He [Kevin Riley] played because he made good decisions and didn’t turn the ball over, and he had an escape mechanism so he could make plays with his feet," coach Jeff Tedford said in a one-on-one interview in his office, "but he had accuracy problems. His mechanics were off, but it’s really hard to work on that during the season because the player is uncomfortable changing anything."

Tedford played Nate Longshore in the Emerald Bowl — "Nate had had a sore shoulder which was healed, and he had a much better practice week" — but he hasn’t given up on Riley. Just as he did with Kyle Boller, Tedford has given tips for Riley to work on.

Now, it will be time for Riley to show what he’s learned, and he will have competition for the starting job from Brock Mansion and Beau Sweeney.