Tag: California Golden Bears

Oct 2, 2021; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver Jalen McMillan (left) is tackled by Oregon State Beavers inside linebacker Avery Roberts (34) during the second half at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Tied atop Pac-12 North, Oregon State gears up for Cal

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Oregon State hopes to continue its surprising run toward a potential Pacific-12 Conference football championship when the Beavers oppose Cal on Saturday afternoon in Berkeley, Calif.

Winners of five of six since an opening loss at Purdue, Oregon State (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12) got the conference’s attention last Saturday with its second shocker in the past four weeks, stunning Utah 42-34.

The Beavers won 45-27 at Southern California on Sept. 25.

Oregon State enters play this week tied with No. 7 Oregon atop the Pac-12 North. The rivals are scheduled to meet Nov. 27, but the Beavers must deal with Cal (2-5, 1-3), Colorado, Stanford and Arizona State in between.

Oregon State is catching Cal as it rides the momentum of its most impressive effort of the season, a 26-3 home shellacking of Colorado. The Golden Bears had fallen inches short a week earlier in a 24-17 loss at then-No. 9 Oregon.

The game matches Cal quarterback Chase Garbers against Oregon State defensive standout Avery Roberts.

Garbers completed 22 of 29 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Colorado. The senior did serious damage on the ground as well, rushing 10 times for 96 yards.

Along the way, Garber broke Joe Kapp’s Cal career rushing record for quarterbacks.

“All of the credit goes to the other 10 guys on offense,” Garbers said. “They’re the reason why I can run, why I can throw, the reason why I’m successful at this school and in this offense.”

When Garbers runs Saturday, he’d be wise to run away from Roberts, who had 16 tackles in the Beavers’ win over Utah, an effort for which he earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.

The junior linebacker ranks third in the nation with 11.1 tackles per game.

Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith credits the guys in front of Roberts.

“The (defensive) line of scrimmage has been better this year,” Smith said, “and that’s allowed the linebackers like Avery Roberts to have the production he is. We’re doing some things at the line of scrimmage keeping him free.”

Oregon State has beaten Cal in the past two meetings, including 21-17 in 2019 when the schools last tangled in Berkeley.

–Field Level Media

Sep 25, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Chase Garbers (7) runs with the ball as Washington Huskies defensive back Alex Cook (5) and defensive back Mishael Powell (23) move in to make a tackle during the second half of a game at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. The Huskies won 31-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

Cal, Washington State eye rebound from tough losses

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Two teams that watched potential Pac-12 Conference victories slip through their grasp last weekend hope to finish stronger this time when Washington State visits California on Saturday afternoon in Berkeley, Calif.

The home team has won the past five meetings in the 102-year-old rivalry, with Cal prevailing 33-20 two years ago behind three touchdown passes from Devon Modster, who was subbing for the injured Chase Garbers.

Garbers already has surpassed 1,000 passing yards in four games this season, including a season-high 319 last week in a 31-24 overtime loss at Washington.

Down seven in the extra session, Cal (1-3, 0-1 Pac-12) drove to the Washington 2 before Damien Moore fumbled at the goal line, preventing the Golden Bears from potentially either tying the score with a PAT or going for the road win with a two-pointer.

“In football you’ve got to have a short memory,” Garbers said afterward. “Obviously, losing (stinks). We’ve got to learn from it and move on.”

At least the Golden Bears came out of the game relatively healthy. The same could not be said of Washington State (1-3, 0-2), which held a 13-10 lead into the final five minutes at Utah before giving up two late scores in a 24-13 defeat.

Along the way, the Cougars saw standout running back Max Borghi sprain his left wrist, and three safeties left the game, so the visitors had only two remaining healthy safeties on the roster, according to coach Nick Rolovich.

Borghi rushed for 42 yards on six carries, with a long of 18 yards, before his injury on the first snap of the second quarter. Backups Deon McIntosh and Nakia Watson combined for 60 yards on 14 tries over the final three quarters.

“Those would be the two guys,” Rolovich said of this week’s possible replacements for Borghi, who has not been ruled out. X-rays taken over the weekend were negative. “They’re both very good in pass protection, both ready to play. It’s good to have two guys ready to go.”

