Link, with some interesting comments.
By Rusty Simmons
Senior center Alex Mack is widely considered the smartest guy on the Cal roster, yet after Saturday's 42-27 loss at Arizona, he had very few answers. "I don't know what happened," Mack said Tuesday. "We're up by six and we're down by one and we're down by eight." Three days later, things weren't much clearer. The Cal players know Arizona turned a 10-point deficit into a 42-27 lead in less than 12 minutes of the third quarter, but exactly how it happened is a mystery. "If I could tell you, I would tell you," safety Marcus Ezeff said. "Guys just took turns messing up," linebacker Anthony Felder said. "I don't know, man," linebacker Worrell Williams said.
After compiling 179 yards of total offense on 32 first-half plays, Arizona had three plays for 150 yards and mixed in a 21-yard interception return for a fourth touchdown in the third quarter. During the third quarter, Cal's offense had three punts, an interception and a field goal. "They made plays and we didn't," coach Jeff Tedford said. "They had three plays, and we didn't answer with anything of our own."
This too shall pass: Tedford said senior Nate Longshore and sophomore Kevin Riley will continue splitting first- and second-team repetitions this week and called for both quarterbacks to improve their accuracy.
"I thought Nate did some real good things in the first half, not perfect by any means, and I thought Kevin did a couple of good things when he was in there, by all means not perfect," Tedford said. "We need to be more consistent at quarterback. Not one or the other, both of them." Longshore was 18-for-37 for 218 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against Arizona, and Riley was 7-for-19 for 97 yards and a pick in relief. Both quarterbacks dealt with consistent defensive pressure and a number of dropped balls. Tedford said playing Riley as preparation for the future was not a consideration. "We're not playing for the coming years," Tedford said. "No, no way. This is about this year. This is about being productive right now and doing what we have to do to win games right now."
Bravo, bravo: Tedford said he "fully anticipates" Giorgio Tavecchio continuing as the team's kicker, regardless of the status of David Seawright's groin injury. Tavecchio, replacing Seawright for the first time, narrowly missed a 50-yard field-goal attempt and made 42- and 40-yarders against Arizona. After captivating his audience for 10 minutes at Tuesday's media luncheon, Tavecchio rode his one-pedaled bike to his dormitory, only to return about 30 minutes later. "I forgot to mention my Campolindo High kicking coach, Mike Ahr, and my head coach, Kevin Macy," Tavecchio explained. "Please write that they made this opportunity possible."
Briefly: Jahvid Best (elbow) didn't practice, but Tedford was "encouraged" that the tailback's soreness is in the muscles above and below the elbow, instead of in the joint itself. ... Senior right guard Noris Malele, who left Saturday's game with a tweaked knee, participated in all drills Tuesday.
Third-quarter collapse
Arizona needed less than 12 minutes against Cal on Saturday for a 25-point turnaround. Here are the Wildcats' four TDs and the Bears' one field goal:
-- Mike Thomas 56-yard pass from Willie Tuitama, 13:14
-- Giorgio Tavecchio 40-yard field goal, 9:20
-- Keola Antolin 1-yard run, 6:33
-- Devin Ross 21-yard interception return, 6:16
-- Rob Gronkowski 35-yard pass from Tuitama, 1:29
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