By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY–Justin Wilcox wasn’t in the mood to explain all the complexities, but the synopsis was his Bears put forth an effort that was too uneven.

Too many poorly executed offensive plays, three, decisive Oregon State drives that saw the Cal defense compromised, and once the Bears fought all the way back–taking a 17-14 lead with 32 seconds remaining in the third quarter–nothing. Two three-and-outs, then after Oregon State regained the lead, and Cal starting quarterback Devon Modster was injured, freshman Spencer Brasch was forced into a near impossible spot for his first snaps at the Division I level.

“It’s a tough position to be in,” Wilcox explained. “First time he’s taken a snap.”

With 4:35 remaining, and Cal approaching midfield, trailing 21-17, Brasch, with one completion under his belt, couldn’t get another. OSU’s Jaydon Grant picked off Brasch effectively ending the Bears’ afternoon. Ironically in a game where the Beavers committed 13 penalties (and the Bears only two), Brasch’s intercepted pass would rank as the one quantifiable mistake for Cal. It would be costly.

Just as costly, the Bears were tardy to the party. Oregon State seized momentum and built a 14-0 with Isaiah Hodgins scoring on a 4-yard pass play with 4:33 remaining before halftime. OSU operated smartly to that point, mixing up runs and passes that kept Cal off balance.

At the same juncture, Cal’s run game was stalled on its way to a paltry 107 yards rushing on 43 carries. Modster again struggled, completing 12 of 27 passes for 151 yards. The  crowd and social media platforms reacted to offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin’s ambitious, but ineffective play calling.

That combination left the Bears trailing 14-3 at halftime, only after Greg Thomas’ 44-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining capped a 13-play drive that could have yielded more.

Cal’s offensive line again operated without starting center Michael Saffell and OSU pounced in his absence, producing season bests in sacks (9) and tackles for a loss (14).

“Some of that is protection,” Wilcox said of the sacks. “Some of that is getting rid of the football at the quarterback position. We have a lot of work to do there.”

Linebacker Evan Weaver, the nation’s leading tackler, came up with 21 tackles in the game, but Wilcox noted there were plays that Weaver failed to make. A 3rd-and-10 play for the Beavers during their game-winning drive turned into a 20-yard run for Artavis Pierce was especially vivid for Wilcox.

“We were in Bear defense, every gap is covered, I know exactly which one you’re talking about,” Wilcox said. “We had a chance to make the tackle and didn’t make it.”

“We had a couple of those. There was a second-and-five right before that where we had the guy in the backfield for minus three or four, so it was going to be 3rd-and-8, and we missed that tackle.”

The Bears lost a third straight after their 4-0 start gave them a Top 25 ranking. Up next are the Pac-12 South-leading Utah Utes, who have won their last two games, while allowing just 10 points. On Saturday, the No. 13 Utes knocked out Arizona State, 21-3.