#chase garbers

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GO BEARS!

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Cal Looking for Another Big Game Win on Stanfurd’s Turf

Bears excited to return after extended COVID break

BERKELEY, Calif. -- — The level of excitement for Big Game week is always high at California, with the opportunity to beat archrival Stanford and take back The Axe among the top goals for the Golden Bears.

When the Bears hit the practice field Monday for the first time this week, it was at an even different level for good reason.

After playing one game without 27 players (13 of them starters) and having another postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak, Cal was more than ready to resume their winning momentum and get another victory, especially against Stanford.

“As excited and as motivated as they've been since I've been here," fifth-year coach Justin Wilcox said “Going into that team meeting (Monday), just the energy in there, it felt like the first day of fall camp. There's been some adversity and some things out of our control. ... They’re very, very eager to practice and play and focused on moving forward and not necessarily talking about what has happened and what hasn’t happened.”

What happened is Cal had a single player test positive for COVID-19 leading up to the game at Arizona on Nov. 6. Due to the Berkeley Covid protocols the team has had to follow (among the strictest in the nation) that led to program-wide testing on a group that was 99% vaccinated, forcing Cal to keep quarterback Chase Garbers, six other full-time starters and over a dozen other players home in an extremely frustrating 10-3 loss to Arizona, a game that was a terrible display of football with Cal’s second- and third-stringers unable to take advantage of an inept Wildcats squad (the worst in the Pac-12).  The contest should’ve been the Bears third win in a row.

Additional testing the next week raised the total of positives among players and coaches in the program, leaving Cal with so few at certain positions and leading to the postponement of last week's game against Southern California.  It was beginning to have the feel of last year’s disastrous Covid-depleted season, where Cal usually had far fewer players and would lose a game by a single score or less, with several games cancelled.

But the good news for this season is that nearly all those players are back this week for the Big Game. The only starters not listed as being available are left tackle Will Craug, who has an ankle injury, and right guard McKade Mettauer.

That includes Garbers, who threw for 285 yards and a TD and ran for 72 yards and a score in Cal's 2019 win at Stanford.

“I have all the respect in the world for the quarterback who has just been a terror on us,” Stanford coach David Shaw said. “His athleticism, his mobility, his game management and stepping up and making big plays in the pass game or taking off running is a challenge.”

Garbers put on a clinic against Oregon State in his last game, which Cal thoroughly dominated.  This past weekend, that same Oregon State team crushed Stanford 35-14.  So the Bears like their chances.

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Garbers & Golden Bears Roll Past Oregon State

Cal QB Throws For 3 TDs In 39-25 Victory

BERKELEY – Chase Garbers threw three touchdown passes – including two to tailback Christopher Brooks – and the Golden Bears knocked off a heavily favored Oregon State team 39-25 on Saturday at California Memorial Stadium. This despite several scoring opportunities lost (dropped pass in the end zone, TD call overturned, time running out in the first half) which would have actually put the score at 53-25 or perhaps even 60-25.  Regardless, the Bears were in full control from the very first play and never looked back; they had a two TD advantage for nearly the entire game.  This despite some key injuries on defense, including Cam Goode out for the game.

