Depleted Cal Loses to Oregon State
Cal, playing without six starters, lost to Oregon State 31-27 Saturday afternoon at Oregon State
Cal was without starting tailback Christopher Brown Jr., three starting offensive linemen, starting tight end Collin Moore and starting outside linebacker Braxten Croteau. Brown was sidelined with an unspecified injury, and the others apparently were unavailable for COVID-19 contact-tracing reasons.
Cal center Michael Saffell left the game in the second quarter with an apparent leg injury, leaving the Bears without their starters at four of the five offensive line positions.
Trailing 31-27, Cal had a first down at the Oregon State 10-yard line with 1:11 left when a tipped pass was intercepted by John McCartan, giving the Beavers the clinching turnover.
Earlier an Elijah Hicks interception led to a 2-yard scoring pass from Chase Garbers to Jake Tonges, giving Cal a 27-24 lead with 8:04 remaining.
But a blocked punt gave Oregon State the ball at the Cal 14-yard line, and a Tristan Gebbia 1-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown put the Beavers ahead 31-27 with 4:30 left.
AVAILABILITY: Tight end Collin Moore, offensive linemen Jake Curhan, Valentino Daltoso and Will Craig and outside linebacker Braxten Croteau were the starters unavailable for the game for contact-tracing reasons after a Cal player tested positive for COVID-19. Backup nose tackle Stanley McKenzie was also unavailable.
INJURY: Cal starting tailback Christopher Brown Jr. did not play because of an unspecified injury. Cal center Michael Saffell left the game in the second quarter with an apparent leg injury, and he did not return. It is unclear whether either player will be available for next Friday's game against Stanford.
OREGON STATE 31, CAL 27
RECORDS: Cal (0-2), OREGON STATE (1-2)
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Cal quarterback Chase Garbers was 28-of-42 for 325 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He completed three passes of more than 30 yards.
TURNING POINT: With Cal leading 27-24, Jesiah Irish of Oregon State blocked a Jamieson Sheahan punt, giving the Beavers the ball at the Cal 14-yard line with 5:26 left. Oregon State turned it into a touchdown that gave the Beavers a 31-27 lead.
TEAM STAT OF THE GAME: After recording just 176 yards of total offense in last week's game against UCLA, Cal churned out 317 yards in the first half against Oregon State.
PLAYER STAT OF THE GAME: Cal wide receiver Kekoa Crawford had seven catches for 118 yards and a touchdown in the first half. He finished with 141 receiving yards on 10 receptions.
UGLY STAT OF THE GAME I: Cal had just 34 yards of total offense in the third quarter.
WHAT IT MEANS: Cal has no more than three games left before the participants in the Pac-12 title game are determined. The Bears are virtually eliminated from title possibilities.
CAL’S BOWL BAROMETER: Cal's bowl chances stand at about 30 percent. Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott has said teams in his conference need to have at least .500 record to play in a postseason game.
NEXT GAME: Stanford at Cal, Friday, November 27. Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. TV: FOX. Stanford (0-2) was scheduled to play Washington State on Saturday, but the game was canceled due to virus-related issues at Washington State.
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