By Morris Phillips

The last time the Cal Bears approached the Big Game on a point this low they found the silver lining.

Can a wholely satisfying win over Stanford rescue this season like it did in 2019?

The Bears hope so.

A 38-10 loss at Oregon State on Saturday was the team’s sixth in a row dating back to September 24 when the Bears improved to 3-1 by blowing out Arizona. The five losses that followed were competitive at some point during the four quarters. That wasn’t the case against the Beavers on a cold, misty night in Corvallis.

Cal trailed at the half 21-7 after their offense hit a new low with just 53 yards of total offense before the break. The visitors fell in a deeper hole when Oregon State scored on their first two possessions in the third quarter to lead 31-7.

“We haven’t played up to the standard that we’ve set as a team,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “We haven’t coached well enough, we haven’t played well enough. It is totally unacceptable.”

Cal failed to score an offensive touchdown in the contest. They were limited to a 36-yard field goal by freshman Michael Luckhurst with 12:30 remaining in the game. Cal’s lone touchdown came with 2:33 remaining before halftime when cornerback Jeremiah Earby recovered Ben Gulbranson’s fumble and raced 33 yards for the score.

Gulbranson paced OSU with 15 of 23 passing for 137 yards and two touchdown passes. Cal’s Jack Plummer was limited to 60 yards passing in the first half, and finished with 147 yards through the air on 22 of 35 attempts.

Cal’s one offensive play of note was a 40-yard completion to J. Michael Sturdivant before halftime.

The losing streak ends any hopes the Bears (3-7, 1-6) will gain bowl eligibility. Instead the Bears will end the season with the 125th Big Game this Saturday followed by a Friday after Thanksgiving contest against UCLA. Both games will be at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley.

In 2019, Cal defeated Stanford 24-20 for the first time following nine, consecutive losses in the lengthy series between the two schools. The Bears were unlikely winners in that one after they dropped four of their previous five, but got a huge boost from the return of quarterback Chase Garbers for the 122nd Big Game.