California nips Arizona State 23-21 on late kick

By ANDREW BAGNATO, AP College Football Writer Oct 31, 7:32 pm EDT

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TEMPE, Ariz. (AP)—Giorgio Tavecchio kicked a 24-yard field goal with 21 seconds left, and California rallied for a sloppy 23-21 victory over Arizona State on Saturday afternoon.

Tavecchio’s kick capped an 11-play, 74-yard drive that began at Cal’s 19 with 3:16 to go. Golden Bears quarterback Kevin Riley was 5-of-6 on that march, and he finished with 351 passing yards and two touchdowns.

The Golden Bears (6-2, 3-2 Pac-10) have won three straight.

It was an ugly, penalty-filled game, with two middle-of-the-Pac-10 teams combining for 23 penalties for 238 yards. They also had five turnovers.

Danny Sullivan passed for 244 yards and a touchdown for ASU (4-4, 2-3), but he also threw two interceptions.

Tavecchio also connected from 25 and 51 yards.

The weather was gorgeous—74 degrees and sunny at kickoff. The first half was hideous.

In the first two quarters, the Golden Bears and Sun Devils combined for four turnovers, five fumbles and 145 penalty yards.

The Sun Devils rank 120th, and last in the nation, in penalty yards per game, with 84.4. They had 85 at halftime—with 75 coming on personal fouls.

Cal jumped ahead 7-0 on an 11-yard pass from Riley to Jahvid Best five minutes into the game. The Bears made it 14-0 on a 12-yard strike from Riley to Marvin Jones.

That’s when Cal imploded. After forcing a fumble by ASU’s Ryan Bass near their own goal line, the Bears gave the ball right back when Riley fumbled at his own 3.

On the next play, ASU backup quarterback Samson Szakacsy hit Jovon Williams for a 3-yard TD pass—the first pass of Szakacsy’s career.

ASU tied it at 14-14 on its next snap. Sullivan, back in at quarterback, found Kyle Williams for an 80-yard TD.

But then Sullivan threw an interception to Syd’Quan Thompson, who returned it 38 yards to set up a 25-yard field goal by Tavecchio, giving Cal a 17-14 halftime lead.

Updated Oct 31, 7:32 pm EDT
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Head to Head - Week 9

Team Total Yds Pass Yds Rush Yds First Downs 3rdD% Pen./Yds Turnovers Time of Poss.
California 408 351 57 23 31.3% 12/115 2 34:42
Arizona State 329 247 82 15 33.3% 11/123 3 25:18
NCAAF

14 Comments

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  1. Chris H
    14. Posted by Chris H Tue Nov 3 2:35am EST

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    Couldn't agree more with #13 Michael. The same goes to jethromayham, who takes every opportunity on every Cal article to bash Tedford (this one is no exception). Aside from the fact that jethromayham obviously doesn't go or hasn't gone to Cal, I don't think any of these Tedford-basher remember just how bad it was before Tedford took the helm.
  2. Michael
    13. Posted by Michael Mon Nov 2 12:55am EST

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    Ed,
    What a terrible thing ot say about Tedford after what he has done for the Cal football program. How many other Pac-10 teams can boast of the records, the consecutive number of bowl games Cal has played and won, and the respectful status Cal has in the conference? The Tedford era has become the best for Cal and firing him would not guarantee Cal would keep their current status and/or even take them up to the next level. While I respect your opinion you are wrong about firing Tedford!
  3. Tucker
    12. Posted by Tucker Sun Nov 1 2:48pm EST

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    I don't understand this offense. We open up great, put some points on the board, and then seem to think we've got it in the bag and change our offensive strategy or shut it down. I hate Florida and Texas but when you look at those teams, the keep piling on the scores until they reach 40 before shutting the offense down. I also believe that a defense plays high off of emotions and momentum. Keep the scores piling on by the offense and watch a mediocre defense step up into a great defense. Tedford and his coaches have left me sitting here this season wondering if they really truly know how to prepare our team for battle. Arizona State should have never been this close a game. We obviously had their number early on but failed to adjust and adapt to changes by the other team. When are we going to be ready to play coach? Anytime this season?
  4. Julie
    11. Posted by Julie Sun Nov 1 2:13pm EST

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    Definitely need some sort of staff change to get to the next level. Cal is a good team, but that's it. We tend to start great, then sputter — though I think our two losses, though blowouts, were to the two best teams in the Pac-10. Oregon is no fluke, as we saw yesterday in their demolition of USC. (LOVED THAT!!) And when we sputter we lose to teams like ASU, UCLA and even Stanford — teams we should usually beat like a drum with our current personnel. Tedford needs to hire some coaches who can take this team/program to the next level to stay … start with a Pac 10 title, then worry about any national dreams. Win the Pac 10 and all that will fall into place anyway. And #2 is correct — it might have been ugly, but a W is still a W. GO BEARS!!!
  5. Johnathan P
    10. Posted by Johnathan P Sun Nov 1 6:37am EST

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    What was Shane Vereen thinking!? That pass should have been intercepted, but it wasn't, so Cal was lucky not to blow this game. Next time, let Shane Vereen do what he does best...be part of a good 1-2 running back force with Jahvid Best. Throw that ugly pass against Stanford and you will choke, Bears!
  6. Oski
    9. Posted by Oski Sun Nov 1 5:32am EST

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    I'll take four more ugly wins....Go Bears!!!
  7. Ed
    8. Posted by Ed Sun Nov 1 4:56am EST

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    How about firing Tedford!!!.... I've never seen a team so consistently under-achieve, They should have lost this game. They will be lucky to beat Stanfurd this year. If they don't, that should definitely be the final straw!!

    Ed
  8. <i>cablecop46</i>
    7. Posted by cablecop46 Sun Nov 1 1:59am EST

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    I wonder if Bass's mom and dad are going to call DE again to find out why there boy fumbled on the one. So Samson got a TD pass huh? did Sully get one?
  9. Jethro
    6. Posted by Jethro Sat Oct 31 11:36pm EDT

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    Crappy games only reflect on the coaches. Replace them!
  10. Andrew P
    5. Posted by Andrew P Sat Oct 31 9:52pm EDT

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    The play calling at the end was horrid. The ball should of been intercepted on that stupid wildcat pass. Oh well, they won but not going anywhere
  11. Pumpkin
    4. Posted by Pumpkin Sat Oct 31 9:12pm EDT

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    Riley showed that he can play at a high level. Our receivers also stepped-up. With balance, that should open-up the running game. I liked Cal's aggressiveness towards the end of the game. When you would guess we would run, we passed, and when you would guess we would pass, we would run. I liked the pass out of the Wildcat formation. What the hey, it's just a game !!
  12. <i>rocky63215</i>
    3. Posted by rocky63215 Sat Oct 31 8:50pm EDT

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    It became clear that Cal needs to fire Andy Ludwig immediately and Bob Gregory at the end of the season. The offense is a joke and the defense is even more pathetic!
  13. cwbyht
    2. Posted by cwbyht Sat Oct 31 8:27pm EDT

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    A win is a win, and we'll take it.
  14. Alexandra S
    1. Posted by Alexandra S Sat Oct 31 7:35pm EDT

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    one of the ugliest game i've ever seen. talk about a stat buster for everyone.
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Top Performers

 Top Performers
 California
K. Riley K. Riley, QB
27-44, 351 yds
2 TDs
 Arizona St.
K. Williams K. Williams, WR
3 Rec, 91 yds
1 TD

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