Game Breakdown: Offense slumps again as Cal loses to Washington

After scoring just 22 points over the previous two games, Cal only reinforced fans' offensive concerns by coming out scoreless in the first half Saturday night vs. Washington.

The Golden Bears did rally somewhat to tie the game in the third quarter and had the ball down one score late, but nothing that transpired in this 28-21 loss to the Huskies is going to inspire any confidence in Justin Wilcox's squad -- and Bill Musgrave's offense -- moving forward.

"I thought our players gave us everything they had, and in the first half we didn't quite get enough going on offense. In the second half, we needed one more stop somewhere. And we didn't get it done. They're a good team. So that's the bottom line," Wilcox said.

RELATED: Watch Cal coach Justin Wilcox's postgame press conference

Quarterback Jack Plummer tried to do his part, completing 21 of 34 passes for 245 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, but he was sacked 5 times behind a maligned offensive line that had been struggling and then entered this game without right guard Matthew Cindric.

The veteran interior lineman was one of several notable scratches due to injury, along with cornerback Lu-Magia Hearns and edge rusher Odua Isibor.

In Cindric's case, his unspecified upper body injury is season-ending.

"He'll be out for the rest of the season, unfortunately," Wilcox said. "He's an extremely tough guy. He got injured early in the game last week and really didn't mention it and just played the entire game, and unfortunately it's an injury that needs to be repaired and will miss the rest of the year, but he is a warrior of a person."

For as much as Cal (3-4, 1-3 Pac-12) struggled offensively early on, so do did Washington (6-2, 3-2), which led just 6-0 at halftime after two early Parker Henry field goals.

The Bears broke through on their first drive of the second half, moving 75 yards on 8 plays and scoring on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Plummer to J.Michael Sturdivant.

After the Huskies went back ahead on a 6-yard Cameron Davis touchdown run and two-point conversion pass to Ja'Lynn Polk, Cal tied it again at 14-14 late in third on a 48-yard Plummer to Sturdivant touchdown on a third-and-7.

As the Bears offense finally started to warm up, its defense cratered as the Huskies would end up scoring touchdowns on its first three drives of the second half.

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw a 13-yard touchdown to Jalen McMillan and a 36-yard touchdown to Richard Newton as the Huskies pulled away.

Credit Plummer, who continued to give the offense life, hitting Mavin Anderson for completions of 11 and 34 yards to get the Bears moving down two scores. He later hit Anderson for an 8-yard touchdown on fourth down to make it a one-score game again, but the QB was sacked twice on the next drive resulting in a quick punt and the Bears turned it over on downs on their final possession.

With three straight losses now and Oregon and USC -- the Pac-12's two best offenses -- on the schedule next, the Bears' situation is starting to look dire.

"I thought our guys competed really hard. I thought we made some plays offensively in the second half -- big catches, catch and runs. Jack stood in there under some pressure and delivered the ball. The story is going to be the missed opportunities on each side of the ball," Wilcox said. "In the first half, a couple missed opportunities on offense to get down in scoring position and make something happen. And a couple in the second half. And defensively, especially in the second half, there was some opportunities to create some longer down and distances, knock a ball down where we were just short, and in a game like that against a team like that those are the plays you've got to make. There were probably five or six that turn the tide for you, and we didn't get it done."

First Quarter

10:45, Washington - Peyton Henry 40-yard field goal, Huskies 3-0

2:01, Washington - Peyton Henry 35-yard field goa, Huskies 6-0

Second Quarter

N/A

Third Quarter

10:20, Cal - Jack Plummer 8-yard pass to J.Michael Sturdivant (Dario Longhetto kick), Bears 7-6

4:48, Washington - Cameron Davis 6-yard rush (Ja'Lynn Polk 2-pt conversion), Huskies 14-7

2:10, Cal - Jack Plummer 48-yard pass to J.Michael Sturdivant (Dario Longhetto kick), 14-14

Fourth Quarter

13:49, Washington - Michael Penix Jr. 13-yard pass to Jalen McMillian (Peyton Henry kick), Huskies 21-14

10:19, Washington - Michael Penix Jr. 36-yard pass to Richard Newton (Peyton Henry kick), Huskies 28-14

6:11, Cal - Jack Plummer 8-yard pass to Mavin Anderson (Dario Longhetto kick), Huskies 28-21

J.Michael Sturdivant’s touchdown reception with 10 minutes to play in the third quarter.

Before this play, both teams were completely lifeless. Only 6 points on two field goals and it was looking like a real Pac-12 After Dark nonsense game. This touchdown was the first of four straight drives that ended as touchdowns for both sides and turned this from a slogfest to a much better offensive finish.

WR J. Michael Sturdivant.

The outstanding redshirt freshman really put the team on his back in the absence of Jeremiah Hunter (who was suited up but did not play). Sturdivant put on an 8-catch/104 yard performance with 2 touchdowns. Without his playmaking and ability to get open on almost every snap, the Bears don’t even stay in this one. Those stats marked season-highs, but he's caught at least 6 passes in each of the last three games now. The Texas native is officially on the scene after tonight.

The whole defense is going to get a tip of the hat from me.

The Cal Bears held the vaunted Washington offense to just six points on three field goal attempts in the first half despite getting absolutely no help from their offense. They let up points to the Huskies in the second half -- and QB Michael Penix Jr. ultimately got his yards, throwing for 374 -- but they still held the Dawgs 14 points under their season average of 42 points per game. While not outstanding, they certainly didn’t lose the Bears this game today.

Sturdivant’s second touchdown of the game.

Sturdivant broke wide open for his second score of the game on this play and without his bailing them out on this third-and-long I don’t think the Bears even come back into this game to the extent they did.

Cal was just too inconsistent on offense behind its shaky offensive line. For a brief moment, it looked like the Bears had finally figured it out and were able to lean on Mavin Anderson and Sturdivant when things got tough. Turns out, they couldn’t do it on a down to down basis. Had they managed to do anything in that first half this game could have been very different, but alas.

Cal's running backs averaged just 3.4 yards per carry, led by DeCarlos Brooks' 43 yards on 10 carries. Jaydn Ott managed only 38 yards on 14 attempts.

It means that we’re running out of descriptors for what this team could be and what they actually are. The flashes on offense followed (or preceded by) awful scoring and yardage droughts are maddening and almost without reason. Cal has the horses to score and yet cannot pull it together and actually get the job done. ‘Close, but no cigar’ is not even touching the tip of the iceberg when it comes to assessing this Bears offense. Cal is going to need to find a way to battle for the rest of this season, because at 3-4 with the meat of the schedule coming their way, the train could come off the tracks very quickly here. It’s up to Justin Wilcox and company to keep this team headed in the right direction.

Passing

Jack Plummer: 21 of 34 for 245 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT

Rushing

DeCarlos Brooks: 10 carries for 43 yards

Jaydn Ott: 14 carries for 38 yards

Damien Moore: 2 carries for 8 yards

Jack Plummer: 5 sacks for -28 yards

Receiving

J.Michael Sturdivant: 8 catches for 104 yards and 2 TDs

Mavin Anderson: 3 catches for 53 yards and 1 TD

Mason Starling: 4 catches for 49 yards

Jaydn Ott: 2 catches for 16 yards

Monroe Young: 1 catch for 13 yards

Damien Moore: 1 catch for 10 yards