A silence encompassed Memorial Stadium during the second quarter on Saturday when Jahvid Best's leap towards the end zone ended in a hard fall for the tailback of the Cal football team.

Best's teammates congregated in support as he was carted off the field on a stretcher, a moment they hoped would give them an emotional boost after their initial shock at the sight of the injury.

But with arguably their most potent offensive weapon out for the rest of the game, the Bears went quietly, too, succumbing to Oregon State, 31-14.

They couldn't end an ongoing streak of road success for the Beavers, as Cal has not defeated them at home since 1997.

They also couldn't build on their three-game winning streak, halting an important turnaround for a team that was blown out by Oregon and USC in their first two games of conference play.

Taking it all in was tough for coach Jeff Tedford, who said after the game that Best suffered a concussion.

"The most important thing when something like this happens is the health of one of your players," coach Jeff Tedford said. "It puts football in the right perspective. But we are also disappointed to lose the football game the way that we did."

Best's seven-yard touchdown run with 6:07 remaining in the opening half gave the Bears (6-3, 3-3 in the Pac-10) their first points of the game, cutting into Oregon State's 14-0 lead. His score capped an 81-yard drive on which Cal strung together a season-high 15 plays, but his team didn't score again until the end of the fourth quarter.

"I definitely thought we'd do a lot better on offense," said quarterback Kevin Riley, who went 19-for-34 with one touchdown and one interception.

Best, who was bumped higher into the air by OSU safety Cameron Collins as he jumped towards the goal line, left the game with 29 yards on nine carries.

On the other side of the ball, the Bears -- who have had trouble containing speedy running backs -- were able to keep Jacquizz Rodgers in check, holding the shifty tailback to just 67 rushing yards. The Cal defense hasn't allowed 100 yards on the ground to any of its last three opponents.

Its performance against the passing game, though, was far less impressive.

Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield entered the game as the most prolific passer in the conference, and his numbers only improved against the Bears. The senior succeeded on 29 of his 39 passing attempts, the most completions allowed by Cal all season. He threw for 342 yards against the Bears, who have given up over 300 yards through the air in three of their last four games.

"(Canfield) took a lot of shots deep on us -- more than I thought he would," defensive back Syd'Quan Thompson said. "He ... made a lot of good reads."

His most productive target was sophomore Joe Halahuni, who put the Beavers (6-3, 4-2) in the red zone on their first scoring drive with a 48-yard reception. He finished with 128 yards on six catches.

Cal wideout Verran Tucker reeled in a career-high six passes for 74 yards and a touchdown, but he said the injury to Best may have affected his team's ability to bounce back from the early deficit.

"It was kind of hard getting everything going again," he said. "We wanted to use that as motivation in the second half, but unfortunately things didn't go as well in the second half for us."

Tags: JAHVID BEST, JEFF TEDFORD, CAL, CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS, OREGON STATE, CAL FOOTBALL