Cal Football: Golden Bears Upset by Colorado, Lose 13-20 in Overtime
Colorado earned its first win of the season against Cal
Jack Plummer found Mason Starling wide-open in the end zone, but the wide receiver could not maintain possession, allowing previously winless Colorado (1-5, 1-2 Pac-12) to upset California (3-3, 1-2 Pac-12) 20-13 in overtime.
Both teams were inactive last week and struggled with their play early.
Colorado went three-and-out on all its possessions in the first quarter and ended the period without a single first down. Meanwhile, Plummer started the game with three incomplete passes, his third getting picked by Colorado safety Tyrin Taylor.
“We didn’t get much going at all,” California head coach Justin Wilcox told reporters in the post-game press conference.
Coach Wilcox continued: “It was not one thing… We got to block. We have to throw and catch. We have to hold onto the football. We have to play smart. It was just anything and everything.”
Although both teams ended the afternoon with a combined 625 yards of total offense, frequent turnovers and two missed California field goal attempts kept the affair a low-scoring game.
“We came out, and I mean, just—it was bad football, especially offensively,” Coach Wilcox said.
California scored only a single touchdown in Boulder, Colo., against a team that had recently fired head coach Karl Dorrell after a 0-5 start.
“You can’t win scoring one touchdown. It’s very hard to win at this level scoring one touchdown. You’ve got to put the ball in the end zone,” Coach Wilcox said after the game. “Credit to them [Colorado]. They did it more than we did.”
The Golden Bears’ touchdown resulted from a 14-yard pass from Plummer to Sturdivant with 5:49 remaining in the third quarter.
The California quarterback ended the afternoon with 262 passing yards and 29 completed passes from 52 attempts, a career-high for the Gilbert, Ariz., native.
The Buffaloes defense, which gave up 673 yards of offense to the Arizona Wildcats in its last game, kept the Golden Bears to only 103 yards of offense in the first half. Additionally, Colorado limited California’s star running back Jaydn Ott to 47 rushing yards on 16 carries.
“Boy, looking at ourselves, you just don’t win football games playing like we did today,” explained Coach Wilcox. “There’s no way.”
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Thanks for the article, Rick…no doubt another tough one to write.
With appreciation - here’s hoping brighter days are ahead!!!
Sort of surprised that nobody is calling out Starling for a soft catch in the end zone. Musgrave called the play and Jack delivered a strike. That catch was utter sh*t. You run into the ball and secure it. He gets some slack for being a back up but this is on the players too (not just the coaches).