Borghi was the team’s leading rusher, albeit with just 19 yards, and caught eight passes for 36 yards in the loss at Cal in 2019.

He has rushed for 259 yards and two touchdowns in Washington State’s first four games. The squad has just two other rushing TDs, one coming from quarterback Jayden de Laura, who missed the Utah game with a knee injury.

He, like Borghi, remains questionable to return this week.

–Field Level Media

Dec 5, 2020; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Chase Garbers (7) throws the ball against the Oregon Ducks during the third quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Cal aims for rebound performance vs. formidable TCU

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Two teams that have yet to put together a full 60-minute performance hook up Saturday afternoon when California visits TCU in a non-conference football game at Fort Worth, Texas.

The Golden Bears (0-1) began their campaign with a brilliant first quarter, but then saw their offense mostly disappear in a disappointing 22-17 home loss to Nevada last Saturday night.

The Pacific-12 squad will be up against a much more formidable opponent when they duel the Horned Frogs (1-0), whose 45-3 home demolition of Duquesne had to be shortened by six minutes due to the visitors’ uncompetitive effort.

The schools have met just once in football, with TCU claiming a 10-7 overtime victory in the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl in Phoenix.

Chase Garbers was a freshman starter at quarterback that day for Cal, and now he’s a senior with 25 games of experience. He rushed for Cal’s only touchdown in the bowl game.

The Golden Bears looked like a running-game juggernaut against Nevada, marching 63 yards on 15 plays on their first possession, followed by 72 yards on nine plays the second time they had the ball.

After one quarter, Cal led 14-0, having already accumulated 76 rushing yards and a 13:21-1:39 dominance in time of possession.

But Cal didn’t score again until a Dario Longhetto field goal in the third minute of the fourth quarter, and finished the game with just 153 rushing yards. Garbers wound up with more passing attempts (38) than the Golden Bears had runs (27).

“There wasn’t any drastic changes. We really struggled to stay in rhythm after that (first quarter),” Cal coach Justin Wilcox noted. “We didn’t go into the game saying, ‘Hey, in the second and third quarters, we’re not going to run it.’”

Neither did TCU in its win over Duquesne.

Like Cal, the Horned Frogs of the Big 12 Conference scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the season. Unlike Cal, they added three more before halftime once they had the opponent down.

“It was good for us to get started fast and stay on them,” assured junior quarterback Max Duggan, who threw for one score and ran for another. “We didn’t want to play sloppy and make errors. It was a good half, and I was happy with it.”

Ten different Horned Frogs got an opportunity to run the ball, with none gaining more than 54 yards. Four different guys rushed for scores.

Aside from Garbers, several combatants Saturday should be at least vaguely familiar with one another.

Running back Christopher Brooks, then known as Christopher Brown Jr., was Cal’s leading rusher in the Cheeze-It Bowl meeting, while Nikko Remigio, who scored the Golden Bears’ second touchdown against Nevada, was the game’s leading pass-catcher.

Three years later, TCU returns running back Emari Demercado, who rushed for a touchdown against Duquesne, and wideouts Taye Barber and Derius Davis, who combined for 91 yards of receptions in the opener.

–Field Level Media

Dec 5, 2020; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears linebacker Kuony Deng (8) gestures after defeating the Oregon Ducks at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Cal, Washington State still hoping for bowl bid

Posted on | by Field Level Media

California and Washington State, both in need of a win to boost their bowl chances, duel in what amounts to an elimination game Saturday night in Pullman, Wash.

The contest is, for now, scheduled as the Pac-12 regular-season finale for each squad.

The home team has won the last five in a row in the rivalry, with Cal getting rushing and receiving touchdowns from running back Christopher Brown Jr. last year in a 33-20 home win.

The Bears (1-3, 1-3 Pac-12) were staring at a winless 2020 season a week ago before surprising then No. 23 Oregon 21-17 in Berkeley, Calif. Now Cal is a win over the Cougars (1-2, 1-2), coupled with a victory next week if/when the Pac-12 adds a game to its schedule as expected, from a 3-3 campaign and a puncher’s chance at a third straight trip to the postseason.

