Devils fall to Cal on late field goal

After trying to give the game away for most of the afternoon, California pulled itself together just in time.

Cal mounted a dramatic fourth-quarter drive against one of the Pac-10's top defenses to defeat Arizona State 23-21 on a 24-yard field goal by Giorgio Tavecchio with 21 seconds to play on Saturday.

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That's how the Golden Bears prevailed on a day they committed 12 penalties for 115 yards, fumbled four times — losing two — and missed two field goals.

"It wasn't pretty by any means," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "But when you run into games like this, it's real important for people to dig down deep and believe in each other, and I thought that was evident today with our team."

The Golden Bears (6-2, 3-2 Pac-10) have won three straight after back-to-back losses to Oregon and USC by a combined 72-6.

"They kept battling, never got down, never gave up," Tedford said.

Tavecchio bounced back after hooking a 39-yarder with 5:46 to go and the Bears down 21-20.

After Cal stuffed ASU (4-4, 2-3) on its next possession, the Golden Bears took over at their own 19 with 3:16 to go.

Quarterback Kevin Riley led the march through the shadows in Sun Devil Stadium, completing 5-of-7 passes for 85 yards on a drive that officially covered 74 yards. The Bears had to overcome a personal foul by receiver Marvin Jones, who grabbed a defender's face mask.

"He showed what I know Kevin is really made of," Tedford said. "He's a great competitor. It was a great drive for him and for us as a team."

Still, Cal nearly blew it on a bizarre play call on second and goal at ASU's 5.

Tailback Shane Vereen took a direct snap, feinted toward the line and then threw a wobbly pass for Anthony Miller in the end zone. ASU linebacker Vontaze Burfict appeared to have a shot at an interception but bobbled the ball.

On the next play, Riley took a knee, and Tavecchio trotted on and made the chip shot.

"I was praying for it," said Tavecchio, who also connected from 25 and 51 yards. "Something inside me just told me that I knew I was going to get another chance."

Tavecchio had missed two kicks — from 34 and 39 yards — but said he didn't lose confidence.

"I was like, I've been here before," he said. "Just kick the ball. It's not rocket science."

ASU's defense had kept it in the game, but the Sun Devils appeared worn out down the stretch.

"With three minutes left, I think they had to go about 70 or 80 yards," linebacker Mike Nixon said. "As a defense, you obviously want that situation. It's on us to win the game."

On a sunny, 74-degree afternoon, the two middle-of-the-Pac-10 squads combined for 23 penalties for 238 yards. They also had a total of six fumbles and five turnovers.

The difference was Riley, who passed for 351 yards and two touchdowns, and did not throw an interception. Cal needed Riley on a day its star tailback, Jahvid Best, ran for only 63 yards, or barely half his average of 110.7 yards per game.

"(Riley) went out there and made a couple of big plays at the end," ASU coach Dennis Erickson said.

Sun Devils quarterback Danny Sullivan passed for 244 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw two interceptions, both of which led to field goals.

After opening the season with wins over Idaho State and Louisiana-Monroe, ASU has dropped four of its last six.

"It's just disheartening because we worked so hard," Erickson said.

Next up for the Sun Devils: a visit from No. 4 USC.

Penalties are nothing new for the Sun Devils, who rank 120th, and last in the nation, in penalty yards per game, with 84.4. They topped that by halftime, with seven penalties for 85 yards, and they finished with 11 penalties for 123 yards.

The Sun Devils' first flag cost them a shot at an early lead. After Lawrence Guy recovered a fumble by Riley on Cal's opening drive, he spiked the ball and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The penalty left Arizona State with a 1st-and-25 at Cal's 39-yard line. ASU gained six yards in four plays and turned the ball over on downs.

"Ridiculous," Erickson said. "That's not real smart."

California 23, Arizona State 21

Key moment: California had a first-and-25 from its 40-yard line with less than two minutes left when quarterback Kevin Riley hit Marvin Jones for 26 yards and a first down. The play set up the Bears’ game-winning field goal.

Star of game: Defensive tackle Lawrence Guy had two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Thumbs up: Freshman running back Cameron Marshall, filling in for an injured Dimitri Nance, ran for 71 yards and a touchdown.

Thumbs down: ASU had 11 penalties for 123 yards, and five of those were personal fouls.

Did you see that? California nearly gave the game away when coach Jeff Tedford called for an ill-advised pass from tailback Shane Vereen with less than 30 seconds left. Vontaze Burfict tipped the pass twice but couldn’t hold on to it in the end zone.

By the numbers

486 Total yards for Stanford

250 Rushing yards for Stanford

302 Total yards for ASU

0 Number of quarterback sacks for ASU

—Compiled by Scott Bordow