Associated Press: Cal wins 42-38 in wild one

Joe Ayoob completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Lavelle Hawkins with 1:50 left, and No. 25 Cal survived a second-half defensive meltdown to beat Washington State 42-38 on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium. After Jason Hill caught three long touchdown passes from Alex Brink on the way to a career-high 240 yards receiving for the Cougars, Ayoob led the Golden Bears on one final drive with his top two receivers watching from the sidelines with injuries. He hit a wide-open Hawkins in the back of the end zone and Cal avoided its first three-game losing streak in Coach Jeff Tedford's four-year tenure and what certainly would have been an exit from the rankings for the first time in 21 polls since 2003.

Brink finished 18 for 39 for 423 yards and five touchdowns, and Jerome Harrison ran for 159 yards for his 10th consecutive 100-yard game, but the Cougars lost their fourth in a row in frustrating fashion -- blowing a lead yet again after starting the season 3-0. Hill had his second career three-touchdown game and the teams combined for more than 1,100 yards of total offense. Hill hauled in second-half TD passes of 38, 62 and 38 yards -- the last of which was tipped by cornerback Tim Mixon before finding Hill's hands for a 32-28 lead with 3:05 left in the third. Husain Abdallah intercepted a pass by Ayoob early in the fourth quarter, setting up Chris Jordan's 16-yard touchdown catch, but the point after attempt was blocked and the Cougars couldn't hold the lead one week after blowing a 21-point cushion and losing to UCLA 44-41 in overtime at home. LaReylle Cunningham caught a 57-yard TD pass from Ayoob with 5:19 left for his first career touchdown to pull Cal within 38-35. The Bears, playing the Cougars for the first time since 2002, ended a four-game losing streak to Washington State dating to 1998.