Photo by Richard Mackson, USA Today
Cal Football: Bears Take Down UCLA 28-18, Clinch Tie for 2nd in Pac-12 North, Await Bowl
Christopher Brown Jr. ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns, Chase Garbers threw for 230 yards and a TD and ran for another and the Cal defense sacked UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson six times in a 28-18 win at the Rose Bowl.
Cal (7-4, 4-5 Pac-12) clinched a second straight winning season, finished in a three-way tie for second place in the Pac-12 North and beat the Bruins (4-8, 4-5) at Pasadena for the first time since 2009.
The Bears now await word next weekend on who and where they will play in a bowl game. Cal has earned bowl eligibility in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2008 and '09.
Safety Ashtyn Davis, who did not play the week before at Stanford due to injury, tackled Demetric Felton for a 3-yard loss on a fourth-down play from the 2-yard line with less than a minute left to clinch the win. Davis also had a pass interception.
Evan Weaver committed a foolish penalty to keep alive a UCLA scoring drive, but he also had nine tackles to break Hardy Nickerson's single-season school record. Weaver the national leader in tackles, now has 173 on the season.
PRE-GAME: Cal, picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 North, can secure a tie for second with a win over UCLA at the Rose Bowl tonight.
The Bears (6-5, 3-5) were given that opportunity after Oregon beat Oregon State 24-10 in the Civil War in Eugene. That dropped OSU to 4-5 in Pac-12 play and into a tie with Washington for second place.
Cal can join that crowd with a win over the Bruins (4-7, 4-4). Oregon won the Pac-12 North.
UCLA has beaten Cal the past two seasons, including 37-7 at Berkeley last season.
The Bears already have clinched bowl eligibility, and are expected to be chosen a week from Sunday to participate in either the Dec. 21 Las Vegas Bowl or the Dec. 30 Redbox Bowl at Santa Clara.
UCLA has failed to quality for a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season.
The Bears are coming off a momentous 24-20 victory at Stanford in the Big Game, snapping a nine-year losing streak in the series. The victory was sparked by the return of quarterback Chase Garbers, who executed two long fourth-quarter touchdown drives, capped by his game-winning 16-yard scramble for a score with 1:19 left.
Garbers, who was injured the week before vs. USC for the second time this season, finished 20-for-30 for 285 yards with a touchdown while rushing for a game-best 72 yards.
UCLA lost 52-35 at USC last week and has allowed 101 points the past two weeks.
Pregame: It rained in the Los Angeles area Saturday afternoon, and the field will be a little wet. The rain stopped more than an hour before kickoff.
A representative of the Holiday Bowl attended the game.
"Absolutely, we're following Cal," said Cherry Park, chairman of the Holiday Bowl selection committee said just before kickoff. "We're looking for a team on an upward trajectory." She also said the result of the game against UCLA would have an impact on whether Cal would be be selected.
Injuries: Cal wide receiver Kekoa Crawford was not on the field when wide receivers began pregame drills, so presumably he will miss another game. Bears safety Ashtyn Davis was in uniform and took part in pregame drills, suggesting he will play, although that is not certain.
UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (1) went through pregame drills (video below) and apparently will start as expected despite missing practice early in the week with a leg injury.
Coin flip: Cal wins the toss and defers to the second half. The Bears kick off.
Injury update: Safety Ashtyn Davis started. But WR Jordan Duncan did not make the trip.
12:01 1st Qtr: Cal is pinned back at its 5-yard line to start its first possession. The Bears are forced to punt, giving UCLA the ball at its 46-yard line. Cal 0, UCLA 0.
8:26 1st Qtr: UCLA draws first blood with a 54-yard scoring drive. The key play was a 20-yard run on third-and-15 by Joshua Kelley, who leaped over the head of Cal safety Jaylinn Hawkins on the way to reaching the Cal 27. Two plays later, Dorian Thompson-Robinson passed to Jaylen Erwin, who broke a tackle by Ashtyn Davis and raced down the right sideline for a 19-yard touchdown. UCLA 7, Cal 0.
