Cal Football Game Summary: Bears Lose to Washington in OT
Cal lost its Pac-12 opener to Washington 31-24 in overtime Saturday night in Seattle
After Washington scored a touchdown on its first possession in overtime, Cal got the ball down to the 2-yard line on its overtime possessions. But on the first-and-goal play from the 2, Cal running back Damien Moore fumbled when he was hit at the 1-yard line by Cameron Williams. Washington's Ryan Bowman recovered the fumble for the Huskies, ending the game.
WASHINGTON 31, CAL 24 (Overtime)
RECORDS: CAL (1-3, 0-1 Pac-12), WASHINGTON (2-2, 1-0 Pac-12)
PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Cal outside linebacker Kuony Deng (lower body) did not play Saturday, and his status for next week remains uncertain. Cal wide receiver Nikko Remigio had to leave the game after taking a big hit in the fourth quarter. Cal tight end Jake Tonges had to be helped off after injuring his leg in overtime.
PLAYER OF THE GAME, OFFENSE: Washington quarterback Dylan Morris. Morris was 19-for-32 for 234 yards, two TDs and no interceptions.
PLAYER OF THE GAME, DEFENSE: Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon. He had two pivotal interceptions. The first one set up the Huskies' first touchdown, and the second slowed Cal's momentum in the third quarter. He also had a key stop on a fourth-and-2 play in the fourth quarter.
TURNING POINT: Damien Moore fumbled at the Washington 1-yard line in overtime recovered by Washington, ending the game.
KEY PLAY 1: On a third-and 9 play, Dylan Morris threw a 20-yard touchdown pass Taj Davis, giving the Huskies a 7-0 lead with 8:38 left in the first quarter. The score came after Kyler Gordon's interception gave Washington ball at the Cal 36-yard line.
KEY PLAY 2: On fourth down at the Washington 1-yard line, Chase Garbers threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jake Tonges to tie the score 7-7 with 2:04 left in the first quarter. Garbers had thrown a 23-yard completion to Kekoa Crawford on fourth-and-2 from the Washington 32-yard line earlier in that drive.
KEY PLAY 3: Dylan Morris threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan, giving the Huskies a 14-7 lead with 14:20 left in the first half.
KEY PLAY 4: On fourth-and-goal from the Washington 21-yard line, Cal set up to attempt a 38-yard field goal. The snap was not perfect, but it could have been handled by holder Jamieson Sheahan, who dropped it and was tackled for a loss. Cal failed to score after having a first down at the Washington 7-yard line.
KEY PLAY 5: Washington's Sean McGrew scored on a 5-yard touchdown run to give the Huskies a 21-7 lead with 1:27 left in the half.
KEY PLAY 6: Cal's Dario Longhetto kicked a 29-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to cut the Washington lead to 21-10. That completed a 10-play 64-yard drive that began with 1:27 left in the first half.
KEY PLAY 7: Chase Garbers threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Damien Moore, who covered most of the yardage himself, to cut the Washington lead to 24-17 with 5:09 left in the third quarter. The touchdown came two plays after a Washington interception was negated by a defensive holding call.
KEY PLAY 8: With Cal trailing 24-17 and facing a fourth-and-2 at the Washington 42-yard line, Chase Garbers completed a pass to Damien Moore, but he was stopped a yard short of the first down by Kyler Gordon with 11;14 left in the fourth quarter.
KEY PLAY 9: Chase Garbers ran 7 yards for a touchdown that tied the score 24-24 with 2:51 left in the fourth quarter. Garbers completed passes of 19 and 23 yards during the drive.
KEY PLAY 10: Dario Longhetto's 55-yard field goal attempt on the final play of regulation time was on line but fell short, sending the game to overtime.
STAT OF THE GAME: Cal outgained Washington 457-326.
QUARTERBACK STATS: Cal's Chase Garbers was 30-for-41 for 319 yards, two TDs and two interceptions.
WHAT IT MEANS: Cal has started 1-3 for the second straight year, and the Bears have lost their Pac-12 opener five of the past six seasons.
CAL'S BOWL BAROMETER: Cal's bowl chances shrunk to about 20 percent. The Bears would need to win five of their final eight games to become eligible for a bowl, and their toughest games lie ahead.
NEXT GAME: Washington State at Cal, Saturday, October 2. Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. TV: Pac-12 Networks. Washington State (1-3, 0-2 Pac-12) lost to Utah 24-13 in its second Pac-12 game on Saturday, after losing to USC 45-14 last week. WSU quarterback Jayden de Laura did not play against Utah because of a knee injury, and his status for the game against Cal is uncertain. WSU running back Max Borghi sustained a wrist injury in the first half of Saturday's game that sidelined him for the rest of the game. His status for next week is undetermined. Cal beat WSU 33-20 in their most recent meeting in 2019, but the scheduled 2020 matchup was canceled because of COVID-19 issues in the Cal program.
Washington State quarterback Jarrett Guarantano (18) passed for 248 yards against Utah, but he threw three interceptions. Photo by Jeffrey Swinger, USA TODAY Sports
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Cover photo of Dylan Morris is by Stephen Morris, USA TODAY Sports
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