Tag: California Golden Bears
Familiarity all around when Cal visits North Texas
There still will be familiarity between two distinctly different programs when California hits the road to face North Texas at Denton, Texas, on Saturday.
Cal’s new run-game coordinator and offensive line coach Mike Bloesch was the offensive coordinator at North Texas under Seth Littrell, who was fired after last season and is now an offensive analyst with Oklahoma.
North Texas’ new head coach Eric Morris was the offensive coordinator at Washington State, which defeated Cal 28-9 last year at Pullman, Wash.
The low score in that game was indicative of Cal’s offensive execution last season.
Cal head coach Justin Wilcox fired former offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave on Nov. 13 after the Golden Bears lost six straight games and were ranked 99th in total offense. Later that week, Cal pulled off a 27-20 home victory over rival Stanford.
Wilcox hired former Texas State head coach Jake Spavital as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Spavital served in the same role at Cal in 2016 when the Golden Bears’ offense and quarterback Davis Webb set several school records while ranking fourth in the nation in passing offense and 10th in total offense.
As an offensive coordinator at Cal, Texas A&M and West Virginia, Spavital’s teams finished in the top 20 in the country in total offense six times.
“We know that the margins are extremely thin,” said Wilcox, who has endured three consecutive losing seasons. “Everything that we do, it all matters.”
Spavital has announced Sam Jackson V, a redshirt sophomore and TCU transfer, as the starting quarterback against North Texas.
Jackson, who has attempted only six passes in college, was selected over North Carolina State transfer Ben Finley and redshirt freshman Fernando Mendoza.
“Sam’s the starter and we want to get him out there and get him into a rhythm,” Wilcox said.
Morris, who coached Incarnate Word at San Antonio before leaving for Washington State before last season, has announced Stone Earle is the Mean Green’s starting quarterback.
Earle, a junior, rushed for 110 yards mostly out of the wildcat formation last year and added 45 yards on 5-for-8 passing with one touchdown.
“His intermediate stuff was really good,” Morris said about Earle’s performance in fall camp. “He was also able to push the ball down the field at times and create explosive plays. He has done a great job of not revamping his game but of fitting more into our offense by becoming a better and more accurate passer.”
–Field Level Media
Cal tabs TCU transfer Sam Jackson V as starting QB
TCU transfer Sam Jackson V was named as California’s starting quarterback, coach Justin Wilcox announced Thursday.
Jackson won the three-man competition with fellow quarterbacks Ben Finley and Fernando Mendoza for the Golden Bears, who open the season on the road against North Texas on Sept. 2 in Denton, Texas.
“We had an intense three-way quarterback competition during training camp,” Wilcox said. “All three did a great job, and I have a great deal of confidence in all of them.
“But Sam began to separate himself recently. He is a dynamic athlete who can succeed both in the passing game and by making defenses account for his outstanding running ability. When your quarterback does both of those things well, it can be challenging for the defense. I’m excited to see what he does with this opportunity.”
Jackson completed all five of his pass attempts for 63 yards last season while playing behind starter Max Duggan and backup Chandler Morris. He also rushed nine times for 64 yards and two touchdowns as the Horned Frogs reached the national championship game.
–Field Level Media
Colorado stops Cal in OT for first win of season
Colorado won its first game of the season, outlasting California 20-13 in overtime Saturday at Boulder, Colo., with interim head coach Mike Sanford Jr. leading the Buffaloes in his first game.
Sanford took over for the fired Karl Dorrell at the start of the Golden Bears’ bye week last week.
Colorado scored a touchdown to open overtime on J.T. Shrout’s 22-yard pass to Montana Lemonious-Craig that was reviewed by the replay officials. The catch was first ruled out of bounds but replays showed that Lemonious-Craig’s right foot was on the ground before he fell out of the end zone.
California was stopped on downs in its overtime possession.
On fourth down at the 11-yard line, Jack Plummer’s pass in the end zone intended for Keleki Latu was incomplete.
Colorado (1-5, 1-2 Pac-12) snapped a six-game losing streak dating to last season.
California (3-3, 1-2) is now 0-3 on the road.
Shrout completed 8 of 12 pass attempts for 69 yards in relief of starter Owen McCown, who was 13 of 21 for 104 yards with an interception.
Lemonious-Craig finished with eight catches for 119 yards.
Shrout led a 14-play, 69-yard drive that resulted in Cole Becker’s 24-yard field goal with 4:30 left in regulation that put the Buffaloes ahead 13-10.
