Beavers' curse on Bears at Memorial Stadium strikes again

You see it in the laboratory all the time. One ingredient is mixed with another and creates something totally different from what was expected.

That seems to be the case with Oregon State and Cal's Memorial Stadium, because when the two come together it has an inexplicable effect on Cal quarterbacks.

Four years ago in Berkeley, Cal's Aaron Rodgers had the worst game of his college career, going 9-for-34 for just 52 yards and an interception in a 35-21 loss to the Beavers. Just one week earlier, at the same site, Rodgers was 18-for-25 with two scoring passes while helping to hand USC its only loss of the season.

The next time Oregon State came to Berkeley, in 2005, Cal was ranked No. 18, but quarterback Joe Ayoob went 13-for-39 and threw two interceptions in the Beavers' 23-20 upset.

Then the curse arose again Saturday at Memorial Stadium. First of all, starting Cal quarterback Nate Longshore did not play despite expectations that he would start.

"We didn't even know what the deal was with their quarterback situation," Oregon State linebacker Joey Laroque said.

Cal had to use redshirt freshman Kevin Riley, who had never completed a collegiate pass. He nearly pulled out a dramatic victory by getting the Bears to the 12-yard line in the closing moments of a three-point game.

"At that point I was thinking about overtime, frankly," Beavers coach Mike Riley said.

Then the Beavers' Berkeley curse struck Cal's Riley too. For some reason Riley chose to run when he could not find a receiver with the clock winding under 14 seconds and the Bears out of timeouts.

"Really what you want to do is throw the ball away in that situation," Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield said.

Laroque brought him down at the 10.

"I knew the clock was ticking," Laroque said. "I was just trying to hold him down as long as possible. I don't know if that's legal or not."

Then, when Riley freed himself, he did not scramble to line up and spike the ball to stop the clock, but rather ran to the sidelines with the ball in his hand.

The Beavers seem to have magic in Berkeley. Cal has lost only four home games since Sept. 6, 2003 - one to USC and three to Oregon State.

The simple explanation for Oregon State's success Saturday was turnovers. The Beavers came into the game last in the nation in turnover margin, and Canfield's 13 interceptions were the most by any quarterback in the country. Oregon State turned it over just once, and Canfield had no picks.

"The lack of turnovers for us was THE key," Mike Riley said. "When we started playing well last year, that's what started happening."

Last year, the Beavers' strong finish began with an upset of No. 3 USC.

"But the one here was even bigger," Canfield said.

In fact, Cal is the highest ranked opponent Oregon State has beaten since its 3-0 upset of USC featuring O.J. Simpson in 1967.

On Saturday, the Beavers figured they beat a No. 1 team again.

"At halftime, the coaches said LSU had lost and that we were playing the No. 1 team now," Laroque said. "That gave us some extra motivation."

Cal's theoretical stay atop the rankings lasted less than one half before the Oregon State curse took hold.

The Beavers held Cal out of the end zone in the third quarter on four straight plays from the 2-yard line, with the final three plays starting inside the 1.

Then when Oregon State faced a fourth down at the Cal 1-yard line a little later, Riley opted to go for a touchdown rather than a field goal that would have given the Beavers a two-point lead. Yvenson Bernard bulled his way in to put the Beavers up by five points, and Cal's Jahvid Best fumbled the ensuing kickoff leading to a 33-yard field goal by Alexis Serna, who had booted a season-best 52-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.

"I just love the setting here," Oregon State's Riley said. "It's a great place to play a game."

Riley's first coaching job was at Cal as a graduate assistant under Mike White in 1975, when the Bears went unbeaten in conference home games, including an upset of No. 4 USC.