What To Make of Cal Bears Showing Against USC

SUNDAY
"I was real proud of our kids in the second half. We came back and won the second half."
That was Jeff Tedford on his team's 48-14 pummeling at the hands of the Trojans.

I found myself sitting in front of the television Saturday just stunned by the performance of the Cal Bears football team.
42 points is the most EVER given up by a Bears team in the history of the program.

I have been watching Kevin Riley very closely for FOUR long years now. Cal is one of the most intriguing programs in the Pac-10 and I am always interested in the successes and failures of Head Coach Jeff Tedford. In the last four years, more so the failures.

I am absolutely dumbfounded by the continued struggles of this team. Particularly at the quarterback position. There was an article written for the Cal school newspaper on Friday that was very appropriately timed for the unfortunate occasion the next day.

Only two seasons worth of football have ticked away since those chants rang out from Memorial Stadium's student section. As Cal prepares to step into the Coliseum, it feels more like an eternity.

Half the student body hasn't seen anyone other than Kevin Riley under center on Saturdays. More than half has become numbed to the consistent inconsistency.

It's so easy to become enthralled with potential when you're not shackled to the result.

Nate Longshore was the senior in the fall of '08, and having never returned to his 2006 form after suffering a bone spur, offered little hope for the future.

Riley, on the other hand, had nearly taken the Bears to the top of the football world. He had the Air Force victory. The rising son.

Everybody loves the backup - even if he technically wasn't.

There's no one pushing Riley the same way this fall because Cal doesn't have a player that can perform any better. (Next year, by the way, projects to be a far rougher positional carousel. Brace yourselves, everyone.)

Without that pressure, he was supposed to have his best season ever. He said so. So did others. That four-star talent should have marinated long enough, well-seasoned for a second full year as the starter.

Preseason bluster, it turns out.

Riley threw seven of his nine touchdowns in games that could've been won with Ryan Wertenberger under center. He threw for a career-low 83 yards against UCLA.

It's Shane Vereen and an elite defense that have kept the Bears from completely falling out of the pack.

The consensus fourth-best Pac-10 quarterback before anyone took a snap, Riley's now being surpassed by a number of underclassmen. His fall-camp spiel of being disrespected by the media? A cruel punchline.

He was forthcoming enough in Tuesday's press conference, admitting that this USC is easier to beat than any of Pete Carroll's machines even while other players and coaches stuck to their standard lines.

It's not a sign of hubris.

This is his fork in the road - and what a long and winding one it's been for the fifth-year senior. The pits of Riley's career have been dug against the Trojans. He found receivers on four of his 16 throws in 2008, a 17-3 loss. Last year, he went 15-of-40. 30-3.

Jeff Tedford said that USC is about five seconds away from being 6-0. That's true, but there's a reason this sanctioned team is no longer ranked.

One school of thought says that every game is a bowl game for USC. They way it's failed to close out, it seems more like every game's a scrimmage.

But what's more important is the Trojan's putrid pass defense. If Riley can't create fireworks against the fifth-worst unit in the FBS - well, words will start to escape the blue and gold faithful.

If the Bears want to wipe the smirk off Ronald Johnson's bio mug shot, Riley needs to grab the ShamWow.

It's hard to know what to expect from him, even into the tail-end of his career. He's capable of a big games, though, and there's never been a better time to have one.

And, so it goes again, for perhaps the last time.

We want Riley.