Washington State is in a similar position, although it enters the contest on a two-game losing streak. Still, a win Saturday and another next week could still produce a 3-2 record that might warrant bowl-scout attention.

All teams are bowl-eligible this year regardless of record due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cal got a big game from Nikko Remigio in its victory over Oregon. The wideout had six catches for 81 yards and what turned out to be the difference-making touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“He’s a true playmaker,” quarterback Chase Garbers said of Remigio, who had two long kick returns nullified by penalties in Cal’s earlier loss to Oregon State. “We put the ball in his hands and he’s going to do something.”

Washington State dominated the passing numbers in last year’s game, with Brandon Arconado and Easop Winston Jr. combining for 21 receptions for 243 yards and a touchdown.

But both have since graduated, turning the Cougars into more of a running team this season. That could be even more the case against Cal if standout back Max Borghi is finally able to return from a back injury sustained before the opener.

Washington State freshman quarterback Jayden de Laura was pulled after three quarters last week in the Cougars’ 38-13 loss at Southern California.

Wideout Travell Harris expects a bounce-back performance this week from de Laura.

“He dealt with the adversity good,” Harris said. “It’s not just about Jayden or me or coach (Nick Rolovich). We all have to come together. Jayden had excellent energy. He did a good job.”

The game matches a Cal team that’s winless on the road in conference play (0-2) against a Cougars squad that has played just once at home, a 43-29 defeat to Oregon.

–Field Level Media

Nov 21, 2020; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Tyler Shough (12) throws a pass during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks won 38-35. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Chasing Pac-12 title, No. 23 Oregon visits winless Cal

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Two teams coming off crushing defeats will attempt to vent some frustration upon one another when 23rd-ranked Oregon heads south to Berkeley, Calif., to take on winless California in a Pac-12 Conference matchup on Saturday.

Both teams are coming off losses to their rival, but each stung for a different reason.

The Ducks (3-1, 3-1 Pac-12) had been in the running for a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff before Oregon State’s Chance Nolan snuck into the end zone on fourth down with 33 seconds remaining for the difference-making score in the Beavers’ shocking 41-38 victory on Nov. 27.

Almost surely now out of the chase for college football’s final four, Oregon remains in the thick of the hunt for the Pac-12 title. A win over Cal (0-3, 0-3) would set up a showdown next week with 22nd-ranked Washington for the Pac-12 North title and a spot in the conference championship game.

With his team having allowed 29, 35 and 41 points in its past three games, Oregon coach Mario Cristobal acknowledged this week that his defense is a work in progress.

“I get it. We haven’t been to the level that we expected of ourselves,” he said. “There’s no sugar-coating that, but there’s also no finger-pointing. We lose as a team. We could have been better across the board, a lot of different areas. We’re committed to making sure that we do get better.”

Oregon has won three straight and 10 of its last 11 against California, a run interrupted only by a 52-49 loss in Berkeley in 2016. The Ducks have recorded an average winning margin of 16.3 points in the three head-to-heads since.

Oregon prevailed 17-7 last season in the lowest scoring game in the series since 1982. Cal was without its starting quarterback, Chase Garbers, in a game that was 10-7 before Justin Herbert threw a touchdown pass midway through the fourth period.

Herbert has since handed the ball to Tyler Shough while Garbers has returned to lead the Golden Bears.

Shough has outperformed Garbers this season, having thrown for 1,158 yards in four games, with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. Garbers has totaled just 588 passing yards in three games, with five scores and three interceptions.

Garbers led Cal on what appeared to be a game-tying scoring drive late in last week’s Big Game against Stanford, but Dario Longhetto’s PAT was blocked with 58 seconds remaining, sending the Golden Bears to a 24-23 defeat.

The loss left Cal not only winless on the season but also without possession of “The Axe” for the 10th time in the past 11 years.

Cal coach Justin Wilcox found himself dealing with more frayed emotions than damaged body parts in the aftermath of the gut-wrenching defeat.

“We put a lot into this,” he said of the rivalry game. “A lot of people do — coaches, players, people in the program — and the fans put a lot into it. And it doesn’t feel good.”

