Cal Football: In-Game Thread - Bears Hold Off UNLV, 20-14
Cal held off UNLV 20-14 in front of 38,180 fans at Memorial Stadium on Saturday and will take a 2-0 record to South Bend, Ind., next week to face Notre Dame. The Irish dropped to 0-2 after a 26-21 loss to Marshall.
Two effective safety blitzes by Cal's Daniel Scott disrupted third- and fourth-down plays by the Rebels from the Bears' 8-yard line in the final 3 minutes, helping preserve the win.
11:08 1st Q: Bears start at their own 45-yard line after a 27-yard punt by the Rebels, then immediately are sent back to the 30 after a 15-yard personal foul penalty for an illegal block by RB Damien Moore. But Jack Plummer completes passes of 11 yards to Mavin Anderson and 18 and 37 yards to Jeremiah Hunter, setting up a first-and-goal at the 2. Freshman Jaydn Ott takes it in from there for his first career rushing TD. Plummer is 3-for-3 for 66 yards on the drive and has a ridiculous passer rating of 284.8. Cal 7, UNLV 0.
3:52 2nd Q: Cal adds to its lead after a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive, capped by Plummer's pass to Ott in the left flat, which Ott turned into a 12-yard TD reception. He leaped over defender Jordyn Morgan, absorbing the hit and landing in the end zone. Plummer was 5-for-5 for 59 yards on the drive, including a 16-yarder to tight end Keleki Latu. Plummer is 8-for-8 for 125 for the game and a 272.5 passer rating. Cal 14, UNLV 0.
END OF 1ST QUARTER: Cal outgained the Rebels 135 yards to 86 and has a 7-5 edge in first downs. Plummer still perfect at 8-for-8, 125 yards. UNLV is threatening, has a 2nd-and-goal at the Cal 11. Cal 14, UNLV 0.
14:55 2nd Q: WR Kyle Williams takes a 2-foot forward lateral and races 11 yards untouched into the end zone as the Rebels finally get their offense untracked after scoring 52 points a week ago. They go 75 yards in nine plays with QB Doug Brumfield going 4-for-4 for 72 yards. Cal 14, UNLV 7.
8:18 2nd Q: Plummer was 12-for-14 passing when he forced a ball into coverage at around the UNLV 5-yard line and Rebels nickel back Jerrae Williams intercepted. He returned it to the 15 when he was tackled by Cal O-lineman Spencer Lovell. Officials said he fumbled and originally gave Cal possession. But an official review said Williams' knee hit the ground before he lost possession. UNLV keeps the ball. Cal 14, UNLV 7.
1:58 2nd Q: Cal eats more clock and adds to its lead when Dario Longhetto converts a 21-yard FG, capping an eight-play, 65-yard drive. The Bears' scoring drive was greatly aided by three big penalties against the Rebels - pass interference (personal foul - 15 yards), pass interference (15) and pass interference (10). Cal has a time of possession edge of 19:59 to 8 minutes. Cal 17, UNLV 7.
HALFTIME: Cal 17, UNLV 7. The Bears dominated the game statistically, holding the ball for 20 minutes, 51 seconds to 9:09 for the Rebels. The yardage is equally one-sided: 268 to 109. Cal has 17 first downs to 7 for UNLV. Yet, the game is far from over. Plummer's interception nearly the goal line and the subsequent drive in which Cal managed only a field goal on a drive that reached the 3-yard line have contributed to the game being much closer than it needed to be.
Plummer completed 12 of his first 13 passes and is 17-for-22 for 205 yards with a TD and an INT. UNLV's Brumfield, who was 21-for-25 and had 4 TDs a week ago, is 8-for-14 for 84 yards with a touchdown. Jaydn Ott is the game's leading rusher with 25 yards on 4 carries. Jeremiah Hunter has 5 receptions for 79 yards and Mavin Anderson 5 for 48 for the Bears. Ricky White has 3 receptions for 45 yards for the Rebels.
Cal will get the second-half kickoff.
SECOND HALF
8:21 3rd Q: Cal adds 3 more points to its lead on a 30-yard FG by Dario Longhetto, who is now 4-for-4 on the season. But once again, the Bears could have done more. They had a first-and-goal at the 10 and managed just 3 points. In the first half, they had the ball at the UNLV 10 and the 3 on consecutive possessions and totaled just 3 points on those opportunities. Cal 20, UNLV 7.
7:04 3rd Q: UNLV strikes back with a four-play, 75-yard drive, capped by Aidan Robbins' 31-yard scoring run. Two plays earlier, Brumfield threw down the right sideline and Cal safety Craig Woodson nearly intercepted it. But Kyle Williams wrestled the ball from him -- the official review confirmed it -- and UNLV had a 33-yard gain to the Cal 37. Those squandered scoring chances by the Bears may be coming back to haunt them. Cal 20, UNLV 14.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: The Rebels will begin the fourth quarter with a 2nd-and-16 play from their own 41-yard line. Cal has outgained UNLV 341 yards to 223 - it's getting closer - and first downs are 23 to 12. Plummer is 23-for-32 for 252 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Brumfield is 12-for-20 for 134 yards and 1 TD. Cal 20, UNLV 14
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Cover photo of Cal quarterback Jack Plummer by Darren Yamashita, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
