ASU falls to Cal

October 31, 2009

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.<separator></separator>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.<separator></separator>The Golden Bears (6-2, 3-2 Pac-10) have won three straight.<separator></separator>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.<separator></separator><a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/sullivan_danny00.html"… Sullivan</a> passed for 244 yards and a touchdown for ASU (4-4, 2-3), but he also threw two interceptions.<separator></separator>Tavecchio also connected from 25 and 51 yards.<separator></separator>The weather was gorgeous - 74 degrees and sunny at kickoff. The first half was hideous.<separator></separator>In the first two quarters, the Golden Bears and Sun Devils combined for four turnovers, five fumbles and 145 penalty yards.<separator></separator>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.<separator></separator>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.<separator></separator>That's when Cal imploded. After forcing a fumble by ASU's <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/bass_ryan00.html">Ryan Bass</a> near their own goal line, the Bears gave the ball right back when Riley fumbled at his own 3.<separator></separator>On the next play, ASU backup quarterback <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/szakacsy_samson00.html… Szakacsy</a> hit <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/williams_jovon00.html"… Williams</a> for a 3-yard TD pass - the first pass of Szakacsy's career.<separator></separator>ASU tied it at 14-14 on its next snap. Sullivan, back in at quarterback, found <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/williams_kyle00.html">… Williams</a> for an 80-yard TD.<separator></separator>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.<separator></separator>