The Bears fell short despite outgaining Stanford in total yards 392-300.

–Field Level Media

Nov 21, 2020; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon State Beavers running back Jermar Jefferson (6) runs the ball for a touchdown against the California Golden Bears during the first half at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon State rallies past Cal thanks to Jefferson, and blocked punt

Posted on | by Field Level Media

A blocked punt set up Tristan Gebbia’s second touchdown, a 1-yard touchdown plunge with 4:30 remaining, as Oregon State came from behind to beat California 31-27 in a Pac-12 clash on Saturday in Corvallis, Ore.

Shortly after Cal (0-2) took a 27-24 lead on Chase Garbers’ third touchdown pass, a 2-yarder to tight end Jake Tonges with 8:04 to go, the Bears were forced to punt in their own territory and Jamieson Sheahan had his kick blocked by Oregon State’s Jesiah Irish.

The Beavers (1-2) took over at the Cal 14 and needed just three plays to get into the end zone, with Gebbie sneaking in after Jermar Jefferson had run for seven and six yards on his team’s first two plays.

Down 31-27, Garbers directed Cal 69 yards in 10 plays to the Oregon State 10 with a little more than a minute remaining, but a deflected pass was intercepted by John McCartan to clinch the win.

Jefferson, who took the game’s first snap 75 yards for a touchdown, finished with a game-high 196 rushing yards on 18 carries. It was his third straight 100-yard game of the season.

Gebbia, who earlier had caught a TD pass from wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey on a trick play, threw for 147 yards and one score. He suffered two interceptions.

Garbers went 28-for-42 for 315 yards and three scores for the Bears. He also had two interceptions.

Cal’s Kekoa Crawford was the game’s leading receiver with 10 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown.

The Golden Bears came into the game without top running back Christopher Brown Jr. because of an injury, and three starting offensive linemen were out due to COVID-19 concerns. The Beavers put the pressure on early when Jefferson took a handoff on the first offensive snap of the game and sprinted 75 yards for a 7-0 lead.

Cal rebounded to get the better of the rest of the half, however, with Garbers throwing for 227 yards and two touchdowns, one a 7-yarder to Makai Polk in the first quarter and the other a 21-yarder to Crawford in the second period.

Dario Longhetto provided the difference in Cal’s 20-14 halftime lead with a pair of field goals, including a career-best, 52-yarder on the final play of the second quarter.

Oregon State’s other TD in the half was the product of a 35-yard connection between Gebbia and Teagan Quitoriano late in the first, putting the Beavers up 14-7.

There were three lead changes in the second half.

–Field Level Media

Nov 14, 2020; Seattle, Washington, USA; Oregon State Beavers running back Jermar Jefferson (6) rushes against the Washington Huskies during the second quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Cal, Oregon State try to kick start season

Posted on | by Field Level Media

California gets a second chance to make a real first impression Saturday afternoon when the Bears visit Oregon State in a battle of winless Pac-12 Conference football teams.

While the Beavers (0-2) opened the 2020 campaign with competitive losses to Washington State and Washington, Cal (0-1) had its first two scheduled contests canceled due to COVID-19 concerns before getting slotted into an 11th-hour matchup with UCLA last week.

The Bears indeed played like a team that had little time to prepare for a Bruins squad that already had a game under its belt. Cal offered UCLA’s dual-threat quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson little resistance in a 34-10 thumping in Pasadena, Calif.

Cal should have ample opportunity to study up on Oregon State, which could well be at a disadvantage of having just one opponent game film to review while the Bears have two.

Cal coach Justin Wilcox was quick to point out that the hastily scheduled opener wasn’t an accurate gauge for where his team is headed this season, and his players are anxious to show it. What’s more, they want to make up for last year’s 21-17 home loss to the Beavers.

“I know our guys can play better, I know we can coach better and we’ll look forward to improving this week,” Wilcox insisted. “I believe in our team and I know we’re going to get better. I think all those guys are disappointed and I know I am that we didn’t perform as well as we thought we could. We have to look forward to getting better this week.”

