Bears shut down Oregon St., keep their bowl hopes alive
BERKELEY >> With two wins in a row for the first time since 2019, Cal heads to next week to Arizona — loser of 20 straight games — still with a belief it can make its way back from a 1-5 start to a bowl game.
The Bears (3-5, 2-3) play USC, Stanford and UCLA — the latter two on the road — after Arizona, and they must win three of four to reach six wins and become bowl eligible.
As they move forward, the Bears can lean on progress they’ve shown offensively, which often in recent seasons hasn’t played up to the level of the defense.
“Offensively, I think that’s the best we’ve played — I don’t think there’s any question of that,” coach Justin Wilcox said after the Bears’ 39-25 win over Oregon State on Saturday night in front of an announced crowd of 38,572 at Memorial Stadium.
Let’s look at what the Bears did on offense Saturday against an Oregon State team (5-2, 3-2) that was hoping to become bowl eligible for the first time in 13 seasons:
THE FULL PACKAGE >> Cal’s 39 points and 517 yards of offense were the most it’s had in a Pac-12 game this season. The Bears avoided committing a turnover for the third straight game and didn’t allow a sack or get flagged for a penalty on offense. They topped 250 yards rushing (255) and passing (262).
The Bears converted 13 of 19 third-down opportunities, in part because they avoided third-and-long. They had 11 third downs needed just 3 yards and none longer than 9 yards.
“Just another stepping stone for us to go improve next week,” quarterback Chase Garbers said.
GARBERS CONTINUES TO EXCEL: >> Garbers was 17 for 26 for 262 yards with three touchdowns and rushed 10 times for 58 yards. His 2-yard TD run in the first quarter was the 10th of his career, setting a Cal record for a quarterback.
“He just seems to get better and better,” Wilcox said. “Big plays on the ground and in the air. And just managing the game — knowing what to do at the right time and that’s a big part of playing quarterback.”
Over the past two games, including the 26-3 in over Colorado, Garbers has completed 71% of his passes for 487 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions and has rushed for 154 yards on 7.7 yards per clip.
GRIND ’EM UP >> Oregon State arrived with the seventh-best run game in FBS, averaging 245 yards. The Beavers managed just 134 while Cal got 111 yards and a touchdown from
Damien Moore and an impressive all-around game from senior Christopher Brooks.
A 900-yard rusher just two years ago, Brooks had been limited to 46 carries through Cal’s first seven games. But he rushed 20 times for 83 yards, caught two touchdown passes and scored on a 2-point conversion run.
“Everyone saw when he first got to Berkeley he runs with a purpose,” offensive tackle Valentino Daltoso said. “He’s not going down on the first hit. He creates contact while running. It’s really fun to come off your block and see Chris running by you, carrying three people.” THE DEFENSE ALSO DELIVERS >> Linebacker Marqez Bimage, who started in place of injured Cameron Goode, wrestled the ball from OSU running back B.J. Baylor on the game’s first play from scrimmage, setting up Cal’s initial touchdown.
“That is really a momentum builder,” Wilcox said.
The defense forced two more turnovers, interceptions by linebacker Nate Rutchena (with an assist from Isaiah Young, who caused the deflection) and senior safety Elijah Hicks.
Hicks, who had his third pick of the season, said the defense expected to play well.
“We’re not that shocked, to be honest,” he said. “We’re just hungry for more. We’re not satisfied. We’re not done. We’re just going to keep coming.”