dates back much further than this season and has been filled with ups and downs. During it all, Longshore has seemed unfazed. "I'm so impressed with Nate's attitude and his support," Tedford said. "He continues to be a team-above-self guy and brings so much leadership to the game and to game-planning." The 6-foot-5, 233-pounder won the starting job as a redshirt freshman but endured a season-ending ankle injury in the 2005 season opener. He regained the job at the start of the 2006 season and appeared poised for greatness. Longshore was the second quarterback in Cal history to throw for 3,000 yards, and he led the Bears to a share of the Pac-10 crown as a sophomore. ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. rated Longshore as the top NFL prospect among underclassmen quarterbacks.
Longshore struggled after spraining his ankle in the fifth week of last season. He took much of the external blame for Cal's second-half debacle, during which it fell from a No. 2 national ranking to a seventh-place tie in the Pac-10. He still threw for 2,580 yards and 16 touchdowns last year, but he had 13 interceptions, which often came in the late stages of close games. The boos directed at Longshore and the clamoring for Riley began last year in the Oct. 20 loss to UCLA when Longshore threw three interceptions and reached its maximum decibel Saturday after his two picks against Michigan State. "Nate's a strong guy," Riley said. "He won't let it get to him." Anger appears OK: An MRI exam on the right knee of punter Bryan Anger came back negative, according to Tedford. The redshirt freshman sprained his kicking knee when Michigan State's Jesse Johnson blocked his punt after a botched snap. Anger, who averaged 48 yards a punt and pinned three of his four kicks inside the Spartans' 20-yard line, will rest most of the week. Tedford expects Anger to be ready by Saturday.
New look, new attitude: Along with switching to the 3-4 scheme, defensive tackle Derrick Hill said the unit is playing with a new mind-set. "We don't want to just get sacks; we want to put people out of the game," Hill said. "We're not nice guys on the field. Maybe off the field, but on the field, we plan on putting guys out of the game and making plays. "We've tried to take on a whole new attitude and make a whole new identity."
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