Category: Cal Bears

By Morris Phillips

It didn’t appear in the fine print on the game tickets, but most everyone in Strawberry Canyon on Saturday knew: for attendance to a Washington State-Cal football game, a calculator isn’t required, but a strong math background is recommended.

And while the Victory Cannon didn’t run out of ammunition during Cal’s 34-28 win over WSU, a couple of numerical talking points stood out as the Bears fashioned a narrow escape and moved to 5-0 for the first time since 2007.

In last year’s scoring cornucopia in Pullman, a 60-59 win for the Bears in which the teams combined for 1,400 yards in offense and no turnovers, obscured by the headlines were the facts that Cal trailed by at least 10 points in each of the first three quarters, and then trailed on two occasions (by smaller margins) in the fourth.

On Saturday, WSU had the jump on Cal again, leading briefly by two touchdowns in the second quarter, and almost grabbing a 31-20 lead late in the third quarter that would have been problematic for Cal had WSU’s Erik Powell not missed a 40-yard field goal attempt.  How could youthful WSU, losers to Portland State in their season opener get the jump on highly-motivated No. 24 Cal, a three-touchdown favorite?

According to Coach Sonny Dykes and Cal quarterback Jared Goff, WSU’s early success was all in the preparation.

“I think them having two weeks to prepare might have had something to do with it,” Goff said.  “They had an extra chance to clean up the wrinkles and put in some new stuff we weren’t ready for.  The stuff they didn’t show on film, and hats off to them for that.”

“The way they played fast, you can tell they had some time to prepare for us,” Dykes explained.

So how did Cal respond? By pulling off a feat they’ve accomplished in all five of their games this season: scoring in the last two minutes of the first half, and then again within the first five minutes (plus) in the second half.  Trailing 21-7, Goff and the Bears showed some urgency, needing just five plays to draw within 21-13 on Kenny Lawler’s 9-yard, touchdown grab with 34 seconds remaining before halftime.

The Cougs had the ball first in the second half, and when they lined up to punt on fourth down at midfield, their fake punt went horribly wrong and almost cost punter Zach Charme his health.  Charme, a more than competent punter, but an awful broken-play runner, faked the punt, then took off running tentatively towards the line of scrimmage.  Cal starting cornerback Darius Allensworth swooped in and separated Charme’s forearm from the ball, leading with his helmet, a move so forceful that it propelled the football away from the descending scrum of players.

That’s when senior Stefan McClure became the luckiest man in the stadium, scooping up the ball on the run and racing 45 yards for a touchdown that brought Cal within 21-20.

Cal’s back-to-back scores didn’t deter WSU, as they responded with a 15-play drive culminating with Gabe Marks’ 4-yard touchdown catch.  Marks may have been the best player on the field Saturday, the WSU junior finished with 10 catches for 141 yards.

Cal answered back, needing just two minutes to craft a six-play drive that ended with Lawler’s second score, a one-handed catch with a WSU defender clutching his other arm, and the tippy-toe job along the sideline to boot that prompted a brief, video review.

But when Cal attempted a two-point conversion in part because of the math, and in part due to Dykes’ likely frustration with his place-kicking game, Goff was picked and Cal still trailed 28-26.

Dykes then reached into his bag of tricks with the unexpected, onside kick featuring his embattled kicker, Matt Anderson.  Anderson’s pooch went diagonally towards the Cal sideline, out of the reach of all except Darius Powe who leaped to snag the ball just before it went out-of-bounds.  Again, a video review was needed to determine if Powe gained control before rolling out of bounds.

Of course, all video reviews aren’t created equal.  This one required a camera with a birds-eye view of the Cal sideline at midfield, which the Pac-12 Network couldn’t provide.  Instead, review officials were treated to a shot from a camera positioned below the north end zone scoreboard that was far from “definitive.”

The call on the field was upheld, Cal regained possession, and WSU–so well-prepared earlier–was trumped.

“That’s kind of a hard kick to executed and you have to credit Matt,” Dykes said.  “He did a fantastic job kicking it, and Darius did a great job making the play.  We were looking for the right time to call it, and we just felt at that point we had a little bit of momentum.”

Four plays later Cal had its first lead of the day as Maurice Harris took a short pass, bounced off a tackler near the 20-yard line and raced in from there, untouched.

What happened next no doubt surprised everyone gathered inside Memorial Stadium.  WSU’s “Air Raid” and Cal’s “Bear Raid” grounded to halt.  Neither team managed to score another point, as both teams went scoreless in the final 17 minutes of the game.   Cal iced the victory by controlling the ball offensively for nearly 12 minutes in the fourth quarter.

