Cal Loses Opener to UCLA, 34-10

The Cal Bears finally played a game in 2020, but they probably wished they hadn't.

The Bears, who were picked to finish second in the Pac-12 North, did little right in a 34-10 loss to UCLA on Sunday morning in Pasadena, Calif.

The offense installed by new Cal offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave sputtered in its debut. The Bears recorded 154 yards of offense and put up just 10 points.

The game had been arranged on Friday after UCLA's game against Utah and Cal's game against Arizona State had been canceled for virus-related reasons.

Cal looked like a team that had less than two days to prepare, and UCLA, which was picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12 South, looked like a team that had played a game the previous week. Bears defenders missed numerous tackles in the game that was all but decided in the first half.

Cal quarterback Chase Garbers went 18-for-33 for 122 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, and he was sacked five times. Christopher Brown Jr. had just 25 yards rushing, and the Bears managed just 52 yards on the ground as a team.

UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson accounted for four touchdowns -- three on passes and one on the ground. Demetric Felton rushed for 107 yards.

Little went right for Cal in the first half, which ended with UCLA holding a 27-10 lead.

Cal's Craig Woodson blocked a punt on UCLA's first possession, giving the Bears the ball at the Bruins' 17-yard line, but Cal could only manage a 31-yard field goal.

Cal's Camryn Bynum intercepted a Thompson-Robinson pass on the Bruins' second possession, but UCLA marched 88 yards for a touchdown on its third possession. That was the first of three straight UCLA drives that resulted in touchdowns and a 21-10 lead.

Cal had just 110 yards of offense and five first downs in the first half, compared with 265 yards and 14 first downs for UCLA.

AVAILABILITY: Cal nose guards Aaron Maldonado and Stanley McKenzie were not available for Sunday’s game. No explanation for their absence was released. All Cal defensive linemen had been in quarantine as the result of COVID-19 contact tracing. Maldonado was scheduled to start at nose tackle, so Brett Johnson moved over from a starting defensive end spot to start at nose guard. J.H. Tevis started at defensive end.

INJURY: Cal starting outside linebacker Braxten Croteau left the game in the first quarter with a lower leg injury. He returned to action later in the game.

UCLA 34, CAL 10

RECORDS: Cal (0-1), UCLA (1-1)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: UCLA quarterback Dorain Thompson-Robinson completed 14-of-26 passes for 196 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, and he also rushed for 52 yards and score.

TURNING POINT: After having a punt blocked and committing a turnover on its first two possessions, UCLA marched 88 yards for a touchdown that gave the Bruins a 7-3 lead with 58 seconds left in the first quarter. It was the first of three straight Bruins possessions that resulted in touchdowns.

STAT OF THE GAME: UCLA had 244 rushing yards for the game, including 107 by Demetric Felton.

UGLY STAT OF THE GAME I: Cal had just 54 yards rushing and only 176 yards of total offense.

UGLY STAT OF THE GAME II: UCLA's defense recorded five quarterback sacks; Cal had none.

WHAT IT MEANS: Cal has no more than four games left before the participants in the Pac-12 title game are determined. Cal will have to win the rest of its games to have any chance at a title-game berth, and even going 4-1 would not guarantee that berth.

CAL’S BOWL BAROMETER: Cal's bowl chances stand at about 40 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, and Cal did not look like a .500 team on Sunday.

NEXT GAME: Cal at Oregon State, Saturday, November 21. Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. TV: FS1. Oregon State (0-2) lost to Washington 27-21 on Saturday night.

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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