Laird powers way to career day
Patrick Laird had no idea how many yards he had racked up during Cal’s 37-23 victory over Oregon State on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium until someone pointed to the electronic banner behind the Bears’ bench.
Sure enough, the junior running back, who wasn’t on scholarship until days before this season, churned out 214 rushing yards on 33 carries and 19 receiving yards on six catches.
“Pat’s a special guy,” Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said. “He works extremely hard. He’s a talented guy. He’s got really good intangibles of vision and balance. You talk about height, weight and speed that everybody’s so interested in, but there’s more to it than that.”
Laird had already eclipsed the 100-yard mark in the second quarter and celebrated career highs in carries, rushing yards and receptions. But his most impressive play may have come late in the fourth quarter, when Cal was facing a 3rd-and-6 situation from its own 24-yard line.
Quarterback Ross Bowers checked down a pass to Laird, who appeared to have little room to run. He managed to see the first-down stick and an oncoming defender simultaneously and fought his way for the first down. Cal was able to milk the game’s final four minutes off the clock afterward.
“It’s awesome to watch, but it’s nothing new,” Bowers said. “He’s been doing it all year. I know the numbers are little flashier today, but he’s a really good player and a great leader.
“It’s funny. We almost expect him to do that now.”
Senior Day: Nineteen players celebrated Senior Day, taking the field with their families during a pregame ceremony. Long after the team left their final game at Memorial Stadium, the words “SENIORS” was spelled out in ice by the Bears’ bench.
“This game was a little extra special, just being my last one at Memorial,” defensive lineman James Looney said. “Berkeley has been the greatest experience of my life. … I think the program is going the right direction, and it was great to get a win and get back on the rise.”
Two seniors, tailback Tre Watson and Ray Hudson, did not participate in the festivities — perhaps indicating they will petition the NCAA for injury waivers to play next season. Injury updates: Cal added three players to its seasonending-injury list Saturday: linebacker Cameron Goode, Hudson and receiver Melquise Stovall. The list stands at 11 players, including linebacker Devante Downs, defensive end Zeandae Johnson, offensive lineman Daniel Juarez, running back Billy McCrary III, safety Evan Rambo, linebacker Cameron Saffle, receiver Demetris Robertson and Watson.