Cal Pulls Away to Beat UC Davis 34-13 in Opener: In-Game Thread

Cal opens its season with a 34-13 win over UC Davis, an FCS-level team that is now 0-11 all-time vs. the Bears.

Jack Plummer, the Purdue transfer making his Cal debut, passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns. And freshman running back Jaydn Ott was impressive, carrying the ball 17 times for 104 yards and catching a touchdown.

Here's how it happened:

Coin toss: UC Davis wins the flip, will defer. Cal will receive the opening kickoff.

13:37 1st Q: Cal punts after 3-and-out.

11:07 1st Q: Cal forces a Davis punt. Bears take over at then own 13-yard line.

8:48 1st Q: Cal's second straight possession ends with a sack of QB Jack Plummer. Bears have minus-15 yards of offense so far. The Bears punt and the Aggies will start at their own 47-yard line. Cal 0, UC Davis 0.

3:09 1st Q: The Aggies put together an impressive 14-play, 53-yard drive to take the lead. They converted a third-down play and a fourth-down opportunity, scoring on Miles Hastings 4-yard TD pass to wide receiver Chaz Davis. Cal's defensive front has put virtually no pressure so far on Hastings, who is 8 for 12 for 36 yards. UC Davis 7, Cal 0.

3:03 1st Q: Plummer's first-down pass bounces off the hands of Hunter, intercepted by LB Teddye Buchanan at the Cal 34. UC Davis 7, Cal 0.

0:57 1st Q: Davis drives to the Cal 9 and faces fourth-and-1 when safety Daniel Scott slices in and takes down Trent Tompkins for a loss of 2 yards. Bears start at the 11. UC Davis 7, Cal 0.

END OF 1ST QUARTER: The Aggies dominated the opening 15 minutes, outgaining Cal 91 yards to minus-1. And the Bears only got to that after an 11-yard run by Jaydn Ott on his first carer rushing attempt. Jack Plummer was 1 for 4 for 4 yards, and was sacked twice. UC Davis 7, Cal 0.

8:54 2nd Q: Cal drives 53 yards in eight plays and ties the game on Plummer's 3-yard TD pass to Jeremiah Hunter. Plummer was 4-for-4 for 38 yards on the drive and Jaydn Ott carries four times for 15 yards. Cal 7, UC Davis 7.

2:25 2nd Q: Bears move to a 14-7 lead as freshman Jaydn Ott catches a swing pass in the right flat and dashes untouched into the end zone, completing an 8-yard scoring play. Ott carried 6 times for 34 yards on the drive and has 63 yards on 12 attempts for the game. Plummer connected with Hunter for a 27-yard gain to the Davis 20, with Hunter making a leaping catch and getting one foot down before going out of bounds. Cal 14, UC Davis 7.

0:00 2nd Q: Cal pads its lead on the final play of the half as Dario Longhetto connects on a 32-yard field goal. The field goal was set up by an 18-yard gain by Ott, who took a quick pass from Plummer just past the line of scrimmage and danced 18 yards to the 14, taken down with 5 seconds left. Cal 17, UC Davis 7.

HALFTIME SUMMARY: Ott has been dazzling, totaling 81 yards rushing and receiving on 14 touches. Plummer is 12 for 16 for 157 yards and 2 TDs plus the 1 INT (on a deflected pass). Jeremiah Hunter has 6 catches for 78 yards and J.Michael Sturdivant has 3 catches for 49 yards. Davis outgained Cal 91 yards and minus-1 in the first quarter but the Bears found their rhythm in the second quarter, picking up 206 yards. Davis ran 10 more plays than Cal (43 to 33), but the Bears have averaged 6.2 yards per snap compared to 4.3 for the Aggies. Cal 17, UC Davis 7.

14:20 3rd Q: Safety Craig Woodson, who missed all of last season after a preseason injury, steps in front of a pass by Miles Hastings and returns the interception 39 yards for a touchdown. Cal 24, UC Davis 7.

14:06 3rd Q: Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. with a 60-yard TD run on the Aggies' first snap after the pick-6. The PAT kick fails. Gilliam has 10 carries, 103 yards. Cal 24, UC Davis 13.

7:02 3rd Q: Cal marches 59 yards in 15 plays before Longhetto boots a 41-yard field goal. Big plays were a 10-yard completion to TE Elijah Majarro on a third-and-10 play and an 11-yard scramble by Plummer. WR Sturdivant limped off the field midway through the drive - no report on his status.. Cal 27, UC Davis 13.

2:28 3rd Q: Davis threatening with a first-and-10 at the 24 before freshman CB Jeremiah Earby steps in front of receiver C.J.Hutton for the interception at the 2-yard line on the right sideline. Cal 27, UC Davis 13.

END OF THIRD QUARTER: Cal maintains the lead but it's hardly a sturdy one. Davis has outgained Cal 306 yards to 298, although the Bears have more first downs 18-15). Plummer is 18 for 28 for 205 yards. Cal 27, UC Davis 13.

7:19 4th Q: The Bears give themselves a little cushion when Plummer throws his third TD of the afternoon, a 14-yarder to redshirt freshman Mavin Anderson, who scored his first collegiate touchdown. Cal 34, Cal 13.

Here's some pregame reading:

-- Our game preview with everything you really need to know about the matchup

-- Former Cal tight end McCallan Castles returns to Memorial Stadium as a preseason FCS All-American

-- Fifth-year center Matthew Cindric says the offense intends to score at least four touchdowns in every game. Does that start today?

-- Veteran Davis Enterprise columnist Bob Dunning answer 5 Questions about the Aggies

-- Where do the Bears fit in the season's first SI Pac-12 Football Power Rankings?

You can find much more at si.com/college/cal, but we'll be back at opening kickoff to keep you up-to-date on everything happening in Strawberry Canyon.

Cover photo of Cal running back Jaydn Ott by Darren Yamashita, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo