Cal Football: Oregon State Game Thread - Beavers Rally Past Golden Bears 21-17

Cal suffers third straight defeat after encouraging 4-0 start to the season

Cal (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) tries to snap a two-game losing streak today when it takes on visiting Oregon State (2-4, 1-2) at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is 11:30 a.m. and the game is being broadcast by Pac-12 Networks.

The Bears can take over sole possession of second place in the Pac-12 North if things fall right today. Cal needs a win over OSU and an Oregon victory at Washington this afternoon. If that happens, the Bears are 2-2 and own second place.

Cal lost 17-7 at Oregon two weeks ago in its first game in October and has not posted a winning record in the month since 2009. The Bears would need to win today and beat Utah in Salt Lake City next Saturday to end that streak.

INJURY UPDATE: Five Cal players were questionable for today's game due to injuries. Running back Marcel Dancy is warming up but no sign of wide receiver Kekoa Crawford. Likewise, starting left guard Valentino Daltoso is going through pre-game warmups but center Michael Saffell is not on the field. We're less certain about the status of tight end Gavin Reinwald.

JEFFERSON OUT: Oregon State running back Jermar Jefferson (ankle) is not playing. Jefferson was the leading freshman rusher in FBS last year with 1,380 yards, but he is sitting out for the second straight after initially injuring the ankle Sept. 7 against Hawaii.

HOMECOMING: Cal is holding its first student-athlete alumni reunion in conjunction with Homecoming weekend. At least 400 former Golden Bears athletes are here, including more than 70 football players.

COIN TOSS: Cal won the toss and deferred. Bears will kick off. Weather: 62 degrees.

THREE-AND-OUT: Thanks to a first-down sack by Zeandae Johnson, the Bears forced the Beavers into punting after three plays netted minus-3 yards. Cal will take over at its own 35

10:17 1st Q: Cal moved 31 yards to a second-and-1 at the OSU 34 before being stopped on three straight running plays. Not a quick pass among the three snaps. OSU takes over at its own 37-yard line.

6:53 1st Q: Cal forces another punt after Evan Weaver sacks Jake Luton on third-and-11. The Beavers have run 9 plays and have 2 yards. The Bears take over at their own 25 after the OSU punt and no return.

5:05 1st Q: The Bears are forced to punt again. Their past five running plays have netted minus-4 yards. Not a good sign. Still scoreless and the prospect of that changing anytime soon seems increasingly unlikely.

0:35 1st Q: Oregon State 7, Cal 0. The Beavers marched 63 yards and scored the game's first points when Jake Luton passed 7 yards to running back Artavis Pierce. Luton completed a pair of third-down passes to fuel the drive.

END OF FIRST QUARTER: Oregon State 7, Cal 0. The Beavers, after being stopped on their first two possessions, took the lead late in the quarter. OSU numbers: 64 yards total offense, 5 first downs, 10 rushes for 3 yards (including 2 sacks). Cal numbers: 35 yards, 2 first downs, 8 rushes for 8 yards.

13:17 2nd Q: Cal forced to punt again. No run game, shaky pass protection. Cal has 48 total yards against a team ranked 113th in FBS in scoring defense (34.0), and 12 of those came on a scramble by Devon Modster on this past possession.

12:20 2nd Q: Another three-and-out for Oregon State, which has just 3 total yards on the three possessions other than the one it marched 62 yards for a touchdown. Still, scoreboard.

9:51 2nd Q: Things going sideways for the Bears. Modster threw a beautiful pass that Ricky Walker III pulled in with an over-the-shoulder catch for a 22-yard gain to the OSU 41. That was Walker's first catch of the season. Modster then had a 26-yard scramble - equal to Cal's longest run of the season - to set up a first-and-10 at the 12. But Modster held the ball too long on second down and was sacked for a 10-yard loss to the 22. On fourth down, Greg Thomas hit the right upright with a 39-yard field goal try and the Beavers maintain their 7-0 lead. 

4:33 2nd Q: Oregon State 14, Cal 0. OSU goes 78 yards in 12 plays and scores on a 4-yard pass from Jake Luton to Isaiah Hodgins. Luton was 6-for-7 for 68 yards.

0:26 2nd Q: Oregon State 14, Cal 3. The Bears respond . . . sort of. Cal gets on the board with a 44-yard field goal by Greg Thomas. But again, there was the chance for more. Modster was sacked twice in a row after Cal had 2nd-and-8 at the 21. 

HALFTIME: Oregon State 14, Cal 3. The ugly numbers -- OSU has 154 total yards. Luton is 13 for 20 for 129 yards with 2 TDs, 0 INTs. The Beavers have rushed 18 times for 23 yards. Cal has 125 total yards. Its running backs have 14 rushes for 15 yards. Ugh. Modster is 7 for 15 for 79 yards. No turnovers by either team. Evan Weaver had 12 tackles, including 2 sacks in the first half.

Halftime stats:

9:07 3rd Q: Cal starting its second offensive possession of the second half. Bears starting at own 31 after a Beavers' punt and holding penalty vs. Cal. Oregon State now has six sacks. OSU 14, Cal 3.

5:41 3rd Q: Oregon State 14, Cal 10. The Bears finally score a touchdown -- with the help of two pass interference penalties and an unsportsmanlike conduct flag against OSU coach Jonathan Smith, plus a timely fumble recovery by Gavin Reinwald. Christopher Brown Jr. .got the TD on a 1-yard run that required him to elude tacklers in the end zone. Reinwald saved the day when he pounced on a fumble after a 37-yard scramble by Modster, who is the leading rusher in the game with 70 yards, despite being sacked seven times. 

1:37 3rd Q: Cal starts at the 50 after OSU punt return man mishandled kick and was tackled at the 2. Three plays later, OSU punts.

0:32 3rd Q: Cal 17, Oregon State 14. The Bears go ahead for the first time today on a beautifully thrown pass from Modster down the middle to Jordan Duncan, who went in to complete a 33-yard scoring drive. One play earlier, Nikko Remigio made a diving 16-yard reception to the 33. Three plays, 50 yards in 1:05.

END OF THIRD QUARTER: Cal 17, Oregon State 14. The numbers: Bears had 142 yards in the third quarter -- more than in the entire first half. Totals: Cal 267 yards, OSU 172. Modster is 12-for-26 for 151 yards and a touchdown and has 70 rushing yards.

4:41 4th Q: Oregon State 21, Cal 17. The Beavers methodically went 80 yards in 12 plays before B.J. Baylor blasted up the middle for 13 yards and the touchdown. Artavis Pierce had one of the drive's big plays, gaining 20 yards for a first down to the 20 on a third-and-10 play. 

Brasch takes over at QB: When Cal came on to the field after OSU's go-ahead TD, it was freshman Spencer Brasch at quarterback. Modster reportedly was in the injury tent, although we have no immediate report on his status. Brasch threw a 17-yard completion to Nikko Remigio on his first career attempt. But two plays later his pass was tipped at the line and intercepted by OSU's Jaydon Grant with 4:07 left.

Last gasp: Cal got one more shot with the ball, but started at its own 8-yard line with 57 seconds left and no timeouts. Brasch and the Bears got no farther than the 21-yard line before time expired. Final score: Oregon State 21, Cal 17.