Quarterback Chase Garbers threw for just 122 yards and running back Christopher Brown Jr. was limited to 25 rushing yards in the loss at UCLA.

Cal isn’t the only team wishing last week’s game never occurred. Oregon State, which had opened with an impressive offensive performance in its opener against Washington State (451 yards of total offense), was unable to replicate that effort when it lost at Washington on Saturday 27-21.

Tristan Gebbia went from passing for 329 yards against WSU, to completing just 11 of 24 against the Huskies for just 85 yards, with an interception and two fumbles. The Beavers totaled only 252 yards, with running back Jermar Jefferson accounting for 133 on the ground.

Jefferson, who sat out last year’s win at Cal with an ankle injury, has topped 100 yards in both of Oregon State’s games this season. His 253 rushing yards rank second in the Pac-12 to Colorado’s Jarek Broussard (308) through two weeks.

Gebbia, according to his coach, was anxious to get back on the field this week.

“The guy is competitive and (the bad day) means a bunch to him,” Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith said. “He’s back to work. He understands football. I think he relishes the opportunity to get back in the ring and keep swinging.”

History indicates at least one team will walk away from Saturday’s game satisfied with its offensive performance. The winning team has averaged 50.8 points the last four times Cal has visited Oregon State, with the clubs having split those contests.

–Field Level Media

Dec 30, 2019; Santa Clara, California, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Chase Garbers (7) prepares to throw the football against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Cal, UCLA unexpectedly get to continue long rivalry

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Two longtime rivals who weren’t expecting to see each other this season will attempt to make the most of an awkward situation when the California Golden Bears and host UCLA Bruins collide in a belatedly scheduled Pacific-12 Conference football game on Sunday morning.

The game was created on Friday out of the ashes of when each’s originally scheduled contest was canceled.

The Golden Bears (0-0) were supposed to play at Arizona State on Saturday, while the Bruins (0-1) were slated to host Utah. Those games were scratched this week because of COVID-19 issues among the Sun Devils and Utes.

So instead of not meeting this season, which would have marked the first break in a rivalry that began in 1933, Cal and UCLA will match up at the Rose Bowl for the second consecutive season.

The Golden Bears prevailed 28-18 last November behind a defense that sacked Bruins quarterbacks Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Austin Burton six times.

Thompson-Robinson was impressive in his 2020 debut in a 48-42 loss at Colorado last week, rushing for 109 yards and throwing for 303 yards and four touchdown passes. Tight end Greg Dulcich was on the receiving end of four of Thompson-Robinson’s completions for 126 yards and one score.

The Bruins hurt themselves with a porous defense and four turnovers in the loss, areas tight end Mike Martinez insisted he and his teammates could address during the week even without knowing if there’d be a game or who the opponent might be.

“In terms of the game, that’s something that we don’t have any control over,” he said. “So all we can control is focusing on our fundamentals and our effort every day in practice. So as a team, I think that’s just our focus every day. And then we just let the rest happen.”

The Bruins will be facing a Cal team that’s done nothing but practice this fall. The Bears’ scheduled opener last week in Berkeley, Calif., vs. Washington also had to be canceled.

Despite not having gone up against an opponent this season, Cal’s Chase Garbers remains the Pac-12’s most experienced quarterback, having started 19 games in his career. He threw for 230 yards and one TD, and rushed for 40 yards and a second score in the win over UCLA last season.

Cal finished 2019 with three consecutive wins, scoring at least 24 points in each, yet landed last in the Pac-12 in scoring for the second consecutive year.

That prompted a change at offensive coordinator, with former Oregon standout and longtime NFL player and coach Bill Musgrave taking the reins this season. Musgrave insists he’s ready for a new level of challenge after having last been seen directing the offense of the NFL’s Denver Broncos.

“I enjoy that element of coaching, whether it’s at the pro or the college level,” he said of having a hands-on opportunity in building a roster. “The X’s and O’s are great, but I also enjoy the balance of the personnel and recruiting part, too. It kind of rounds out the day in the correct way.”

Musgrave will get an opportunity to balance his offense between Garbers and running back Christopher Brown Jr., who rushed for 111 yards in the win at UCLA last season.

–Field Level Media