The Big Game at its core is a game of chaos. The first frame, with three turnovers, another turnover on downs, and zero points, typified that chaos. After another turnover on downs, Cal forced their way out of the chaos, had a slant route go 84 yards for a score, and didn't look back in a 41-11 cathartic destruction of Stanford

The Bears put up their most yards on offense in a big game, thanks to 351 yards rushing, two rushing scores by Marcel Dancy, and the most trick plays by a Cal offense since the Jeff Tedford era. Christopher Brooks rushed for 131 yards on 13 carries, Chase Garbers threw two touchdown passes, and Cal earned their biggest win over the their rivals since 2004.

The Bears would start strong defensively, with Lu-Magia Hearns getting his first career interception on the second play from scrimmage, but Damien Moore fumbled on his first and only carry of the game, giving the Cardinal the ball back on Cal's side of the field. Stanford would squander that position, driving down to the 3 and going for it on 4th and goal. Tanner McKee was stopped short of the goalline.

Penalties would be a theme for the Bears all evening, as a Nikko Remigio penalty turned a 3rd and 1 at the 4 into a 3rd and 16 at the 19. Garbers would underthrow Remigio on a corner, which Jonathan McGill intercepted. Stanford would again drive down into a goal to go situation, but the Bears read a play-action slide play and sacked McKee, and a 4th and goal fade to Ben Yurosek would fall harmlessly to the turf.

Then after three straight Brooks runs, Cal would get a break. Trevon Clark caught Garbers slant route, broke an arm tackle and was off to the races. It marked the longest pass play in the history of the Big Game, and the longest play by Cal since 2014.

Thanks to more solid coverage from Hearns (3 tackles, 1 INT, 4 PBUs) and Josh Drayden, Cal would get the ball back, and thanks to another catch from Clark on 3rd down, they got into Stanford territory. Monroe Young, utilized more for his blocking than catching, made a tremendous play on a double move floated in by Garbers, getting the Bears down to the one.

Cal would speed up, with Garbers hitting Brooks for a score on a boot pass to make it 14-0.

Cam Goode would have another sack to force Stanford to punt, but the Bears didn't manage the clock well enough, and after two incomplete passes and a bad punt, Stanford had enough time to drive for a field goal. A targeting call on Mo Iosefa gave Stanford the ball inside the 15, and they'd hit from 32 yards out to make it 14-3 at halftime.

As much as Cal's first half was defined by their passing game, the second half saw the Bears have their success in the run game. Chris Brooks busted through a couple tackles for a 24 yard gain and Kekoa Crawford would hit Trevon Clark on the Bears first trick play of the day.

Cal would stall inside the 10, settling for a 24 yard Dario Longhetto field goal.

Penalties would kill a Stanford drive, with Ethan Saunders drawing a holding call and McKee throwing a pass to no one for an intentional grounding. Cal would be pinned inside their own 5 once again, but Brooks got Cal out of the shadow of their own goalpost with a cutback and a 75 yard jaunt to the Stanford 17. A Brayden Rohme penalty negated a Nikko Remigio touchdown, as Cal settled for a Longhetto 34 yard field goal.

While Cal gave up another 15 yard penalty, with Marqez Bimage getting called for roughing the passer, Cal would stop another Stanford drive thanks to another Hearns deflection.

Then came Marcel Dancy. He got four yards on a hook and ladder play, then hit the edge on a run and sprinted the final 76 yards for a score. Dancy and Brooks' runs would be the longest Cal has had since Brendan Bigelow's 80 yarder versus Ohio State in 2012.

Stanford did not go away, thanks to another Cal pass interference penalty and a Michael Wilson screen that got the Cardinal into the redzone. Austin Jones would score from a yard out, and John Humphreys would catch a two-point conversion.

Stanford would try the onside kick after making it a 27-11 game, but the kick went 9 yards and also went out of bounds. Cal capitalized on the good field position, with Nikko Remigio taking a reverse 27 yards down to the redzone, then Dancy would finish it with a speed option carry for a score.

Stanford went three and out thanks to JH Tevis pushing a lineman into Tanner McKee. Cal drove down to the 17 behind runs from Chris Street and DeCarlos Brooks, with Garbers completing a 4th and 1 pass to Keleki Latu to get down to the five. Chris Street would finish the drive for his first career rushing touchdown.

Collin Gamble would put the cherry on top with his first career interception, taking the ball away from Michael Wilson, and while Cal did not grind out the remainder of the clock, it was academic at this point.

This was Cal's most yards in a Big Game and the largest margin of victory by the Bears in the Big Game since 2008.

- Cal ran four different trick plays on the afternoon, something they haven't really done all year

- Cal also had six different running backs, their most this year, with 9 different rushers total. It all totaled to 10.4 yards per carry, a high for the year

- Trevon Clark has had two 100+ yard performances in his Cal career. He has five receptions total in those games.

- Cal only punted once, and tied on turnover margin. The two interceptions by cornerbacks were the first two by that position group all year.

- Nate Rutchena started his second consecutive game, has 12 tackles (10 on the statsheet, 2 that got assigned to Femi Oladejo, who did not play)

- McKade Mettauer started despite being initially unavailable earlier this week, Brayden Rohme also started, as Cal did not allow a sack until the final offensive play, where Robby Rowell made his first appearance.

- Mo Iosefa was called for targeting in the first half, as both Evan Tattersall and Ryan Puskas came in to spell him. Trey Paster also saw time near the end.

- The 27 second half points are the most from Cal this season, along with the most yards, rushing yards, yards per play, and yards per rushing attempt.