Kevin Riley (born January 27, 1987) is a former American football quarterback for the California Golden Bears. He played for California from 2007 to 2010.
High school
Riley was born on January 27, 1987, to parents Faustin and Rhonda Riley in Portland, Oregon. He attended Beaverton High School, where he played football. Riley was considered the top player in Oregon as a senior by Rivals.com and SuperPrep magazine. He was named Portland metro area player of the year after passing for 2,580 yards with just six interceptions on 239 attempts. He was team MVP and vice president of his class as a junior and senior.
College career
2007
Riley made his first career start for the injured Nate Longshore in California's homecoming game against Oregon State. Riley passed for 294 yards, two touchdowns, and rushed for a touchdown but California lost the game when he scrambled instead of throwing the ball away to set up a field goal to tie the game. Riley did get credit for putting Cal in a situation to win after being down 31-21 late in the fourth quarter.
Riley took over for Longshore in the second quarter of the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl. He passed for 269 yard, 3 touchdowns, and rushed for a touchdown, helping the Bears turn a 21-0 deficit into a victory. Riley was the game's MVP.
2008
Riley competed with Longshore for the starting quarterback job, winning the position for the first four games. He led the Bears to wins over Michigan State at home, throwing for 202 yards and two touchdowns. He only played during the first half of the Bears' 66-3 rout of Washington State, which allowed the backup players to get some starting time. The win resulted in the Bears breaking into the Top 25 at #23, but they were upset in College Park, Maryland on September 13 by the unranked Maryland Terrapins. With the Bears' offense stifled by the Terrapins' defense for three quarters, Riley threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter for 423 yards on 58 attempts, a school record for the most pass attempts.
Two weeks later, he started against Colorado State at home on September 27, during which he threw for 59 yards and one touchdown pass. With Cal up 21-0, Nate Longshore stepped in at quarterback in the third quarter and threw for two touchdowns in the fourth. This resulted in the starting quarterback position being reopened by head coach Jeff Tedford for the following week against Arizona State on October 4. Longshore was picked as the starter and led the Bears to a 24-14 victory. On October 18, Riley stepped in at quarterback in the fourth quarter during an away game against the Arizona Wildcats. He was unable to lead a comeback, throwing for 97 yards and one interception, and the Bears fell to the Wildcats 42-27. Riley got the start the following week against the UCLA Bruins, his first since Colorado State nearly a month prior. He threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter, in the 41-20 victory.
Riley also got the start the following week against the Oregon Ducks. He sustained a concussion after being hit in the first quarter when he failed to slide while trying to gain a first down and did not return to the game. Longshore stepped in and led the Bears to a 26-16 upset over #23 Oregon. The following week against USC, Riley took over in the second half but was unable to lead the Bears to an upset of the #6 Trojans. Riley got the start the following week against Stanford for the 111th Big Game. He threw for 101 yards, including three touchdown passes, in the Bears' 37-16 victory over the Cardinal and reclaiming of the Stanford Axe. Riley's three start run ended when Longshore was picked over him to start the 2008 Emerald Bowl against the Miami Hurricanes, which the Bears won 24-17. Riley was expected to compete for the starting quarterback position in 2009 with redshirt freshman Brock Mansion.