Stanford Daily: Cal Classless

Cal wins fourth straight Big Game

Levy, Lynch, defense spark 27-3 Bear victory

By Daniel Novinson

Monday, November 28, 2005

Entering the 108th Big Game on Nov. 19, Stanford's seniors had never beaten California or advanced to a bowl - the Cardinal last accomplished those feats in 2001. Try as Stanford might, both streaks were extended by another year, as the visiting Golden Bears downed Stanford 27-3 on the strength of three second-half touchdowns.  "You work all season towards a game like this, and when things don't work out your way, as a football player, as a competitor, it's extremely disappointing," junior quarterback Trent Edwards said. Early in the third quarter, Cal defensive tackle Brandon Mebane sacked Edwards and knocked him out of the contest with a shoulder stinger. Sophomore quarterback T.C. Ostrander filled in for the remainder of a game in which both quarterbacks struggled. Edwards finished with only 68 total yards and Ostrander with 129.

"Trent's a great leader," senior linebacker Jon Alston said. "I thought T.C. came in and did well but we've had a lot of key injuries and it's difficult."

Three minutes into the second half, Cal sophomore tailback Justin Forcett received a right-side pitch and exploded past Stanford's defenders for a 21-yard blow that put Cal ahead 13-3. Bear quarterback Steve Levy scrambled for 31 yards on two consecutive plays to set up Forcett's score.

"Steve Levy - that guy did a great job," Stanford head coach Walt Harris said. "Those scrambles were a huge part of that drive that broke our backs." Cal iced the contest with two fourth-quarter scores. First, freshman tailback Marshawn Lynch - who finished the contest with 121 rushing yards en route to over 1,000 yards on the season - punched in a three-yard run with seven minutes remaining.

Then, with just two minutes left and a 20-3 lead, Cal dug deep in the playbook for a halfback pass, and running back Terrell Williams found tight end Craig Stevens in the corner of the end zone.   “It's just what Cal does apparently - Tedford's thing," Alston said. "One could say that it was somewhat classless, but, hey, it's a rivalry."

A failure to convert opportunities repeatedly haunted Stanford. Senior cornerback T.J. Rushing dropped a would-be interception that hit him in both arms and the chest on the drive that ended in Forcett's score. Later, senior kicker Michael Sgroi pushed a 41-yard field goal wide right that would have cut the deficit to just a touchdown with 9:31 to play. Cal drew first blood when Levy hit freshman receiver DeSean Jackson for a 56-yard play action touchdown over Rushing's outstretched arms. Senior safety Trevor Hooper blocked the extra point, and Cal led 6-0 with 9:29 remaining in the first. The Cardinal cut the Bears' lead to 6-3 with senior kicker Michael Sgroi's 37-yard second-quarter field. Neither team mustered another score in the half, as both defenses looked dominant early. The cross-bay rivals combined for six sacks and only 83 rushing yards and 221 total yards in the first 30 minutes. While Stanford yielded two second-half touchdowns, Cal's defense remained stout throughout the contest. Stanford finished with only 26 yards on 36 rushing attempts, and Cal's defensive front sacked Ostrander and Edwards a combined nine times. "Primarily offensively, we did not match up physically," Harris said. "They had bigger, better, stronger, faster guys."