It was thought that Kevin Riley had suffered both a season- and career-ending injury in Cal’s 35-7 loss Oregon State Saturday.
Unfortunately -- or fortunately if you are a Riley detractor and you know who you are -- the school confirmed as much late Monday night.
According to a press release issued by the school, Riley suffered a significant injury to his left knee in the loss to the Beavers and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2010 season. Although the release did not state the exact nature of the injury, previous reports said that Riley suffered a torn ligament/tendon in the knee.
Regardless of the specifics, Riley’s collegiate career is essentially over.
“It’s upsetting to see Kevin end his collegiate career like that,” said Cal head coach Jeff Tedford in a statement. “He has been a very strong competitor during his time at Cal and has dedicated himself to our program. He’s a great team player and has a lot of passion for Cal football. He’s provided a lot of great moments.”
With Riley’s season-ending injury, the reigns to the Bears’ offense will be handed over to Brock Mansion for the final four games of the season. The junior completed 14-of-24 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown after replacing Riley in by far the most extensive action of his Cal career.
And, for those who forget just how solid of a collegiate QB Riley was, here’s a reminder from the release announcing his final and official demise:Riley is among Cal’s all-time leaders in touchdown passes (50, No. 5), total offense (6,136, No. 6), passer efficiency (131.55, No. 7), passing yardage (6,182, No. 8), 300-yard passing games (2, No. 9-T) and 250-yard passing games (7, No. 10). He has completed 468-of-844 passes (55.5%), with the 50 TD passes and 21 interceptions. He has scored another five touchdowns on the ground.
Riley is 19-12 in 31 career starts at Cal, having won more games than any other active Pac-10 quarterback and equaling the 36 contests played in by Washington’s Jake Locker. Riley had a string of 11 straight games with a touchdown pass, spanning the final eight outings of his junior campaign and the first three of his senior season.
Riley started Cal’s first eight games in 2010 and has been one of the team’s game captains, completing 111-of-185 passes (60.0%) for 1,409 yards with 13 touchdown passes and six interceptions. He arguably had his strongest performance of the season in his last full game before the injury, completing 19-of-28 passes for 240 yards, with two touchdown tosses and no interceptions in a 50-17 home win Oct. 23 over Arizona State.