California responded with Dario Longhetto’s 34-yard field goal as time expired in regulation after the Golden Bears went 59 yards in 12 plays.
The Buffaloes entered the weekend ranked No. 129 out of 131 FBS teams in total defense, allowing 508.8 yards per game. They were last in rushing defense giving up nearly 300 yards per game.
Colorado led 3-0 at halftime after limiting California to 103 total yards, 23 on the ground. The Buffaloes held the Golden Bears to 35 yards rushing and 297 overall in the game.
Plummer threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to J. Michael Sturdivant with 5:49 remaining in the third quarter to give California a 7-3 lead.
Colorado answered later, driving 58 yards in six plays, culminating with Anthony Hankerson’s 1-yard scoring run with 14:25 remaining.
The teams traded fumbles before the Golden Bears tied the game at 10 with 10:20 left on Longhetto’s 27-yard field goal.
–Field Level Media
Notre Dame survives Cal for first win of Marcus Freeman era
First-time starter Drew Pyne threw 6 yards to Michael Mayer for the tie-breaking score with 9:16 remaining Saturday afternoon and Notre Dame recorded the first win of the Marcus Freeman era with a 24-17 victory over California in South Bend, Ind.
Audric Estime ran for a 1-yard score in the third quarter and Blake Grupe kicked a 47-yard field goal in the opening seconds of the fourth as the Fighting Irish (1-2) rallied from 7-0, 10-7 and 17-14 deficits to win for the first time after losses to Ohio State and Marshall.
Purdue transfer Jack Plummer had a touchdown pass and a 1-yard TD plunge, the latter coming with 4:48 remaining in the third quarter and giving the Golden Bears (2-1) their final lead at 17-14.
But after struggling offensively in the first half, Notre Dame got its ground game going after the intermission, with Estime running up 76 yards on 18 carries and Chris Tyree 64 on 17 attempts.
Notre Dame outrushed Cal 147-112, with Plummer accounting for 34 of the visitors’ yards, mostly on scrambles.
Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish defense, which saw Cal outgain the hosts 184-118 in the first half, stepped up big-time after halftime, limiting the Golden Bears to just 112 more yards. Notre Dame finished with a 297-296 advantage in total yardage.
Cal did get one final opportunity to draw even, but Plummer’s desperation pass into the end zone from 35 yards away as time ran out was deflected, then went in and out of the hands of prone wideout Jeremiah Hunter, triggering a Notre Dame celebration.
Pyne, starting in place of injured Tyler Buchner, overcame a shaky start to go 17-for-23 for 150 yards and two TDs. Tyree was his favorite target with five catches, 44 yards and the one touchdown.
Plummer finished 16-for-37 for 184 yards and one touchdown. Hunter had five catches for 66 yards for the Golden Bears, who were facing Notre Dame for the first time since 1967.
Thanks mostly to its defense, Cal dominated the first half and could have led more than 10-7 if not for an untimely penalty.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Golden Bears scored on an 18-yard pass from Plummer to J. Michael Sturdivant and a 34-yard field goal by Dario Longhetto.
In between, Notre Dame’s Grupe missed a 45-yard field goal attempt, but Cal was called for lining up offside, resulting in a first down.
Two plays later, Pyne connected with Tyree for a 21-yard TD that drew the hosts even.
–Field Level Media
Cal uses 4th-down stops to hold off UNLV
Jack Plummer threw for 278 yards and California’s defense stopped visiting UNLV on three fourth-down conversion attempts in Golden Bear territory in the second half in a 20-14 victory Saturday in Berkeley, Calif.
Plummer, a transfer from Purdue, completed 28 of 39 pass attempts with one touchdown and one interception.
UNLV’s final failed attempt on fourth down occurred at the California 8 with 2:46 remaining. Doug Brumfield’s pass fell incomplete intended for Kyle Williams.
The Rebels (1-1) started their last possession at their own 44 with 1:06 left, but Brumfield was sacked twice and he threw an interception on a long desperation pass to end the game.
Brumfield finished with 206 yards passing with a touchdown and interception while completing 18 of 33 pass attempts.
California (2-0) took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter scoring two touchdowns, both by Jaydn Ott on a 2-yard run and 12-yard reception from a pass by Plummer.
UNLV was outgained 268-109 in total yards in the first half and the Rebels trailed 17-7 at halftime. California finished with 370 total yards while UNLV amassed 309.
After Brumfield’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Williams on the first play of the second quarter, California capped the scoring in the opening half on Dario Longhetto’s 21-yard field goal.
The Golden Bears increased their lead to 20-7 with 8:21 left in the third quarter on Longhetto’s 30-yard field goal.
