Game Breakdown: Defense salvages the day as Cal beats UNLV, moves to 2-0
The Golden Bears are 2-0 -- that’s the first takeaway here.
Cardiac Cal managed to squeak out a 20-14 win Saturday after a hot start and a slow finish, but at the end of the day this is an undefeated team through two weeks.
That said, there is a litany of things the Bears can be better at, as Justin Wilcox readily acknowledged, but there is an expectation that this is a team that can actually make improvements.
It’s not time to hit the panic button by any stretch, but there does need to be some more consistency out of a team that clearly can be capable of being very good. If there was no hope for that ceiling, no one would be upset about failing to reach it. That's where the valid frustration comes in ...
The Bears can do better, but so far it hasn't cost them.
Scoring summary
First Quarter
11:08, Cal - 2-yard rush by Jaydn Ott. 7-0, Bears
3:52, Cal - 12-yard reception to Jaydn Ott from Jack Plummer. 14-0, Bears
Second Quarter
14:55, UNLV - 11-yard reception (sweep) to Kyle Williams from Doug Brumfield. 14-7, Bears
1:58, Cal - 21-yard field goal from Dario Longhetto is good. 17-7, Bears
Third Quarter
8:21, Cal - 30-yard field goal from Dario Longhetto is good. 20-7, Bears
7:04, UNLV - 31-yard rush from Aidan Robbins. 20-14, Bears
Fourth Quarter
None
Turning point of the game
Cal’s defense getting a fourth-down stop with 5 minutes to play in the third quarter prevented disaster for the Bears, as UNLV went for it on fourth-and-7 from the Cal 39 with the hosts leading by just 6 points. From then on out, it was the defense bailing out this squad again. Cal came out flat in the second half initially, but after that point the defense really stepped up to the challenge and held UNLV (mostly) in check the rest of the way. In a game that ended up being way closer than many may have expected or hoped, getting that stop may have saved Cal from faltering further.
Bears' offensive player of the game: RB Jaydn Ott
This marks two weeks in a row where the most consistent spark on the team has come from the dynamic freshman. The team's two touchdowns and 68 total yards were enough to get this honor tonight. His speed and ability just change what Cal is able to do on offense, which is a nice crutch to lean on when times get tough.
Cal’s defensive player of the game: CB Lu-Magia Hearns
Hearns picked up two pass breakups and a lot of high quality coverage snaps against a UNLV squad that didn’t necessarily shy away from him. Hearns is going to have to play under pressure in his career with the Bears and this week was no different. Being labeled as Cal’s CB1 is going to mean that when teams, like UNLV, have bonafide studs at WR1 he's going to have to rise to the challenge. Today (like most days) he passed that test.
Bears' play of the game:
Jaydn Ott’s high flying touchdown grab
The talented freshman had two early touchdowns today, but this one was the far more impressive of the two. It’s easy to see why everyone is so high on last week’s Pac-12 Freshman of the Week when he makes plays like this look like the standard level of effort. Playing like this makes the future very bright for the young runner, which makes it also hard to believe this is just his second week in a college football game.
Why Cal won the game ...
Attrition and defense. No other way to put that.
Cal failed to get in the endzone enough times to put UNLV away for good, but the defense came out to play. The Rebels managed to string together some long drives against a defense that was on the field often, but only managed 14 points off of their 309 yards of total offense. Not only did the Bears stop them from capitalizing in the red zone, they also made some big time plays over the course of the game. Three sacks and six tackles for loss kept the Golden Bears fighting over the course of the game. A game-ending interception by Isaiah Young ended the rebellion from UNLV.
Without consistent play from this defense, the win (if it happens at all) looks very different. Even with a few missed tackles (three, by Wilcox’s count), the defense played as well as it needed to grind out a win.
What it means for the Bears ...
Cal has the talent to jump out ahead early and they have the talent to score (a lot). But if the Bears don’t find a way to finish in the red zone, this season could start to get funky despite a 2-0 start. The Bears managed to put together quality drives that they just couldn’t finish. It’s a problem, no way around that. Starting out hot is great, but finishing hot is better. If Cal can find a way to consistently string together drives that end in scores throughout the game, they suddenly turn into a team with a strong defense and capable offense. That sort of team brings a very different sort of energy to the table when looking at the greater landscape of the Pac-12.
Both proverbially and literally, the Bears are knocking on the door of being a high scoring team. Turning field goals from the 2 and the 12-yard lines, respectively, into touchdowns makes this a 28-14 game, neglecting any other changes in how this game is played from there. Adjustments will come for this offense, but it’s unclear what form those changes will come in.
Stats
Passing
Jack Plummer: 28/39 (72%) for 278 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Jaydn Ott: 7 carries, 52 yards (7.4 AVG), 1 TD
Damien Moore: 6 carries, 26 yards (4.3 AVG), 0 TD
DeCarlos Brooks: 10 carries, 22 yards (2.2 AVG), 0 TD
Receiving
J. Michael Sturdivant: 6 catches, 49 yards, 0 TD
Jeremiah Hunter: 5 catches, 79 yards, 0 TD
Mavin Anderson: 5 catches, 48 yards, 0 TD
Keleki Latu: 4 catches, 45 yards, 0 TD
Jaydn Ott: 3 catches, 16 yards, 1 TD
DeCarlos Brooks: 2 catches, 2 yards, 0 TD
Mason Mangum: 1 catch, 31 yards, 0 TD
Damien Moore: 1 catch, 7 yards, 0 TD
Monroe Young: 1 catch, 1 yard, 0 TD