By Morris Phillips

Quite frankly, Cal’s opening drive of 2014 may have been better than their entire, 1-11, 2013 season put together. That’s how good the 18-play drive was and, conversely, how bad the Bears were in their first season under head coach Sonny Dykes.

But the best part? Things got even better after the opening drive in Cal’s surprising 31-24 win over Northwestern. The Bears scored touchdowns on their first two possessions, built a 24-7 halftime lead, and held off a second-half rally by the Wildcats to beat a Division I opponent for the first time under Dykes.

“The big thing for me is just establishing what this team is,” Dykes said. “New Year. Everything is brand new and we’ll see where we are to start the year and make our journey.”

Cal’s two-pronged quarterback attack led the way as sophomore Jared Goff threw for 281 yards and three scores while freshman Luke Rubenzer spelled Goff and ran for a team-best 48 yards on 11 carries. Rubenzer made his name in pre-season practices with his arm and feet but was used in the opener as a change-up guy who wasn’t afraid to stick his helmet into the teeth of the defense.

Eight of Rubenzer’s 11 carries came on Cal’s first two drives as the freshman spelled Goff and kept the Wildcats’ defense on its heels. The 18-play opening drive culminated in a 1-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Treggs and was followed by an 11-play drive that ended when Kenny Lawler Jr. caught Goff’s 7-yard touchdown pass.

In between the two opening drives, the Bears’ defense stopped Northwestern at the Cal 22-yard line on fourth down and 1. Suddenly—and after being uncompetitive in games for long stretches in 2013—the Bears found themselves with a 14-0, first quarter lead.

When Northwestern finally struck back with a 54-yard touchdown pass and catch from Trevor Siemian to Cameron Dickerson late in the second quarter, the Bears opened their next drive with a 76-yard bomb from Goff to Trevor Davis that allowed Cal to take 24-7 lead to the locker room at halftime.

Davis not only caught his first touchdown as a Bear, he also led the team with 3 catches for 93 yards.

Cal saw Northwestern rally after halftime, slicing the Bears’ lead to 31-24 in the fourth quarter, but with the Wildcats driving for a potential, tying score in the final moments, Cal linebacker Jalen Jefferson came up with the critical interception with 1:38 remaining that preserved the win.  

Jefferson was a one-man wrecking crew, finishing with a career-best 16 tackles along with a sack and his second-career interception, both coming in the fourth quarter.

Afterwards, the Bears were relieved to have ended their streak of losses against Division I opponents. But the disasterous 2013 season left the young team with only one direction—up—to pursue.

“All the work we put in all season, everything we did from last winter, all the way to spring ball, all the way to summer conditioning and all the way to camp has really kind of just come together,” Goff said. “That doesn’t mean we’re done or we’re finished or anything, but it just feels great to especially give the seniors, the guys who have been working for five years to get a big win like this.”

The Bears open their home schedule on Saturday at noon when they get a visit from the Sacramento State Hornets.