California erupts in second half to squash Aggies
By TERRANCE HARRIS
SAN DIEGO - Texas A&M came into the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl looking for springboard to what the Aggies hope will be a magical 2007 campaign. Instead, the Aggies were knocked back to reality Thursday night when the 20th-ranked California Golden Bears beat them at their own physical game and then put on the burners en route to a 45-10 victory in front of 62,395 fans at Qualcomm Stadium.
Worst loss of season
It was by far the worst loss of the season for the 21st-ranked Aggies, who had made a habit of close games the entire Big 12 season. The Bears, however, changed that with a display that put a damper on an otherwise impressive rebound year for A&M. "Even though this wasn't what I wanted, maybe it's what this team needed going into the offseason," said A&M senior safety Melvin Bullitt. "This season was very successful. We just didn't finish the way we wanted to." The Bears punished A&M physically, hammering quarterback Stephen McGee on at least two occasions and then knocking running back Mike Goodson out of the game late with what appeared to be a knee injury. Cal dominated the Aggies' offensive line, swarming to the ball to cut off running lanes. A&M couldn't return the favor. The Bears' speed riddled A&M zones, with Nate Longshore having plenty of time to find open receivers in soft spots. Longhsore completed 19 of 24 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown with DeSean Jackson, Lavelle Hawkins and Robert Jordan his favorite targets.
That open up the running game for Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett, who both went over 100 yards as Cal (10-3) gained 241 yards on the ground. Lynch ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, while Forsett did most of his damage in the second half with 124 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. The Bears outscored A&M 31-0 in the second half to break open a close game. "It was just one of those things where if we thought we were about to stop them, they would get 10 or 15 yards on the next play," Bullitt said.
Third-quarter meltdown
The Aggies had no response on offense, especially after Cal put together back-to-back scoring drives in the third quarter to take a 28-10 lead. A&M had stayed in the game in the first half because of a couple of breaks, including an interception by Japhus Brown and a missed 42-yard field goal by Cal. The luck ran out in the second half, beginning with a shanked punt by Justin Brantly that went zero yards and gave the Bears the ball 41 yards from their end zone. It took them four plays to capitalize, Lynch going airborne for a 2-yard score. "We have to give Cal credit tonight, they played very good," A&M coach Dennis Franchione said. "They weren't very far from being a BCS team. I think our guys prepared very hard and wanted to win, we just didn't play very well."
One and done
McGee looked sharp on the opening drive of the game, leading the Aggies (9-4) on a six-play, 61-yard scoring drive that ended with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Chad Schroeder. The offense never look as crisp again as senseless penalties by the line stalled drives and the team was unable to sustain any drive. The Aggies got into the red zone only twice more, converting on a 32-yard field goal by Matt Szymanski that cut the deficit to 14-10 at halftime. "We had some decent yardage," Franchione said, "we just didn't do very well when it came down to scoring and we didn't make big plays. "Cal did a good job of containing us and we didn't make the plays. We were driving a long way all the time and we didn't execute well enough to sustain drives to get points."
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