Ill-advised pass:
Late pick foils Cal’s drive for a go-ahead score against UCLA.
The last offensive play Cal ran was as routine as it gets.
The Bears were on UCLA’s 36-yard line, trailing the Bruins by two points Saturday with a little more than a minute left. Cal head coach Sonny Dykes wanted to get the ball to at least the 25-yard line to attempt a 42-yard field goal.
With three receivers to Jared Goff ’s right and one to his left, the call was for four vertical routes down the field.
“It’s a play we call 25 times a game,” Dykes said. “Probably more like 40.”
Coming into the game, Dykes said he felt his offense’s biggest advantage would be when UCLA played tight press coverage on Cal’s outside receivers. In fact, the Bears scored on a nearly identical play with seven minutes left in the game when Goff lobbed a 23-yard pass to Kenny Lawler to give Cal a 34-33 lead.
So when Goff saw press coverage on the outside again, he went for it. Only UCLA cornerback Marcus Rios backed off just as Goff took the snap.
Goff threw a pass intended for Lawler near the goal line, but Rios made the interception while toeing the sideline.
“Just not a very smart play by me, I think,” Goff said. “I thought I’d get it again. I kind of forced it a little.”
UCLA took over on the 2-yard line with 51 seconds remaining and iced the clock to beat Cal 36-34 in front of 49,257 fans at Memorial Stadium.
Four of Cal’s five games in Pac-12 play have been decided by four points or fewer. Against the Bruins (5-2, 2-2 Pac-12), Cal had no late magic. The Bears (4-3, 2-3) have now lost two consecutive games. Just two weeks ago, the Bears were 4-1 and in first place in the Pac-12 North. The loss drops them back into the middle of the conference pack.
“Not concerned at all,” Dykes said of his season. “Not even remotely concerned. As far as our players’ mentality and all that? Not in the least bit.”
The Bears started their final drive on the 23-yard line with 3:34 to play after a lengthy injury stoppage for Cal’s Trevor Davis, who was hurt while returning a kickoff. Davis was taken off the field on a stretcher but was able to give the crowd a thumbs-up as he was carted away. Dykes said Davis was able to talk and move his arms and legs.
Cal linebacker Hardy Nickerson said the Bears talked of trying to win for Davis after the injury. While it didn’t work out as planned, the defense, which has struggled all season, forced three turnovers, including a fourth-quarter interception by defensive back Cameron Walker. The Bears took their 34-33 lead three plays after the interception on the pass from Goff to Lawler.
The Bears will have a short week to recover, and their path to a bowl berth does not get any easier. Cal’s next game is Friday night against No. 9 Oregon at Levi’s Stadium. Cal hasn’t defeated Oregon since 2008, when running backs Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen led the Bears to a 26-16 victory.
“Oregon’s going to be a must-win game for us,” linebacker Michael Barton said. “We’re looking to go to a bowl game this year. I think it’s going to be the defining moment of our season.”