Cal Wins First Home Game At AT&T, Beats Presbyterian 63-12

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS / AP) -- Justin Bethel had never even been on a plane before this week. Along with his Presbyterian teammates, the free safety got a tour of San Francisco and even got to see the Golden Gate Bridge, already making a photo of one of the nation's most celebrated monuments the background on his cell phone.

He's taking a couple more memories home, too.

Bethel returned a blocked punt and an interception for touchdowns, accounting for Presbyterian's lone scores in a 63-12 loss at California on Saturday in the longest road trip in school history. Not that the loss did anything to dampen spirits.

"California is a beautiful place," Bethel said, smiling.

Bethel's two scores made the journey back to South Carolina far easier.

Zach Maynard threw for 215 yards and three touchdowns as California made Jeff Tedford the program's winningest coach in the first home game at AT&T Park for the program. Even Tedford's son, Quinn, caught his first collegiate pass.

"It makes it extra special," the coach said, his voice cracking. "I guess that doesn't happen every day."

There was a lot of rare moments in this one.

Isi Sofele ran for a career-high 105 yards and two touchdowns and Brendan Bigelow returned his first kick 88 yards for a score to give Tedford his 75th victory. He passed Andy Smith, who had held the record since 1925.

Cal racked up 581 total yards, allowed only 48 yards and left no doubt about the outcome.

Maynard finished 15 for 25 passing and only played one half for the Golden Bears (3-0) in the first of five games this season at the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants' cozy waterfront ballpark. Cal's longtime home, Memorial Stadium, is undergoing a $321 million renovation.

The Blue Hose dropped to 1-2 this year.

"I think it was a great experience for our kids to come out here to a different part of the country and get to play against one of the best teams in the Pac 12 in California," Presbyterian coach Harold Nichols said. "I think you can use (this game) as a measuring stick to a certain degree. More concentrated on yourself and trying to improve as a football team each week and that's what we tried do out here."

The Bears settled into their temporary digs just fine.

The water cannons in right field -- normally reserved for Giants home runs -- shot into the air every time Cal scored. Large bleachers erected along the far sideline piled in fans and the goal posts squeezed against the padded walls just below the stands

A somewhat serene crowd that came across San Francisco Bay colored the park in blue and gold and spread banners over some of the Giants' decor might have been the only damper on Tedford's day.

"It felt a little dead out there, to be honest with you," Tedford said.

While the Bears will face tougher opponents at home in the Pac-12 Conference, the Blue Hose certainly weren't one of them. They overwhelmed and overmatched Presbyterian from the start.

After three penalties stalled the opening drive, Cal wasted little time on its next possession. C.J. Anderson rushed for a 9-yard touchdown through the infield dirt to cap a three-play, 50-yard drive that gave the Bears a 7-0 lead.

Sean Cattouse followed with an interception on a gift-wrapped pass by Presbyterian's Ryan Singer that landed in his chest. Two plays later, Sofele powered his way into the end zone from a yard out to put Cal ahead 14-0.

Cattouse leaped up to snag his second interception -- the sixth of his career and the most among Cal's active players -- near the Bears sideline early in the second quarter. Three players later, Marvin Jones sprinted across the field on a crossing pattern and slipped past two defenders for a 51-yard touchdown that extended Cal's lead to 28-0.

Presbyterian made a few memories to take back home.

Bethel ran through the line untouched, blocked a punt and picked up the ball, running 15 yards for the Blue Hose's first score. Presbyterian players erupted on the sideline, spilling onto the field in celebration after trimming the Bears' lead to 28-6. They missed the extra point.

Bethel gave them more to cheer about when he intercepted a pass by Maynard and returned it 29 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. After a missed two-point conversation, Cal led 35-12.

"I was coming down and I saw the quarterback basically staring him down, so I just broke on the ball, caught it and ran it in," Bethel said.

Things were never that close again.

The Bears quickly drove 55 yards on five plays highlighted by Keenan Allen's 21-yard touchdown catch from Maynard just before the break. Bigelow returned the opening kickoff in the second half for an 88-yard touchdown that put the Bears ahead 49-12, and the rout was on.

The matchup between the two schools was hardly one that Cal fans were excited about.

The Bears had trouble finding an opponent because they had to wait for the Giants to release their 2011 schedule and then the Pac-12 to announce the conference schedule -- not to mention the initial time spent trying to determine an alternate venue to Memorial Stadium this year. The Blue Hose, who play in the Football Championship Subdivision, were guaranteed at least $400,000 from the host school for making the nearly 2,700-mile journey, by far the longest in school history.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)