To close it out, Cal put the final touches on a seven-sack performance that has them atop the FBS in that category.  Defensive end Kyle Kragen was credited for 2 ½ sacks on the day.  The Bears forced four turnovers in all, and they also lead all major college teams in that category with 17.

In the coming weeks, Cal’s lofty position will be challenged by trips to No. 10 Utah, No. 7 UCLA and a home game with No. 17 USC.  Utah’s up next with an ESPN national telecast scheduled for next Saturday night at 5:15pm from Salt Lake City.

By Morris Phillips

California football was almost too exciting for its own good on Saturday night.

After scoring 31 consecutive points and building a three-touchdown, fourth quarter lead, the Cal Bears survived a furious Texas rally that ended when Longhorns’ kicker Nick Rose missed a PAT that would have sent the game into overtime. Rose’s missed kick surprised nearly everyone in Austin; neither coach saw it, and the game statisticians failed to credit Cal’s Darius White with the block for tipping the ball in-flight.

“At first I thought it was like the Arizona game,” quarterback Jared Goff said of Texas’ rally that fell short in the Bears’ 45-44 victory.  “And then they were saying they missed it.  I still didn’t believe it.”

“We just assumed after they scored we were going to overtime,” Coach Sonny Dykes admitted.

As Goff referenced, Cal’s been here before–almost exactly one year ago.  Looking to go 3-0, the Bears wilted in the heat in Arizona, as the Wildcats came up with 36 points in the fourth quarter to overcome a Cal lead that was once 22 points with a hail-mary caught by Arizona’s Austin Hill on the game’s final play.

With the win, Cal’s trip to Texas was worth its price in gold.  The Bears capitalized on their opportunity to beat a national powerhouse on the road in front of a Saturday-night primetime national television audience, and did so with their Bear Raid offense in full bloom.  The Bears improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2011, and after another wild, wacky day in college football, could be on the cusp of a Top 25 appearance after a couple of years as an afterthought in the landscape of big-time college football.

Along with all the adulation, the Bears must address their defensive shortcomings that allowed the big Texas comeback, engineered by freshman quarterback Jerrod Heard in only his second collegiate start.  Ward and the Longhorns amassed 650 yards in offense, an effort that fell short only due to Rose’s missed kick and a critical interception of Heard right before halftime.

Goff broke Troy Taylor’s school record for career passing yardage set at 8,126 yards with a completion to tight end Stephen Anderson in the first quarter.  Goff also set school records for career completions and total offense with his 27 of 37 passing for 268 yards.  But when the Bears couldn’t increase their lead in the fourth quarter, the Longhorns nearly stepped through the door left open by Goff and the Cal offense.

“We needed to make some first downs is what we needed,” Dykes said.  “We needed one first down to seal the ball game, and we couldn’t get it.  We dropped a pass, which we talked about leading up to the game.  If we wanted to run the clock out on the game, we were going to stay aggressive.”

The Bears trailed 24-14 late in the second quarter as the Longhorns speed and athleticism were starting to take hold.  But Cal countered with Goff and their experienced, quick-strike offense to get things even at the half.  First Cal got Vic Enwere’s one-yard touchdown run to cap a four play drive that took just 40 seconds.  Then after Heard was picked near midfield by linebacker Jalen Jefferson, the Bears got a 34-yard Matt Anderson field goal to tie the game at 24 just four seconds before halftime.

Cal’s late rush before the half deflated the Texas crowd and the Longhorns.  That momentum extended into the third quarter as the Bears, largely behind the running of Khalfani Muhammad, scored three unanswered touchdowns.  Muhammad capped the third quarter scoring with a scintillating 74-yard run that put Cal up 45-24.

In the absence of starting running back Daniel Lasco, Muhammad rushed for a career-best 164 yards and Enwere added 74 yards and a pair of touchdowns, illustrating Cal’s increased depth on both sides of the ball.  Enwere, as well as Lasco, are Texas natives, and might not have been affected by the 90-degree heat at kickoff as their Cal teammates.

One guy that wasn’t adversely affected by the heat was Heard who didn’t let inexperience derail him from a monster performance in only his third collegiate game.  The Longhorns quarterback passed for 364 yards and rushed for 163 yards on 24 carries.  Heard’s 527 yards in total offense stand as the best total in Texas history surpassing all of the running and passing exploits of Heisman trophy winner Vince Young, who was on hand and settled a bet with the Cal coaching staff by donning a Bears’ t-shirt after the game.

“Just watching him, he’s exciting, and he has brought the excitement into the team,” Strong said of Heard.  “You watch our whole sideline now when our offense takes the field, our guys are all just locked in.  When we went back out there to go and tie the game, they just knew we were going to go out and go tie that game.”

