By Morris Phillips

Preparation, effort and playmaking put the Cal Bears on the precipice of the biggest upset in the Pac-12 Conference this season. But ultimately, the Bears were let down Saturday night by late-game execution in a frustrating 19-13 loss at No. 8 Washington State.

Aesop Winston Jr. caught a 10-yard touchdown pass with 32 seconds remaining to break a 13-13 stalemate, and the Cougars escaped with their Pac-12 title and national championship aspirations intact.

The improving Bears remain one game short of bowl eligibility, and the Cougars stay on track for possibly the biggest season in their program’s history, but it almost didn’t turn out that way.

“I think it’d be a war, and it was,” coach Mike Leach said. “It came down clear to the end and I was proud of our guys for sticking in there and finding a way to win when it’s tough.”

“We knew we could have won that game,” Cal’s Brandon McIlwain said. “Today it just didn’t go that way. Out team fights. We compete and we put ourselves in the position to win.”

The biggest component to Cal’s upset bid was their approach to limiting WSU quarterback Gardner Minshew, who had thrown for at least 319 yards in every game this season. While Cal gave up 334 yards passing to Minshew, they dictated how and when the graduate transfer got those yards with an intricate gameplan.

The Bears’ defensive line eschewed a powerful pass rush on Minshew in order to put themselves in position to limit big plays and tackle pass catchers in front of them. The byproduct of the unusual approach was numerous pass deflections at the line of scrimmage, and Evan Weaver’s interception that set up Cal’s first and only touchdown in the second quarter.

That strategic wrinkle alone put the WSU crowd on edge, mindful of Cal’s upset of the Cougars in Berkeley last November. The Bears supplemented the approach with a time-consuming pace on offense that moved the chains and kept Minshew and the Washington State offense on the sidelines.

The Bears finished the game with 69 offensive snaps, while the Cougars were limited to a season-low 66 along with an average of only 6.5 yards per pass attempt. But Cal needed to fortify their approach with a couple of timely big plays on both sides of the ball, and that never transpired.

Instead, with the Bears in position to take a fourth quarter lead, McIlwain threw an interception at the goal line, and prior to that Garbers was picked off as well. Garbers avoided disaster by stripping WSU defensive back Willie Taylor III on his interception return near the goal line. When the stripped ball miraculously bounded past several defenders and out of the back of the endzone, Cal retained possession.

That led to Greg Thomas’ 42-yard field goal to bring Cal even at 10 just 36 seconds before halftime.

Winston’s game-winner came after both teams squandered opportunities to break a 13-13 tie in the fourth quarter. The former San Mateo Serra and CCSF star was one of 11 receivers to catch at least one ball for WSU in the game, and the final drive proof that the Cougars depth wore on the Cal secondary. The drive covered 69 yards in six plays, following a Cal three-and-out.

Minshew completed passes to three, different receivers on the drive.

WSU improved to 8-1, 5-1 in conference, Cal fell to 5-4, 2-4. The Cougars remain on track to represent the Pac-12 North in the conference championship game, and if they win out, could gain a berth in the National Championship bracket.

Cal needs a win against USC, Colorado or Stanford to gain bowl eligibility with six wins.