2019 Game Recap: California Did Everything Right to Pull Husky Upset

Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated’s Kaila Olin breaks down what went down the last time the Huskies and the Golden Bears met.

On a brisk September evening in 2019, the Washington and California football teams met in Husky Stadium with a 7:30 p.m, same as this Saturday. The 14th-ranked Huskies emerged from the tunnel in their purple Adidas uniforms and were greeted by a high-energy crowd of 66,300 people. The Golden Bears ran out to loud boos.

The teams played 5 minutes and 14 seconds before the first lightning bolt struck. The ensuing delay sent three-quarters of the fans home. The remaining 16,000 people waited in the concourse of Husky Stadium for more than two and a half hours.

The game was long anticipated. The year before, Cal upset Washington in Berkley in a match-up the Huskies let get away from them. It happened again in Seattle.

Receiver dropped five of Jacob Eason’s passes. The quarterback was responsible for two fumbles and threw an interception. In the second half following the restart, the UW moved inside the Golden Bears’ 20-yard line three times and settled for field goals.

Cal walked away with the victory after kicking the game-winning field goal from 17 yards out with seven seconds left. This came after the UW defense held on three downs at the 3-yard line.

Washington finished with 348 total offensive yards, 162 through the the air. Eason completed 18 of 30 passes. The Huskies rushed 46 times for 186 yards. They accounted for 23 first downs and were 6for 16 on third-down efficiency and 3 for 4 on fourth downs.

Cal had 303 total offense yards, 111 passing from returning quarterback Chase Garbers, brother of the UW's Ethan Garbers. Chase completed 11 of 18 pass attempts. The Golden Bears put up 192 rushing yards on 38 carries. Cal's 192 yards rushing was the most allowed by Washington since the Fiesta Bowl two years ago, when Penn State, led by Saquon Barkley, rushed for 203 yards. Cal had 20 first downs, went 3 for 11 on third-down efficiency and put a "W" on the scoreboard.

The Golden Bears stunned a ranked Husky team for the second consecutive year, and while some say it’s nearly impossible to get struck by lightning twice, Cal proved that it indeed is possible.