California football coach Jeff Tedford slammed down his play card and headset as the final seconds ticked off the Golden Bears' Oct. 13 game.
Tedford's actions said it all.
His program's national title chances suffered a huge blow that day, losing to Oregon State.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Riley absentmindedly ran off the field instead of spiking the ball to set up a chip-shot field goal, likely ending his team's national title hopes going into a two-week stretch against undefeated Pac-10 opponents UCLA and ASU.
"That's unfortunate, but it's not [Riley's] fault," Tedford said following the loss according to Cal Media Relations. "It's a situation where if I had to second guess anything, I wish I could have got to him to say, 'Do this or do that.'"
The first of the two following games featured Cal trying to fight off the UCLA Bruins in, of all places, the Rose Bowl — the Golden Bears' last hope.
But that hope vanished too Saturday, and this one won't go down on Riley.
A half hour before the game, Tedford was still deciding if the team's season would again hinge on the play of his backup quarterback.
Fortunately for Cal, junior Nate Longshore was healthy enough to start.
And early on, an anemic Bruin pass rush let Longshore nurse his sore ankle in a wide-open pocket.
The results: Longshore completing 21-of-28 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns through three quarters.
When the fourth quarter arrived, it was much of the same as it was in Strawberry Canyon a week prior. Cal was down by two points in the fourth quarter's final minutes, except this time Longshore was at the helm.
But as it turns out, that didn't matter.
After going to junior wide receiver DeSean Jackson early and often — nine times for 136 yards and two touchdowns — Longshore stared down the All-American receiver on a crucial third down play.
UCLA sophomore cornerback Alterraun Verner gracefully stepped in front of the quick out-route, running it to the house for 76 yards and the all-important dagger of a touchdown.
Longhsore threw two interceptions in the final three minutes, while Riley stood on the sidelines.
It turns out it may not matter which quarterback ASU faces next week.
Enjoying their bye, the Sun Devils were surely watching from the comfort of their own homes and dorm rooms, taking copious notes as if they were expecting an exam.
But the exam is coming Saturday night in Tempe at 7 p.m. and with homecoming and the potential of victory, it could turn into a Valley-wide party.
If ASU was watching as closely as it should have been, it probably saw a vulnerable Cal football team, aside from a pair of hurting quarterbacks.
The Cal defense showed the propensity to give up the big play, both in the air and on the ground.
UCLA executed a 29-yard reverse touchdown pass and got 142 rushing yards from junior running back Kahlil Bell.
If ASU can break the big play and run the ball, its Rose Bowl hopes will stay alive while Cal's continue to vanish.
Come Saturday, Tedford will once again lift his headset to his ears. But his playbook may be only half-full if he has to protect his signal-caller, who's maneuvering the pocket with but one healthy foot.
Still, do not discount the firepower of Longshore, Jackson and senior running back Justin Forsett.
After all, do we really want to see ASU's Dennis Erickson throw down his accoutrements for the entire nation to see?
Neal McCready, ASU's lone backer for the No. 1 spot, would have none of that.
Reach the reporter at: andrew.pentis@asu.edu.
