Cal Football: Bears Lose to Oregon State 21-17, Cal QB Devon Modster Injured
Cal suffered a 21-17 loss to underdog Oregon State on Saturday in Berkeley, and to make matters worse Bears quarterback Devon Modster left the game in the fourth quarter with an unspecified injury.
Cal overcame a 14-0 deficit to take a 17-14 lead but could not hold it.
Cal slipped to 4-3 overall and 1-3 in the Pac-12, with a road game against No. 13 Utah up next. The Bears have lost three in a row.
Oregon State, which lost to Utah 52-7 last week, is 3-4, 2-2.
Freshman Spencer Brasch replaced Modster with 4:35 left in the fourth quarter and the Bears trailing 21-17. He completed his first pass, but threw an interception on a tipped ball on his third attempt.
Cal took over again at its 8-yard line with 57 seconds left and no timeouts, but could not get get far.
Modster was 12-for-27 for 151 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions, but he had 76 yards rushing.
Oregon State quarterback Jake Luton was 18-for-34 for 174 yards, two scores and no picks.
Cal reduced an 11-point halftime deficit to four points on a 69-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter. A 37-yard scramble by Modster along with a pass interference call on the Beavers a third-down play led to a 1-yard scoring run by Christopher Brown Jr. that made it 14-10 with 5:41 left in the third quarter.
Cal took a 17-14 lead with 32 seconds left in the third quarter on Modster's perfectly placed 33-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Duncan.
Oregon State regained the lead 21-17 on an 80-yard drive that ended with B.J. Baylor's 13-yard touchdown run with 4:41 left in the game.
Oregon State scored the game’s first points, going 62 yards in 12 plays to take a 7-0 lead in the final minute of the first quarter. The touchdown came on a 9-yard pass from Luton to Artavis Pierce as an official provided some interference for Pierce to catch the ball.
Cal failed to score points after getting a first down at the Oregon State 12-yard line early in the second period. A 10-yard sack and a missed 39-yard field goal attempt on a Greg Thomas kick that bounced off the right upright ruined the drive.
Oregon State increased its lead to 14-0 on a 12-play, 78-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard scoring pass from Luton to Isaiah Hodgins with 4:33 left in the first half.
Cal got on the scoreboard with 26 seconds left in the second quarter when Thomas booted a 44-yard field goal to make it 14-3.
INJURIES: Cal wide receiver Kekoa Crawford missed his third straight game with an injury, and Bears center Michael Saffell also was out with an injury.
Oregon State running back Jermar Jefferson missed his third straight game with an ankle injury.
OREGON STATE 21, CAL 7
RECORDS: Cal (4-3, 1-3 Pac-12), Oregon State (3-4, 2-2)
PLAYER OF THE GAME (offense): Oregon State quarterback Jake Luton. Luton was 18-of-34 for 174 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
PLAYER OF THE GAME (defense): Cal inside linebacker Evan Weaver had 21 . tackles, including two sacks.
TURNING POINT: With Cal leading 17-14 and Oregon State facing a thrid-and-10 play from the Cal 40-yard line, Artavis Pierce reeled off a 20-yard run for a first down at the Cal 20. Three plays later the Beavers scored to take a 21-14 lead.
STAT OF THE GAME: Cal recorded five sacks for negative 50 yards.
UGLY STAT OF THE GAME: Cal quarterbacks were sacked nine times for negative 52 yards.
WHAT IT MEANS: Cal is headed in the wrong direction after a home game it was expected to win. Tough games against Utah, USC and Washington State remain, so a winning record is now in doubt.
CAL’S BOWL BAROMETER: .Cal's bowl chances were reduced to about 35 percent. The Bears still need only two wins to become bowl-eligible, but the absence of Chase Garbers for a few more games may make it difficult.
NEXT GAME: Cal at No. 13 Utah, Saturday, October 26. Kickoff: 7 p.m. Pacific time (8 p.m. Mountain time). TV: FS1. The Utes (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) played No. 17 Arizona State Saturday afternoon..