UNLV answered on its next possession going 75 yards on four plays for a score. Brumfield completed a 33-yard pass to Williams and Aidan Robbins capped the drive with a 31-yard touchdown run with 7:04 left in the third quarter.
Robbins had 84 yards on 14 carries.
The Rebels were successful on an onside kick attempt following the touchdown, but failed to take advantage of the recovery turning the ball over on downs at the California 39.
UNLV’s next possession also stalled on fourth down at the Golden Bear 45.
California was in position for another field-goal attempt by Longhetto from 43 yards with 8:06 left but the attempt was wide right. Longhetto made a career-high seven consecutive field-goal attempts before that miss.
–Field Level Media
Cal striving for better start vs. improved UNLV
After Cal got off to a slow start last week against UC Davis, the Golden Bears sorted out their opening-game issues and rolled over their lower-division rival for a three-touchdown victory.
Now Cal faces a team that won just two games last season but showed last week it might be vastly improved.
UNLV can equal its win total from the previous two seasons combined Saturday when it visits Cal at Berkeley, Calif.
The Rebels, who went 2-10 last year after going 0-6 during a COVID-19-impacted season, jumped out to a 45-7 lead at the half against visiting Idaho State en route to a 55-21 win.
UNLV quarterback Doug Brumfield went 21 of 25 for 356 yards and threw four first-half touchdowns.
Ricky White had two first-half receiving touchdowns for the Rebels and by halftime had 182 receiving yards. White had touchdown receptions of 72 and 19 yards in the second quarter before he and Brumfield and several other starters were able to root on their teammates from the sideline in the second half.
UNLV finished with 554 total yards, including 405 through the air. The Rebels’ 45 first-half points were the second-most in school history, trailing only the 52 points scored against Idaho State in an 80-8 triumph in 2015.
“It was big for an offense to have that confidence and momentum,” Brumfield said. “In a lot of games last year, we weren’t able to do that. So to come out this year in our first game and execute is very big.”
Cal wasn’t nearly as dominant in its season opener. After being held to minus-1 yard in the first quarter while trailing 7-0, the Golden Bears scored the game’s next 24 points and cruised to victory.
“It was like, ‘Guys, it probably couldn’t have gone too much worse,’ ” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. “We got that out of us and then settled down and moved the ball down the field.”
Cal QB Jack Plummer went 23 for 35 for 268 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for the Bears and Jaydn Ott ran for 104 yards on 15 carries in becoming the first Cal freshman to rush for more than 100 yards in his first college game since 2008, when Shane Vereen ran for 101 yards against Michigan State.
In the first minute of the second half, Craig Woodson picked off a UC Davis pass and returned it interception 39 yards for a touchdown, turning a 17-7 edge into a 24-7 lead.
–Field Level Media
Arizona ends 20-game skid by beating COVID-depleted Cal
Michael Wiley’s 10-yard touchdown run with 2:17 remaining was the difference in Arizona ending its 20-game losing streak with a 10-3 Pac-12 win Saturday in Tucson, Ariz., over a California team depleted by COVID-19 protocol.
Arizona, which had the longest losing streak in the nation, won its sixth straight against California. The Wildcats (1-8, 1-5 Pac-12) won for the first time since Oct. 5, 2019 at Colorado.
The Bears (3-6, 2-4) were without 24 players, including quarterback Chase Garbers, and five coaches were entered into COVID-19 protocols earlier this week.
Garbers took every snap at quarterback through Cal’s first eight games. Transfer Ryan Glover, who played last spring at Western Carolina after three years at Penn, was the starter.
Glover completed 11 of 29 passes for 94 yards.
The teams traded field goals in the third quarter to open the scoring.
Tyler Loop’s 29-yard field goal with 5:46 left in the quarter was answered by Nick Lopez, who made his first career attempt, a 34-yarder with 2:09 remaining. Lopez replaced Dario Longhetto, one of the players affected by the COVID-19 restrictions.
In that drive, Cal achieved its first third-down conversion in the game after failing in its first eight attempts.
The Golden Bears finished with 122 yards of total offense while Arizona tallied 331.
Arizona quarterback Will Plummer suffered a shoulder injury in the first half, forcing him to leave the field twice to the locker room to be examined. He went to the locker room again in the third quarter with a bloody hand.
Plummer completed 16 of 28 passes for 129 yards with two interceptions. He also rushed for 68 yards on 11 carries.
