Oregon State 31, California 28

1234T
ORST (4-3)7671131
CAL (5-1)01401428

Final

7:07 PM ET, October 13, 2007
Memorial Stadium
BERKELEY, CA

Oregon St. escapes with slim win over No. 2 Cal

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Top 25 Overview
It was over when... Time ran out. Cal QB Kevin Riley tried to scramble from the 12 with :14 remaining. He was stopped -- and the clock ran out before the FG unit could get on the field.
Gameball goes to... Yvenson Bernard. Oregon State's senior RB led the team in rushing, gaining 111 yards on 33 carries for two TDs. He caught eight passes for 55 yards, as well.
Stat of the game... 5. DeSean Jackson's Heisman hopes faded a bit Saturday, as the explosive receiver caught just four passes for 5 yards in the Bears' first loss of the season.
Team Stat Comparison
 
1st Downs1723
3rd down efficiency
4-167-15
4th down efficiency
0-21-2
Total Yards339478
Passing186294
Comp-Att
18-3320-37
Yards per pass
5.67.9
Rushing153184
Rushing Attempts
4239
Yards per rush
3.64.7
Penalties0-00-0
Turnovers13
Fumbles lost
12
Interceptions thrown
01
Possession20:3416:13
Individual Leaders
Oregon State Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Canfiel...18/3318600
California Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Riley20/3429421
Oregon State Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Bernard33110221
Rodgers233017
California Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Forsett28150145
Best111011
Oregon State Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Bernard853011
Catchin...243026
California Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Hawkins9192264
Jordan568037
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTERORSTCAL
TD2:09Andy Stewart rush for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN. Alexis Serna extra point GOOD.
Drive info: 6 plays, 16 yds in 2:39
70
SECOND QUARTERORSTCAL
TD14:01Kevin Riley pass complete to Lavelle Hawkins for 10 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. Jordan Kay extra point GOOD.
Drive info: 7 plays, 77 yds in 3:08
77
FG4:27Alexis Serna 22 yard field goal GOOD.
Drive info: 5 plays, 13 yds in 1:52
107
TD0:43Kevin Riley rush for 3 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. Jordan Kay extra point GOOD.
Drive info: 11 plays, 96 yds in 3:14
1014
FG0:01Alexis Serna 52 yard field goal GOOD.
Drive info: 5 plays, 23 yds in 0:36
1314
THIRD QUARTERORSTCAL
TD9:14Yvenson Bernard rush for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN. Alexis Serna extra point GOOD.
Drive info: 12 plays, 76 yds in 5:46
2014
FOURTH QUARTERORSTCAL
TD14:25Justin Forsett rush for 7 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. Jordan Kay extra point GOOD.
Drive info: 4 plays, 26 yds in 1:40
2021
TD8:30Yvenson Bernard rush for 1 yard for a TOUCHDOWN. Two-point conversion attempt, Sean Canfield pass to Anthony Brown GOOD.
Drive info: 12 plays, 55 yds in 6:01
2821
FG6:13Alexis Serna 33 yard field goal GOOD.
Drive info: 5 plays, 45 yds in 2:11
3121
TD2:31Kevin Riley pass complete to Lavelle Hawkins for 64 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. Jordan Kay extra point GOOD.
Drive info: 5 plays, 79 yds in 0:55
3128
Associated Press

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) -- In the split-second Kevin Riley took to decide to run with the football instead of throw it away, California's dreams of a No. 1 ranking and undefeated season slipped away.

Riley's mistake on the final play of the game spoiled what almost was a spectacular comeback in his first career start as the clock ran out before the second-ranked Golden Bears had a chance to try a game-tying field goal in a 31-28 loss to Oregon State on Saturday.

"It's not his fault whatsoever," coach Jeff Tedford said. "He played his heart out down the stretch to get us in that situation. We didn't lose the game because of that play."

How The Mighty Fall
Cal Golden Bears

After No. 1 LSU's 43-37 3OT loss to No. 17 Kentucky, No. 2 Cal's 31-28 loss to Oregon State marked the first time since 1996 that a No. 1 and No. 2 team lost on the same day in the regular season. It has only happened eight times since 1964.

