SF Chronicle: Cal's Tedford, Oregon State's Riley go way back

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Rusty Simmons

The relationship between Cal coach Jeff Tedford and Oregon State coach Mike Riley goes back two decades and beyond U.S. borders. Tedford, who was a quarterback, played for Riley in Canada in 1988 on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' team that won the CFL's Grey Cup.  "Mike was always a guy who you could communicate with easily," Tedford said. "He was a guy who never seemed to get too flustered. He was always real good to the players, and I have a lot of respect for Mike."  Riley's father, Bud, signed Tedford to his first professional contract in 1983 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.  "Jeff has done a great job of coaching for a long time, and before that, he was a highly respected player," Riley said. "One of my dad's greatest moments was signing him, so we go back a long time. "He's a great guy with a great family, and when he got that Cal job, he turned it around and made it one of the best in the Pac-10 and the nation."

Rocky road: All three of Cal's losses this season have come on the road, and the Bears are 16-2 at home to 5-10 on the road in the last three seasons.  "I don't foresee that there's a problem on the road," Tedford said. "I don't think it's the way we travel, I don't think it's the way we prepare and I think the kids do a good job of staying focused. My initial reaction would be there's not anything that needs to be changed."  The visiting team in the Cal-Oregon State series has won the last five meetings. The Bears have outscored the Beavers 90-20 in their last two trips to Corvallis, Ore.  "Any time you've won there before, I think it definitely gives you a feeling of confidence that it can be done again," Tedford said.

Playing spoiler: For the most part, the Cal players shunned the idea of playing spoiler, instead choosing to focus on their own season goals: an outside shot at the conference championship and winning out to have a 10-win season for the second time in three years. "Nobody is abandoning the ship," safety Brett Johnson said. "We can still have a long shot at winning the conference, so everyone's hanging onto that glimmer of hope." The Bears could, however, get in the way of Oregon State's inside track to the Rose Bowl, something the Beavers had made a recent habit of doing to other teams. Oregon State beat No. 3 USC in 2006, No. 2 Cal in 2007 and No. 1 USC this year. "That's in the back, back of our minds," tailback Shane Vereen said.

Briefly: Right guard Noris Malele (ankle) took part in full contact drills Wednesday night and could play Saturday. He lasted only one series against USC after missing the entire Oregon game. ... Safety Bernard Hicks (thigh bruise) returned to practice for the first time since Week 2.