Converted receiver Jamarye Joiner and fifth-string quarterback Luke Ashworth took snaps for Arizona, which has lost Jordan McCloud (knee and ankle injuries) and Gunner Cruz (thumb) for the season.
Arizona’s best scoring situation in the first half with 9:09 left in the first quarter when the Wildcats reached the Cal 7-yard line but Plummer’s pass on third-and-goal was tipped by Nate Rutchena and fellow linebacker Evan Tattersall intercepted the pass.
–Field Level Media
Arizona lugs 20-game skid into matchup with improving Cal
After convincing home wins against Colorado and Oregon State following a near-upset at Oregon, California will try to keep its momentum rolling against struggling Arizona on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz.
Cal (3-5, 2-3 Pac-12) is still playing for a winning season. Arizona (0-8, 0-5) is trying to snap a 20-game losing streak, the longest in the nation presently and a dubious school record.
Bears coach Justin Wilcox said, “We’re certainly improving. There are some guys that are developing and making some big plays in the game and kind of coming into their own a little bit.”
One of them is quarterback Chase Garbers, who in last week’s 39-25 win over Oregon State rushed for a touchdown on the opening drive. That set the school career record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 10.
Garbers also secured a career-high passer rating of 188.1, topping his previous personal best of 187. He completed 17 of 26 pass attempts for 262 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
He also avoided getting sacked while rushing for 58 yards on 10 carries.
The Golden Bears tallied a season-high 255 yards on 47 carries.
Arizona is second to last in the Pac-12 in rushing yards allowed per game (192.0). The Wildcats yielded 234 yards on the ground last week in a 41-34 loss at Southern California.
After a 34-0 loss at Colorado, the Wildcats have lost their last two games by a touchdown or less, falling 21-16 against Washington before the USC game.
“I made the reference last week about going from losing big to losing small to winning small to winning big,” Arizona coach Jedd Fisch said. “That was another great example of being there but not over the hump.
“I think we all saw that there was absolutely no flinch, no letdown, no anything, and we got to play four quarters of football.”
Will Plummer completed 20 of 34 pass attempts for 264 yards while rushing for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Backup Jamarye Joiner, a former quarterback turned receiver, took snaps against at QB the Trojans. His first appearance resulted in a 73-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.
Joiner is not expected to play against California because of a right knee sprain. That leaves Plummer as the only able quarterback after Jordan McCloud (right knee and ankle) and Gunner Cruz (broken thumb) previously sustained season-ending injuries.
–Field Level Media
Cal beats Oregon State behind Chase Garbers’ 4 TDs (3 pass, 1 rush)
Chase Garbers threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth Saturday afternoon, leading California to a 39-25 Pacific-12 Conference football victory over visiting Oregon State.
Damien Moore led all rushers with 111 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and fellow back Christopher Brooks complemented an 83-yard rushing effort with two TD catches for the Golden Bears (3-5, 2-3 Pac-12), who used a balanced attack with 255 yards rushing and 262 passes to win a second straight.
Trevon Bradford caught six passes for 124 yards and two scores, both from Chance Nolan, for the Beavers (5-3, 3-2), who hurt themselves with two interceptions and a fumble. They also had a punt blocked.
Cal led by two touchdowns on four occasions in the game, including 31-17 late in the third quarter after the contest’s most important sequence of plays.
Forced to punt when down 24-17, Oregon State’s Luke Loecher had his kick blocked by Cal backup tight end Nick Alftin. Garbers then found Trevon Clark for a 38-yard TD on the next play, increasing the Golden Bears’ lead to 31-17.
Nolan’s second TD pass to Bradford, this one from 46 yards, coupled with a two-point conversion run by Nolan, got Oregon State back within 31-25 with still 11:23 remaining in the game.
But Garbers then drove Cal 75 yards in 11 plays, icing the win with a 2-yard TD pass to Brooks with 5:36 to go.
Garbers finished 17-for-26 for 262 yards and the three scores. Clark was his top receiver with five catches for 90 yards.
Nolan went 15-for-26 for 243 yards with two touchdowns, but was intercepted twice.
Deshaun Fenwick was Oregon State’s top rusher with 48 yards and a 4-yard TD run on 10 carries. The run-dominant Beavers were outrushed 255-134.
Cal had no turnovers in the game and just one penalty for 15 yards. Oregon State’s three turnovers. included a B.J. Baylor fumble on the Beavers’ first offensive play of the game.
Garbers’ TD run came from 2 yards out and opened the scoring in the game’s third minute. Moore added an 8-yard TD run in the second quarter, helping Cal build a 17-10 halftime advantage.
–Field Level Media