The Bears were adversely affected by Muhammad’s fumble and a missed Anderson field goal in the first half that contributed to their brief, 10-point deficit.  But the Bears ability to run explosively and pass effectively put constant pressure on the Longhorns and their defense.  Cal’s third quarter surge—and their effective halftime adjustments—weren’t anything new.  The Bears have outscored their three opponents, 49-0, in the third quarter.

Next Saturday, the Bears travel to Seattle to face Washington, who got past Utah State 31-17 on Saturday.  This will be Cal’s first Pac-12 conference game, and they remain the only undefeated team in the Pac-12 North.

By Morris Phillips

Quite literally, if it weren’t for the familiar dark blue and gold uniforms, you wouldn’t recognize the 2015 California Golden Bears.

No longer are the Bears the quirky, disjointed football team from the two previous seasons. In fact, they’re as old school as old school gets these days: run the ball, don’t turn it over and play defense.

In beating San Diego State on Saturday, the Bears settled down after a rocky first quarter, hit the Aztecs with a heap of explosive offense in the second and third quarters, defended throughout, and coasted to a 35-7 win to go 2-0 on the season.

In the first three quarters of their first two games, the Bears have allowed seven points.  Those seven points are also the only seven San Diego State scored on Saturday.  Talk about a transformation: in losing six of their last seven, and seven of their final 10 games a year ago, the overly-generous Bears surrendered an average of 43 points a game.

The Aztecs played the role of the quirky team with unorthodox methods in this one, and SDSU’s smallish, unpredictable defensive front kept Cal on its collective heels early.  With blitzes and pressure coming from all directions, the Bears and quarterback Jared Goff went scoreless for the first 17 minutes of the game.  Then after a game-tying touchdown pass to Darius Powe, Goff was picked off on the following possession.  One week after the Bears laid 73 on Grambling State, the early struggles could have left Cal out of sorts.  Coach Sonny Dykes felt his team’s calmness was the major turning point of the afternoon.

“We knew it was going to be a challenge,” Dykes said.  “Our guys had to fight through it, especially early in the ballgame.  To their credit, they did.  And like I said, there was no sense of panic or any of that setting in, which was encouraging.”

Instead of having Goff air it out—and be subjected to the blitzes—the Bears instead, settled in with their running game and their physical advantage along the offensive line.  All of the distinctive statistical marks that Cal has come to be known for disappeared.  SDSU maintained an edge in plays, time of possession and head scratching penalties, while the Bears took control on the scoreboard.

Nearing halftime, the Bears had settled.  With the game tied 7-7, the Bears struck quickly after SDSU’s Christian Chapman was intercepted by Darius White.  Three plays later, Cal had its first lead courtesy of Goff’s three-yard touchdown pass to Maurice Harris just 11 seconds prior to halftime.

Cal followed that up with a 75-yard, Trevor Davis catch and run on the first play of the second half and Cal suddenly led 21-7.  On that play, Goff initially was shocked how open Davis was, but it didn’t take long for the quarterback to adjust, hitting his senior wide out in stride heading down the field.

“It seemed as if the safeties were rolling and not really looking at me running the post, and we saw that,” Davis recalled.  “It happened both times (we ran that play).”

Goff finished with 321 yards passing on 17 for 24 passing.  Not the usual mega numbers for the junior signal caller, but it leaves him just 15 yards shy of Troy Taylor’s school record for career passing yardage at 8,126 yards.  For a quarterback, that hasn’t won as much as he’s compiled stats, Goff said he’ll operate with little anticipation of the record with Texas up next on Cal’s schedule.

“I’m going to prepare and try to beat Texas, and let all that stuff happen like it does,” Goff said.

SDSU’s compact and powerful back, Donnel Pumphrey gave Cal issues early with his quickness, but finished with only 86 yards on 21 carries.  The Aztecs average per rush hoovered around three yards per carry during the first three quarters, right where Cal’s defense would prefer.  Meanwhile, Daniel Lasco ran effectively throughout for the Bears, finishing with 123 yards on 19 carries.  Lasco suffered a minor hip injury on his final carry, but is expected to be 100 percent for the Longhorns next Saturday in Austin.

Along with Chapman’s intercepted pass, the Aztecs hurt themselves with 12 penalties for negative 137 yards.  With the game decided, SDSU picked up personal foul penalties on consecutive plays in the fourth quarter.

“The personal fouls on both sides of the ball are the sign of an immature football team,” SDSU coach Rocky Long admitted.  “That’s my fault to get that many penalties on offense.”

The Bears have opened 2-0 for the first time under Coach Dykes, and will look to start 3-0 next week for the first time since 2010.