3:04 1st Q: Cal ties it up. Freshman Makai Polk takes the tunnel screen pass from Garbers and sees nothing but open space in front of him. Completes the 44-yard TD. Cal goes 91 yards in eight plays, aided by a pass interference penalty against the Bruins. Cal 7, UCLA 7.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Cal 7, UCLA 7. Bruins have 142 total yards to 86 for Cal. First downs are 8-4 in UCLA's favor. Thompson-Robinson is 10-for-13 for 125 yards and a touchdown, although Cal has sacked him 3 times (Cam Goode, Brett Johnson and Lone Toailoa). Joshua Kelley 6 rushes for 46 yards. For Cal, Garbers is 4-for-10 for 64 yards and a touchdown. Christopher Brown Jr. has two rushes for 17 yards
9:56 2nd Q: It started with Traveon Beck's hit on receiver Demetric Felton that stopped UCLA 1 yard short of a first down on a fourth-and-7 try. The Bears took over at their own 28 and went 72 yards in 10 plays. A nice sustained drive, keyed also by Garbers' 28-yard pass completion to running back Marcel Dancy to the UCLA 16. Garbers got the final 1 yard with a sneak and Cal has its first lead of the night. Cal 14, UCLA 7.
3:33 2nd Qtr: Cal had negotiated two first downs when Garbers made his worst pass of the night - throwing off his back foot and intercepted by Darnay Holmes at the UCLA 33. Cal 14, UCLA 7.
HALFTIME: Cal 14, UCLA 10. The Bruins got a 31-yard field goal from JJ Molson on the final play of the half, capping a 54-yard, 13-play drive. The Bears have the lead despite having the game's only turnover and despite being outgained 234 yards to 180. UCLA has 13 first downs to 10 for Cal. The Bruins have run 45 offensive plays, just 29 by Cal. The Bears have not committed a penalty.
Individual numbers:
Garbers is 8-for-15 for 118 yards with a touchdown and an INT.
Brown has run 7 times for 38 yards
UCLA's Thompson-Robinson is 18-for-28 for 198 yards with a TD. He was sacked 3 times.
Joshua Kelley has rushed 12 times for 61 yards and tight end Devin Asiasi has 6 catches for 78 yards.
5:38 3rd Qtr: Chris Brown leaps over the line from the 1-yard line and Cal extends its lead. The Bears go 83 yards in 10 plays. Garbers had a 29-yard completion to Nikko Remigio and a 17-yard scramble for a first down at the UCLA 20. The Bruins also were flagged for defensive holding and pass interference, the latter on a pass to Makai Polk that got Cal a first down at the 2. Cal 21, UCLA 10.
2:26 3rd Qtr: UCLA makes a game again after a strange drive that was fueled by two keys plays. After Elijah Hicks broke up a third-down UCLA pass - presumably forcing a punt - Evan Weaver was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when he kicked the ball after the play was over. That gave UCLA a first down at its own 42-yard line. Two plays later Thompson-Robinson passed to Kyle Phillips, who appeared to be tackled by Cameron Goode. But Phillips actually rolled over Goode, never touched the ground, then got up and kept running, finally going 39 yards to the Cal 19. Joshua Kelley barreled in from the 1, making it 21-16. The Bruins then went for the 2-point conversion, and DTR passed to Delon Hurt. Cal 21, UCLA 18.
14:53 4th Qtr: Cal strikes back quickly. Garbers completed a 30-yard pass to Polk, then Brown did the rest, starting with a 38-yard dash to the UCLA 14. He got the touchdown on a 10-yard burst up the middle. Cal 28, UCLA 18.
14:02 4th Qtr: Safety Ashtyn Davis intercepts for the Bears on a pass tipped by Kuony Deng. The Bears have possession at their own 48. Cal 28, UCLA 18.
