WIth a field goal virtually assured, running back Michael Wiley made that a moot point with a ten-yard TD run, Plummer guided the Wildcats down to the Cal 10. Late in the fourth period, a 25-yard punt return by Stanley Berryhill set Arizona up on its 45. But the Bears’ drive stalled and Nick Lopez, pressed into action because Dario Longhetto was among the unavailable, tied the game with a 34-yarder. Glover’s 30-yard pass to Crawford got things started and a 15-yard penalty against Arizona helped. The Cal offense, which until then had operated only on its own side of the 50, finally showed some consistency. The Bear defense would let them go no farther, but Tyler Loop got the ‘Cats on the board with a 29-yard field goal. Forcing three turnovers and keeping consistent pressure on quarterback Will Plummer, the Bears had the Cats shut out until the third quarter.Īided by a ticky-tac pass interference call on Isaiah Young and Plummer’s 21-yard scramble on a 3rd-and-4 the Wildcats reached the Cal 13. The Cal defense, missing three starters itself including team leader Luc Bequette, turned in a heroic effort. Zach Johnson was among those who tested positive. The only other QB available was sophomore Robby Rowell. Ryan was just off on a few throws and catches that would have been explosive plays.” It was very close, we think Kai has a lot of talent. “We think Ryan gave us the best chance to win this week. He said he wasn’t close to pulling Glover for freshman Kai Millner. When asked about the offense, Wilcox said, “I thought they did the best they absolutely could., I’m sure they would like to have certain plays back, There were some opportunities that were left out there. However, Crawford simply lost track of the ball in the unforgiving desert sun and couldn’t make the catch.
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Kekoa Crawford was open on a post pattern downfield and Glover’s pass was perfect. In his defense, he had a couple of bad breaks. He finished the game 11-for-29 passing for 94 yards. He was obviously rusty and many of his passes were off-target. Garbers absence t meant backup Ryan Glover, the grad transfer from Penn and Western Carolina, was called upon for his first action of the season. We had some opportunities that we didn’t quite take advantage of and wound up losing the game.”
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“I am proud of the team for competing like they did,” head coach Justin Wilcox said. Given how shorthanded they were, it is a credit to Cal that it made the game so close. The Bears (3-6, 2-4 Pac-12) had been in a position to salvage the season after a couple of impressive wins. Their status for the remaining games, including next week’s home finale against USC, is uncertain. Under the rules laid down by the city of Berkeley and the Cal campus, no one who tested positive was eligible to travel. Late last week Cal learned that in addition to the players already sidelined by injuries, several more, along with some assistant coaches and staff members, had tested positive for the virus. Try as it might, the defense could not make up for it. Minus several key performers, including quarterback Chase Garbers, the Cal offense was virtually nonexistent. The result ended Arizona’s 20-game losing streak, but it should come with a big asterisk.
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With its roster decimated by covid protocol, Cal stayed with host Arizona for most of the game, but finally lost 10-3 in Tucson on Saturday.