Weekend Wrap Up: Cal Remains Undefeated After Win At Washington, Returns To AP Top 25
Four weeks into the season, the Cal Bears are still the only undefeated team left standing in the Pac-12 North after opening Pac-12 play with a road win at Washington. The 30-24 win helped push Cal back into the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2009.
Quarterback Jared Goff continues to put up big numbers, and it is not going unnoticed around the nation. Goff threw for 342 yards and a pair of touchdowns in leading the Bears to the road win against the Huskies. This marked the second time Goff has eclipsed the 300-yard mark through the air, and he now has 1,240 passing yards and 11 touchdowns in the month of September. The only quarterback in the Pac-12 with more passing yards is USC's Cody Kessler (1,297 passing yards). Kessler is also the only quarterback in the conference with more passing touchdowns (15).
According to the official box score, Cal's win against Washington can be classified as a come-from-behind victory, but the Bears maintained control of the game for the majority of the day. Vic Enwere's 12-yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave Cal a 10-7 lead, and that lead would grow to 20-7 by halftime. Cal pushed the lead to 20 points in the third quarter when Goff tossed a touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler. Washington would make things interesting, trimming Cal's lead down to six points with 3:57 to play, but the defense came through with a big turnover on Washington's final possession. Damariay Drew's interception of Washington's Jake Browning at the Washington 40-yard line gave the Bears offense a chance to run out the clock after Goff ran for five yards to convert on a fourth down and four situation. That allowed a chance to set up the victory formation to run off the final seconds on the clock.
Cal is now 4-0 for the first time since 2007, meaning they need just two more wins the rest of the way in order to become bowl eligible. That seems to be all but a formality at this point, given the developments of the season so far.
Game Ball: Cal QB Jared Goff
Though the completion percentage may not have been terrific, Goff continued to show why he is one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. Goff passed for 343 yards and two touchdowns.
Around the Pac-12 North
It was a rough week for home teams around the Pac-12 this weekend, including both Oregon and Oregon State. The Ducks were blasted at home by Utah by a final score of 62-20. The decision was enough to drop Oregon out of the AP top 25 for the first time since 2009. Oregon State was also roughed up by Cal rival Stanford. The Cardinals now look like a scary team with their offense finding itself the last two weeks. Washington State was idle this past weekend.
What's Next?
Next up for the Golden Bears is another Pac-12 North contest with Washington State. Look for plenty of offense in this one as the Bears and Cougars are known to take to the air. Cal has had the upper hand in this series lately. Since 2005, Cal has defeated Washington State nine times out of 10, including last season's exhilarating 60-59 win in Pullman.
Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.