Cliff: Cal pregame/game thread

BERKELEY, Calif. – So much for the bad weather when I arrived Friday. It’s a beautiful day in the Bay Area.

Check out the photos of San Francisco from the back of the press box. It’s a little hazy, and cool.

The Oregon State football team arrived with no issues. There’s bad traffic, of course, three hours before the game. Driving around here is brutal.

There are no oddball starting lineup changes. Expect CB Brandon Hardin to start in place of Tim Clark, but Clark will play. S Suaesi Tuimaunei may start for Lance Mitchell, but Mitchell will play.

The word is this is the last time OSU will play in Memorial Stadium until 2013. The stadium will be under going a remodel during 2011. The Bears will have to play somewhere else for a little while.

First quarter
Mitchell starts, as does DEs Gabe Miller and Matt LaGrone. Hardin was in on the first drive. WR Markus Wheaton started at split end. Damola Adeniji goes in after the first play.

Big 48-yard reception by TE Joe Halahuni sets up a QB sneak by Sean Canfield. Beavers up 7-0, 3:48.

Looks like the DEs are rotating per drive. Clark is now in at right CB. Offensive looked good until the last play of the quarter when Jacquizz Rodgers lost five yards.

Overall, the passing game will work. And as long as the defense contains the big play, it will contain Cal.

Second quarter
Halahuni and James Rodgers make key catches on a 90-yard drive and Beavers are up 14-0 with 13:46 left.

Cal makes a long drive, despite penalties and score. Jahvid Best scores  but injuries his neck or shoulder. He lands on his shoulder. He’s being carted off. It doesn’t look good. He jumped up high was flipped up very high and landed on the back of his shoulder/neck. OSU still leads 14-7, 6:07. It was 15-minute delay.

A short kickoff gives OSU good field position to pick its way up the field  for another TD, this time a 3-yard pass to Jordan Bishop. OSU up 21-7, 1:56.

The first official word on Best, and it’s not much, he went to ER for observation. So that could mean stinger or concussion. Both good for him as opposed to other options.

OSU smells blood. LB Keaton Kristick just leveled QB Kevin Riley. His bell was rung. It was helmet to chin. Riley is walking off the field.

That’s the half. Here’s a pic of the OSU section. There’s a lot of orange out there.

The preliminary report on Best is that he has a concussion and movement in all his extremities.

Third quarter
The teams trade INTs, but Beavers get the best of it. Mitchell returns his pick 19 yards to Cal’s 15-yard line. OSU’s running game is struggling so it settles for a FG, a 24-yarder by Justin Kahut. OSU up 24-7, 10:29

Quizz had 38 yards in the first half. There was a long of 28 yards, and several negative runs.

Fourth quarter
Kahut misses a 50-yard FG wide left. He had plenty of leg. There’s 14:44 left in the game.

OK, games basically over. I have to chip off the ice that has formed on me in the outdoor press box. Check back in a little bit for the postgame blog.