Utah Utes vs California Golden Bears Match Player Stats On Oct 01, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Oct 1, 2016

BERKELEY, Calif. -- California's defense, which is one of the worst in the nation statistically, came up with a big goal-line stand in the closing seconds to beat No. 18 Utah 28-23 Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

Cal (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) led 28-23 when Utah (4-1, 1-1) had a first-and-goal at the Cal 9-yard line. After Zack Moss rushed for 2 yards and Armand Shyne was stopped for no gain, Devante Downs and Cameron Saffle combined to sack Troy Williams for a 4-yard loss back to the 11-yard line to bring up fourth down before Utah called timeout with 20 seconds left.

Williams threw an incompletion on fourth down, but an interference call on Cal cornerback Marloshawn Franklin Jr. in the end zone gave Utah a first down at the 2-yard line with 14 seconds left. Moss was stopped at the 1-yard line with seven seconds remaining, and, following a timeout, Williams threw an incompletion with three seconds left.

Moss was stopped a yard short of the goal line by James Looney on the game's final play.

Cal quarterback Davis Webb was 22 of 35 for 306 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, while Williams was 24 of 43 for 206 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Webb threw touchdown passes of 39 and 56 yards to Demitris Robertson and 40 and 24 yards to Chad Hansen.

Shyne, who is from nearby Oakland, had 99 yards on 25 carries and scored two touchdowns.

Utah had possession time of 42:01 while Cal had the ball for just 17:59.

The Utes took their first lead of the game with 4:05 left in the third quarter when Shyne scored on a 1-yard run. That completed a 13-play, 59-yard drive that took 6:23 and put the Utes ahead 17-14.

Cal regained the lead, 21-17, on Webb's 24-yard touchdown pass to Hansen, which ended a 74-yard drive.

Cal linemen James Loney and Tony Mekari combined to stop Utah's Zack Moss for a 1-yard loss on a fourth-and-1 play from the Cal 10-yard line to keep the Bears ahead.

The Bears turned that into points when Webb hit Robertson with a 56-yard scoring pass to give the Bears a 28-17 advantage.

The Utes trimmed the deficit to 28-23 on Moss' 1-yard run with 6:41 to go, but Williams' pass on a two-point conversion attempt was incomplete.

Utah got the ball back with 4:20 left after a Cal penalty and Utah's first sack of the day ended the Bears' ensuing possession with a three-and-out. Utah took over at the Cal 49 thanks to a personal foul penalty on Cal on the punt.

But Cal came up with the stop at the end.

The Bears controlled the first 11 minutes of the game and Utah enjoyed the better of play for the remainder of the first half, which ended with Cal holding a 14-10 lead.

Cal scored just 1:20 into the contest on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Webb to Hansen, which completed a five-play, 75-yard drive.

The Bears increased their lead to 14-0 on Webb's 39-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Robertson with 4:08 left in the first quarter.

Utah closed the gap to 14-3 on Andy Phillips' 40-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter.

The Utes made it a 14-10 game with a methodical 21-play, 95-yard scoring march that ate up 9:08 on the clock. Shyne carried the final 4 yards for the touchdown with 2 minutes left in the half.

The Utes were assisted by a Cal penalty during the drive. Williams threw an incompletion on a third-and-8 from the Cal 11-yard line, but after the play, Bears defensive end Cameron Saffle was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that gave Utah a first down at the 5.

An interception by cornerback Brian Allen put Utah in position for another score, but Phillips missed a 48-yard field goal with 34 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

NOTES: Utah DT Lowell Lotulelei, a preseason all-conference pick by multiple media outlets, suffered a shoulder injury last week against USC and did not play Saturday. ... Cal played without two defensive starters who ruled out just before kickoff: S Evan Rambo (knee) and CB Darius Allensworth (quadriceps). Cal RB Khalfani Muhammad also sat out with a quadriceps injury. ... Saturday's game marked the first time Utah played at Cal's Memorial Stadium since the Utes joined the conference in 2011. Utah had a road game against Cal in 2011, but the Bears were using AT&T Park in San Francisco as their home venue that season. ... Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham came into Saturday's game with 99 head coaching wins. ... Cal WR Chad Hansen entered the game leading the nation in receptions per game (12.5) and was second in receiving yardage per game (164.0). Cal QB Davis Webb began the weekend leading the nation in passing years per game (459.3).