Mistakes cost Bears the title

Cal rugby’s quest to break the streak and win the Varsity Cup fittingly ended on a turnover.

The Golden Bears were in striking distance, trailing by three points in the game’s final minute, but they couldn’t hold onto the ball and time expired in a 30-27 loss to BYU at Rio Tinto Stadium outside Salt Lake City. Cal has lost the title game to the Cougars in three consecutive years.

After trailing 17-3 at halftime, the Bears scored 12 straight points in the first 10 minutes of the second half to close the gap to 17-15.

BYU responded with multiple scores, including Jared Whippy’s dazzling five-point try for a 27-15 advantage.

Cal desperately clawed its way back in the final minutes, but two costly turnovers in the last five minutes, including the final possession, limited the Bears’ chances.

It was similar to the first half, when Cal gave away the ball at multiple moments.

The first turnover was at the seven-minute mark when senior Paul Bosco botched a pass to junior Harry Adolphus. The ball hit the ground and was quickly scooped up by BYU for a 7-0 lead. The second costly mistake came two minutes later when an Adolphus turnover led to a Cougars kick and a 10-0 advantage.

Cal’s only score of the opening period came 15 minutes in on an Adolphus kick, or drop goal, that cut BYU’s lead to 10-3.

Before the title game, head coach Jack Clark said his team needed a “get-it-right” effort to beat the Cougars. The giveaways at the beginning and end kept the Bears from doing just that.