Tag: Michael Luckhurst

Cal takes down North Texas 58-21 in Denton, TX

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Photo credit: @CalFootball

By: Mary Anne

The California Golden Bears started the 2023 NCAA football season against the North Texas Mean Green. Cal defeated North Texas 58-21 at DATCU Stadium and did the Texas two-step. Cal improved to 1-0, while North Texas fell to 0-1.

The Golden Bears were ready to roll in their week one uniforms and got on the board first. Jeremiah Hunter caught a 23-yard pass from Sam Jackson V for the game’s first touchdown. Michael Luckhurtst kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead at 12:53.

The Mean Green tied the game a little under two minutes later. Ja’Mori Maclin caught a 3-yard pass from Stone Earle for the game-tying touchdown. Noah Rauschenberg kicked the extra point for a 7-7 tie at 11:04.

The Golden Bears responded late in the first quarter. Jaydn Ott rushed for a 4-yard touchdown. Michael Luckhurst kicked the extra point for a 14-7 lead with 1:04 left in the first.

The Golden Bears led 14-7 after the first quarter.

The Mean Green opened the second quarter with a scoring play. Ja’Mori Maclin caught a 59-yard pass from Stone Earle for the game-tying touchdown. Noah Rauschenberg kicked the extra point for a 14-14 tie at 14:33.

The Golden Bears regained the lead with back-to-back touchdowns. Isaiah Ifanse rushed for a 26-yard touchdown. Michael Luckhurst kicked the extra point to make it 21-14 with 7:30 left in the second quarter. Jaydn Ott rushed for a 66-yard touchdown. Luckhurst’s extra point kick failed, so the Golden Bears settled for a 27-14 lead with 5:42 left in the second.

The Mean Green made it a six-point game with under two minutes left in the second quarter. Xzavior Kautai caught a 12-yard pass from Stone Earle. Noah Rauschenberg kicked the extra point and cut the Golden Bears’ lead to 27-21 with 1:47 left in the second.

The Golden Bears had the last word of the second quarter. Isaiah Ifanse rushed for an 8-yard touchdown. Jaydn Ott tried the 2-point conversion, but it was no good, and Cal settled for a 33-21 lead with seven seconds left in the second.

The Golden Bears brought a 33-21 lead to the locker room at the half.

The Golden Bears continued to dominate offensively in the third quarter. Isaiah Ifanse rushed for a 1-yard touchdown. Jack Endries tried the 2-point conversion, which was good, and Cal took a 41-21 lead at 11:24. Taj Davis caught a 4-yard pass from Ben Finley for the touchdown. Michael Luckhurst kicked the extra point for a 48-21 lead with 8:02 left in the third.

The Golden Bears had a commanding 48-21 lead after three quarters.

The Golden Bears continued their offensive dominance in the fourth quarter. Ashton Stredick rushed for a 5-yard touchdown. Michael Luckhurst kicked the extra point for a 55-21 lead at 11:42. Luckhurst kicked a 52-yard field goal to make it 58-21 with 6:27 left in the fourth.

Notes
Cal will join the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in August 2024.

Cal had a good visit with Dallas Cowboys punter Bryan Anger on Friday. Anger will start his 12 NFL season next week. He played college football for Cal and was drafted 70th overall in the third round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Up Next
Cal will return home to Memorial Stadium to host the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, September 9 at 7:30 p.m. Pacific.

Cal limited to 156 yards in offense in dismal 38-10 loss at Oregon State

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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.