BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) -- California's fate was in Keith Allen's hands, and the Oregon receiver dropped the ball. Geoff McArthur caught eight passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns, and fourth-ranked Cal's defense stopped Oregon near midfield with 1:39 left when Allen couldn't hold the final pass in the Golden Bears' 28-27 victory Saturday that solidified their Bowl Championship Series hopes.<br>
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Aaron Rodgers passed for 275 yards and three TDs, and J.J. Arrington ran for 188 yards and a score for the Bears (7-1, 5-1 Pac-10), who barely kept alive their big postseason dreams with a strong second half after falling behind 27-14 in the second quarter.<br>
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Kellen Clemens threw four touchdown passes in the first half for the Ducks (5-4, 4-2), who seemed headed for an upset after a dominant first half.<br>
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But two key mistakes made the difference: Jared Siegel missed an extra point in the first quarter, and Oregon's final drive ended when Allen dropped an easy fourth-down pass that would have put the Ducks well within field goal range. <br>
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Cal snapped a seven-game losing streak against Oregon with coach Jeff Tedford's first victory over the school where he served as Mike Bellotti's offensive coordinator for four years.<br>
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The Bears' first adversity in a month brought out a gritty second-half performance. Facing a 27-21 halftime deficit, Cal made four sustained drives - but thanks to Tom Schneider's two missed field goals and a fumble by freshman Robert Jordan, the Bears got just seven points.<br>
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Cal went ahead on McArthur's 19-yard TD catch with 13:25 to play. After Schneider missed a 40-yard field goal with 4:20 left, Clemens drove Oregon 36 yards to the Cal 41 - but he threw four straight incompletions, with the final pass bouncing off Allen's hands and helmet near the 20.<br>
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Allen stayed flat on his face for several moments while the Bears celebrated, but Clemens raced over to console his teammate. <br>
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Tight end Tim Day caught two of Clemens' four TD passes, and Terrence Whitehead ran for 91 yards as the Ducks' four-game winning streak ended.<br>
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Cal's defense posted consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1968 in its last two games, but Clemens and his teammates embarrassed the Bears' defenders with 302 yards in a commanding first-half performance.<br>
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The Ducks scored 20 points in 2:24 midway through the first quarter, twice getting good field position from Cal special teams mistakes.<br>
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Oregon went ahead 27-14 late in the first half on a 73-yard drive capped by Marcus Maxwell's 7-yard TD catch, but Rodgers and McArthur connected twice on a 75-yard drive in 85 seconds shortly before halftime.