Date No. 1 loss No. 2 loss
10/13/07 No. 1 LSU lost to No. 17 Kentucky 43-37 3OT No. 2 Cal lost to Oregon State 31-28
9/21/96 No. 1 Nebraska lost at No. 17 Arizona St. 19-0 No. 2 Tennessee lost to No. 4 Florida 35-29
10/6/90 No. 1 Notre Dame lost to Stanford 36-31 No. 2 FSU lost to No. 9 Miami 31-22
11/17/84 No. 1 Nebraska lost to No. 6 Oklahoma No. 2 South Carolina lost to Navy 28-21
9/12/81 No. 1 Michigan lost to Wisconsin 21-14 No. 2 Alabama lost to Georgia Tech 24-21
11/1/80 No. 1 Alabama lost to Mississippi St. 6-3 No. 2 UCLA lost to Arizona 23-17
10/8/77 No. 1 USC lost to No. 7 Alabama 21-20 No. 2 Alabama lost to Georgia Tech 24-21
9/26/64 No. 1 Ole Miss lost to Kentucky No. 2 Oklahoma lost to USC

Oregon State (4-3, 2-2 Pac-10) delivered the latest shocker in an upset-filled season and denied Cal (5-1, 2-1) a chance to seize the top ranking for the first time in 56 years. No. 1 LSU lost in triple overtime at Kentucky earlier in the day, but the Bears were unable to handle their own business, becoming the 10th team ranked in the top 10 to lose to an unranked team already this season.

This marked the first time the top two teams lost on the same day since Sept. 21, 1996, when No. 1 Nebraska was beaten 19-0 by Arizona State and No. 2 Tennessee fell 35-29 to Florida.

"We just have to keep our heads up," said receiver Lavelle Hawkins, whose 64-yard TD with 2:31 to go started Cal's comeback from a 10-poingt deficit. "All it means is that we're not going undefeated. You mope about the loss and it'll carry into other losses. We don't worry about all the rankings."

Oregon State recovered the onsides kick after Hawkins' late touchdown and pinned Cal at its own 5 with 1:27 left and no timeouts.

Riley, showing great poise after some early game jitters, completed a 19-yard pass to Hawkins on fourth-and-18 and a 37-yarder to Jordan. A pass interference call moved the ball to the 12 with 14 seconds left before the final fateful play.

With his receivers covered, Riley inexplicably tried to scramble for the score. He was tackled after a 2-yard gain and the clock ran out before the field goal unit could get on the field.

"I saw the field and I thought I could get around that guy," Riley said. "It just didn't happen."

Joey LaRoque made the tackle on the final play, sending the Beavers into a joyous celebration and handing the Bears a devastating loss.

"That was a great finish to a great game," LaRoque said. "Cal has a great team and it was awesome. That game is all about college football right there. I'm glad to be a part of this. It was amazing."

Yvenson Bernard gave Oregon State the lead for good when he leaped into the end zone on fourth down from the 1 with 8:30 remaining for his second touchdown of the game. Sean Canfield hit Anthony Brown on the 2-point conversion to make it 28-21. Bernard finished with 110 yards rushing.

After Jahvid Best fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Alexis Serna kicked his third field goal of the game to make it 31-21, setting the stage for Cal's comeback attempt. The Beavers have won four straight at Cal, last losing here in 1997.

"It looked like overtime, but that's why you play all 60 minutes," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. "When he started running I knew they didn't have a chance."

The day got off to a bad start for Cal when quarterback Nate Longshore was unable to start because of a sprained right ankle. Riley found out just before kickoff that he would get the nod.

He admitted to being nervous early on, but the Bears still were in position to move into the top spot after Justin Forsett's 7-yard run gave them a 21-20 lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. Forsett finished with 150 yards against the nation's top-ranked defense but Cal's offense was unable to generate much else until the final minutes under Riley, who finished 20-for-34 for 294 yards and two touchdowns.

The news of LSU's loss reached Berkeley almost instantaneously, with fans standing up to cheer and chant "We're No. 1! We're No. 1!" The Bears didn't respond like a top-ranked team, committing a delay of game on their next play. That proved to be a sign of things to come.

Cal went three-and-out on that drive and Riley was intercepted on the next drive when he was hit as he threw and defensive lineman Victor Butler caught the ball. Butler's 36-yard return to the 17 set up Serna's 22-yard field goal that made it 10-7.

Longshore got hurt late in Cal's win at Oregon on Sept. 29, but was expected to play after practicing Thursday. He split time in warmups with Riley, but when the game started Longshore had a headset on rather than a helmet.

Riley, who was 0-for-3 passing coming into the game, led a pair of touchdown drives in the first half. He threw a 10-yard TD pass to Hawkins and running in from the 3 to make it 14-10 with 43 seconds left in the half. Hawkins finished with nine catches for 192 yards and two scores.

College Football Scores

Other Scores:

Saturday, October 13th
Arizona 13 Final
USC 20
Washington State 7 Final
Oregon 53
TCU 38 Final
Stanford 36
Oregon State 31 Final
California 28
Washington 20 Final
Arizona State 44