Great 1st half powers win over Cougars, snaps skid
Rusty Simmons, Chronicle Staff Writer
Cal got back on the winning track Saturday night by playing perhaps its most complete half of the season, then holding on for a 20-17 victory over Washington State in front of 55,711 in Strawberry Canyon. Amid a three-game losing skid, things started to appear dire in Berkeley this week, but the win made the Bears (6-3, 3-3 Pac-10) bowl eligible for a school-record fifth consecutive season. With three regular-season games remaining, Cal still needs one more victory to secure a bowl bid. "It's been three hard weeks," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "We've been in some close football games. It really makes you appreciate the wins. When we were winning, I don't want to say it got routine, but I don't think people were getting fired up about it. We really need to enjoy the victories, because they are hard to come by." The Bears' offense methodically chewed up clock, and their defense posted a first-half shutout - it was 10-0 at halftime. The Cougars cut the lead to four points with a 35-yard field goal in the game's final six minutes but couldn't complete the comeback. Tailback Justin Forsett burst over the right side for a 44-yard touchdown with 2:42 remaining to push the lead back to 11 and all but seal the victory. Washington State quarterback Alex Brink connected on an 18-yard touchdown pass to Charles Dillon with 19 seconds left, but Cal receiver Lavelle Hawkins ended the Cougars' hopes by recovering the ensuing onside kick.
Forsett passed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season with a 32-carry, 132-yard performance, and Hawkins had nine catches for 78 yards. Making his first career start, freshman cornerback Chris Conte had a team-high 10 tackles, and outside linebacker Zack Follett made a nuisance of himself all night. Overall, it was a surprisingly low-scoring game between Cal and Washington State (3-6, 1-5), which came in averaging a combined 56.7 points a game. Both defenses played well, and both offenses missed a series of opportunities. Forsett fumbled inside the 5-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter, and Washington State receiver Brandon Gibson was run down by safety Thomas DeCoud on a play that appeared to be headed for an 88-yard touchdown. Six plays later, the Cougars had to settle for a field goal. After losing three in a row for the first time in Tedford's tenure, the Bears had a precipitous drop from No. 2 in the nation to outside the top 25. Cal could sneak back into the Associated Press' Top 25, which had three of its bottom six teams lose Saturday. The Bears have won three consecutive in the series against Washington State, including last year, when Cal won in the Palouse for the first time since 1979. In that win, the Cougars managed just 14 first downs and were 0-for-11 on third-down conversions. It was more of the same this time around. Washington State finished with 17 first downs (five in the first half) and converted just 4-of-16 third downs. The Bears' offense did its part, too, possessing the ball for more than 20 minutes in the first half, including long scoring drives.
Cal marched 80 yards on its first possession, chewing up 7:56 with the 17-play drive. The Bears were 5-for-5 on third-down conversions and quarterback Nate Longshore was 8-of-9 on the drive, setting up Forsett's 1-yard touchdown run. Hawkins twice saved Cal's next scoring drive, breaking up an apparent interception by drilling Xavier Hicks on an overthrown ball and making a 9-yard reception on a 4th-and-2 play. The Bears failed to punch it in on three plays from inside the 4-yard line and settled for a 24-yard field goal from Jordan Kay, capping a 20-play, 10:23 drive. "We need to make touchdowns at the end of the long drives," Tedford said. "We had some dropped balls and some fumbles, but we did keep the defense off the field." Cal was leading 10-0 with 3:29 remaining in the second quarter when it was forced to punt for the first time. The Bears offense totaled 382 yards, using 81 plays and converting on 12 of 19 third downs. Washington State's first points - a 42-yard field goal by Romeen Abdollomohammadi on the first drive of the third quarter - came after Longshore fumbled a center exchange and linebacker Andy Mattingly recovered on the Cougars' 40. Cal answered right back with a 33-yard field goal by Kay, which was set up by two third-down passing conversions and pushed the Bears' lead back to 10 points. The Cougars again cut the lead to a touchdown, using a short punt and a pass interference penalty to set up a 29-yard field goal by Abdollomohammadi in the third quarter's final minute.
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