Cal holds off Washington State to snap four-game losing streak

Riding a four-game losing streak, Cal had its back against the wall Saturday. With a 3-6 record, the Bears only hope of a bowl berth is to win out their final three games, a testing journey that began at Memorial Stadium against Pac-12 foe Washington State.

In a nail-biter that came down to the last play, Cal pulled off a dramatic 42-39 victory, living to fight another week in its quest for bowl contention.

The Bears started out hot, scoring on a 51-yard fumble return by linebacker Cad Uluave on the game’s opening drive followed by a pair of touchdowns on their first two drives to take a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter.

Washington State was able to score in its final drive of the half, shrinking the Cal lead to one score, 28-21. The Cougars continued this momentum to open the second half, forcing a fumble on Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza at the Bears’ 20-yard line, before eventually tacking on a field goal.

As the Bears’ offense started to stall, the Cougars were driving and in prime position to take the lead as the fourth quarter began. Just when it seemed that the tide was turning, Cougars’ kicker Dean Janikowski missed a 42-yard field goal.

Cal’s next drive was a Jaydn Ott masterclass, as it consisted of four runs for 75 yards for the Bears’ running back. On the ensuing Washington State drive, the Bears scored a second defensive touchdown, taking a 42-24 lead with 9:26 left in to play on a 52-yard fumble return for cornerback Nohl Williams that seemingly put the game away.

The Cougars responded quickly with a 70-yard drive and a 2-point conversion in less than two minutes. They continued their stride with a forced fumble on Ott and a second touchdown to cut the Cal lead to 42-39. After forcing a Cal three-and-out on the ensuing drive, Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward and the Cougars were in possession of the ball with a chance to tie the game or take the lead with 3:42 left.

After a third-and-6 stop, Janikowski missed another field goal, and the Cougars failed to tie the game. The game came down to the final play, a desperation heave that ended with Uluave intercepting the deep pass attempt from Ward.

Though Cal never lost the lead, momentum shifted back and forth significantly throughout the game.

“It was radical,” said Cal head coach Justin Wilcox in the post game press conference. “End of the first, we have a chance to stop them, and we don’t quite, and then the ball almost comes out at the goal line. It was a bunch of these almosts. … It was all these radical momentum shifts in the game. You’re trying to create momentum and maintain it, and when you do hit some adversity it’s like a blip and you come back from it. We kinda went both ways today, and that’s why the game went the way it did.”

The Bears’ defense certainly did its part, especially when the offense slowed down after the first quarter. The defense scored two touchdowns, sacked the quarterback six times, and forced four turnovers. Not to mention, the Bears were on the field for a staggering 97 defensive snaps (compared to Cal’s 57).

“We’re on the field for a lot of snaps,” Wilcox said. “There were some big plays made in the game, obviously Cade Uluave, the sacks, getting them on the ground. There were a lot of opportunities where we could’ve made more of those, early in the game, late in the second quarter.”

On the other side of the ball, Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza went 14 for 21 for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns, turning the ball over once on a fumble. In doing so, he earned his first career victory.

“I feel great about the game today,” Mendoza said. “At the end of the day, no matter how you play as an individual, you’re always looking for that stat, whether it’s a W or an L. Today we came away with a W, and I’m deeply honored to help lead these guys.”

The star of the backfield was Ott as he ended the day with two touchdowns on 167 yards on the ground and 18 yards receiving. In doing so, he became the first Cal running back to get 1,000 yards since Patrick Laird in 2017. Ott now sits at 1,014 yards rushing on the season after his fourth game this season with at least 150 yards on the ground.

“Honestly, I’m just disappointed at my two fumbles,” Cal running back Jaydn Ott said when asked about his latest productive performance. “That could’ve been the reason we lost, and it almost was. I just need to be better for my teammates, our defense played well and held it down, the offensive line did their thing. So I just need to be better for my teammates.”

Of course, the big story of the game is that the Bears kept their bowl game hopes alive. Recognizing this, Mendoza stated prior to the game that the Bears need to “burn the boats” in the final stretch.

“Although I’m really happy about the win, the job’s not finished yet,” Mendoza continued. “We still need these next two wins — this Big Game and UCLA — to be bowl eligible. That’s our goal right now, we’re gonna celebrate tonight. However, we need to be focused and keep on going. Especially for individuals like myself, I didn’t play up to par.”

Nabbing a victory in its last home game as a part of the Pac-12 is a nice ending to one chapter for this program. As Cal prepares to head to the ACC, a bowl berth would be a positive way to end the year for a program without a winning season since 2019.

The Bears will now prepare to travel across the Bay Bridge for the Big Game, which always has a circle around it on the schedule. The Cardinal has struggled this season, as it dropped to 3-7 after a 63-17 blowout against Oregon State Saturday. However, it’s always expected that records can be thrown out the window in a rivalry matchup.

For now, Cal can finally celebrate after coming away with a win in a close game. The Bears are set up for a great opportunity to continue the season, and will effectively have two playoff games to close the season with the hope of tacking on another matchup to the end of the schedule with two more victories.