Fifthteenth-ranked MSU suffered its first defeat of the season, a 46-22 loss to California at Spartan Stadium.
The Golden Bears capitalized on five Spartan turnovers and sloppy play by MSU s special teams.
The Spartan offense struggled all day, but the defense looked strong early. After shutting down Cal s attack on its first two possessions, the Golden Bears scored first on a 90-yard punt return by Jemeel Powell.
After a 25-yard kickoff return by freshman tailback Jaren Hayes, the Spartans took the field at their own 37-yardline.
MSU looked strong, marking down to Cal s 1-yardline before senior tailback Dawan Moss fumbled the ball and the Golden Bears recovered.
The Spartans would again find themselves inside Cal s 5-yardline.
But junior quarterback Jeff Smoker took a sack for a loss of 14
yards, then threw an interception at the 2-yardline.
Both defenses continued to play strong. But Cal s defense proved stronger, forcing a safety for a 9-0 advantage.
Three Cal field goals and a touchdown pass from Golden Bear wide receiver LaShaun Ward to quarterback Kyle Boller later and Cal held a 25-0 halftime lead.
The Spartans answered in the second half with 14 straight points.
But on MSU s next possession a tipped ball resulted in Smoker second interception of the game.
Cal responded with a six-play drive that resulted in a touchdown, giving the Golden Bears a commanding 39-14 lead.
Ward s 54-yard touchdown catch in the fourth made the score 46-14, and senior wide receiver BJ Lovett added a meaningless touchdown and two-point conversion with 2:50 to play to end the scoring.
MSU will look to regroup in time for next Saturday s game against No. 20 Notre Dame.