The last thing USC's defense needs is a little help. The seventh-ranked Trojans entered Saturday's showdown with No. 21 Cal leading the nation in scoring defense and total defense, and the Bears helped them maintain their lofty ranking with missed opportunities and untimely penalties in a 17-3 loss in front of 88,523 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Cal quarterback Kevin Riley, who relieved starter Nate Longshore to begin the second half, was a miserable 4-for-16 passing for just 59 yards and an interception. He missed several open receivers with poor throws. The Bears (6-3, 4-2) also committed eight penalties for 50 yards, and several of them stalled drives. "We had so many opportunities that we missed," Cal center Alex Mack said. "If we would have made those plays, we would have won this game. We got lucky a bunch of times and still didn't capitalize."
Longshore was 11-for-15 for 79 yards and led the Bears on one promising drive in the first half, moving Cal deep into Trojans territory before settling for a 35-yard field goal by Giorgio Tavecchio. But the Bears' makeshift offensive line started feeling the heat from USC's defensive front, and coach Jeff Tedford went with the more mobile Riley to start the second half. Cal right guard Noris Malele, who missed last week's win over Oregon with a sprained ankle, started but lasted only one possession. "With the pass rush they had in the first half I felt like Kevin could move around and make some plays," Tedford said. "Nate wasn't playing poorly. I felt there was a lot of pressure on Nate and Kevin could make some plays."
It initially looked as though Riley would give the Bears the spark they needed. Cal trailed 10-3 at halftime, but on their first possession of the second half Riley led the Bears from their own 21 to the USC 10. But his second-down pass was tipped by USC safety Will Harris and intercepted in the end zone by Josh Pinkard.
Earlier in the possession, Cal had an apparent 27-yard touchdown pass from Riley to running back Shane Vereen wiped out because of an ineligible receiver downfield. But the Bears also were aided by a pass interference call on Harris on a third-down play. "We had a good game plan," Riley said. "People were open. I just missed them. We had our chances. That's all you can really say." Cal's defense, meanwhile, held the Trojans in check for most of the game before finally wearing down near the end. It was still 10-3 midway through the fourth quarter before USC put together a 13-play, 73-yard drive that culminated with a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mark Sanchez to wide receiver Ronald Johnson with just under three minutes left. "Our goal was to put our hearts on the line," Cal linebacker Worrell Williams said. "I thought we did that for the most part. Our defense did a great job. I felt really comfortable out there."
Cal's defense has thrived on forcing turnovers this season, and finally got one when USC tailback Joe McKnight fumbled the ball away after a nifty run early in the fourth quarter. But the Bears went three-and-out on the ensuing possession. The loss dropped the Bears into fourth place in the Pac-10 standings, 1½ games behind the front-running Trojans. Williams said Cal isn't giving up hope for a conference championship. The Bears travel to second-place Oregon State next weekend. They'd have to win in Corvallis and then hope for a lot of help to wind up in the Rose Bowl for the first time in 50 years. But Cal can at least be comforted by the fact that each of the past two Pac-10 champions have finished the season with two conference losses.
"It's still a possibility," Williams said. "That's what you fight for. You fight until the end for that. We never thought SC would lose to Oregon State and they did. They could lose to another team. You never know."
The Bears could get absolutely no ground game going against the stingy Trojans. Running back Jahvid Best, still hampered by an injured foot, managed just 30 yards on 13 carries. Tedford said the injury is preventing Best from playing to his full potential but it's still good enough to keep him on the field. "He's trying his hardest to play," Tedford said. "I just don't' know that he's able to play 100 percent. You see what Joe McKnight did tonight, you usually see Jahvid do stuff like that. I just don't know that Jahvid can do that stuff right now. He can't make a lot of hard cuts."
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