Oregon State, although not ranked in the top 25 was coming in at 5-2 and at the top of the Pac-12 North.  They had just upset the ranked Utes in Utah the week before and had the #1 offense and most rushing yards in the conference and nearly everyone predicted an “easy win” against the Bears.  But Cal  stopped OSU cold and man-handled them all afternoon on both sides of the ball. Garbers completed 17 of 25 passes for 262 yards without an interception while also rushing for 58 yards and a score, as the Bears (3-5, 2-3 Pac-12) won back-to-back games for the first time since winning three in a row to close out the 2019 season. "We knew the team we had," Garbers said. "We knew what we were capable of. We lost some close games early in the season – one or two plays here or there and our record is a different story. We knew what we had talent-wise and scheme-wise. We just had to put it all together." Brooks had 123 total yards from scrimmage while wide receiver Trevon Clark caught five passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. The Bears forced three Oregon State turnovers, including interceptions by linebacker Nate Rutchena and safety Elijah Hicks. It was Hicks' second straight game with an interception. Cal also got a blocked punt by special teams guru Nick Alftin. "We're certainly improving," Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox said. "There are some guys that are developing and making some big plays in the game and kind of coming into their own a little bit. The margins are so slim at this level of football and in our conference that there are going to be a handful of critical plays in the game that we have to find a way to make. There were some good ones today in every phase. The Bears dominated for most of the first half before the Beavers managed to finally score a late touchdown to cut Cal's lead to 17-10 at halftime. The teams traded touchdowns in the second half, with Brooks' second scoring catch giving the Bears the final margin of victory with 5:36 to play.  There was another score in the last minute that briefly put  Cal up 45-25 until the referees overturned it saying the receiver missed the end zone pylon.  Careful review of replays however, showed he had not and the score should have stood.  Despite the botched call, Garbers & Co. continued to control the ball and wind down the clock to win the game. On the opening series, the Bears stole the game's momentum immediately when linebacker Marqez Bimage forced and recovered a fumble on the first play from scrimmage, and Garbers scored on a 2-yard touchdown run six plays later. It was Garbers' 10th career rushing touchdown, a new school record for a quarterback. Cal had an important scoring drive to begin the third quarter, converting two third downs and eventually scoring on Garbers' 38-yard pass to a wide-open Brooks down the right sideline. After the Beavers cut the Bears' lead to 24-17 with 2:55 left in the third, Alftin later blocked a punt by OSU's Luke Loecher and Cal took advantage immediately on Garbers' 38-yard touchdown pass to Clark. The Beavers got their closest with then crept within 31-25 on a touchdown and two-point conversion with 11:23 to play, but the Bears answered once again with the drive of the game – an 11-play, 75-yard possession that included three third-down conversions, the final resulting in Brooks' second touchdown catch from 2 yards out. Brooks ran in the two-point conversion, and Hicks came up with his second interception in as many games on the first play of the Beavers' ensuing drive. "All I know today is that we showed out. I'm proud of my guys," Hicks said. "We are going to watch film and get back in the lab and get ready for Arizona (next week). That's just my mindset and my teammates mindset. We're just hungry for more. We're not satisfied and we're not done." Sophomore Isaiah Young had four pass breakups for the Bears in the first extensive playing time of his career, including one tipped ball that led to Rutchena's interception. The Bears scored their most points in a Pac-12 game since a 49-7 victory over Oregon State in 2018. Cal is back on the road next week to take on Arizona on Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon on the Pac-12 Network.

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Just a reminder that Cal has The Axe.

The Bears are currently leading 10-3.

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Bears Overwhelm Illinois 35-20 for Bowl Win

Garbers Is MVP - Throws 4 TD Passes, Rushes For Another

Redbox Bowl - December 30, 2019

SANTA CLARA – Included among the things the Cal football team earned tonight was the right to expect more. The Golden Bears used an efficient and balanced offense and limited Illinois to a singular second-half touchdown in a 35-20 shellacking of the Fighting Illini in the 2019 Redbox Bowl at Levi's Stadium. The win gave Cal (8-5) its second eight-win season in the past four years and a three-game winning streak to finish the year. After finishing second in the Pac-12 North and with every offensive starter returning in 2020 (and most key players back on defense), the Bears are already thinking where their next steps might take them. "It's an exciting time for us," said Cal head coach Justin Wilcox, who has improved the team's win total in each of his first three seasons in Berkeley. "We talked in the locker room about the 2020 team. The expectations should continue to rise. There's no reason why we can't expect more of ourselves." If quarterback Chase Garbers and the rest of the Cal offense continues to perform as it did against Illinois, bigger and better things seem inevitable. Garbers carved up the Fighting Illini defense, completing passes to nine different receivers and throwing four touchdown passes while rushing for another. He finished 21-for-31 for 272 yards. Garbers missed four games and parts of others this season because of injury, but the Bears went 7-0 when he played at least half the game. Cal is 12-2 in those games dating back to last year.

"We had a pretty good game plan going into the game," Garbers said. "We knew there would be a lot of opportunities out there. The receivers did a great job running the right routes and catching the ball. I just had to put the ball where it's supposed to be." Garbers was named the game's offensive MVP while running back Christopher Brown Jr. rushed for 120 yards and caught a 3-yard touchdown pass. The teams traded scores throughout the first half but the game turned after halftime. Cal held Illinois to a three-and-out on the first possession of the third quarter, including a strip-sack by defensive MVP Zeandae Johnson. The Fighting Illini recovered, but the Bears took over with excellent field position and scored on a seven-play drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Garbers to tight end Gavin Reinwald to give Cal a 28-13 lead. The Bears followed up with a 12-play, 88-yard scoring drive, with Garbers finding Nikko Remigio on a 6-yard scoring pass. Cal led 35-13 with 11:06 to play. "Our offensive staff did a great job putting a game plan together and trying to dial it up," Wilcox said. "I thought the whole offense in general did a great job." It was an especially productive game by the Bears' tight ends, as Reinwald, Jake Tonges and Collin Moore combined for five catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Moore's 4-yard scoring catch in the first quarter was the first touchdown of his career.

All-American linebacker Evan Weaver finished with a game-high nine tackles to give him 182 for the season, the fifth-highest single-season total in NCAA history. While the Bears will miss Weaver and other key defenders such as safeties Ashtyn Davis and Jaylinn Hawkins moving forward, several impact players on the defensive side of the ball return in 2020, including Johnson, nose guard Brett Johnson, linebackers Kuony Deng, Cameron Goode, and defensive backs Camryn Bynum, Elijah Hicks, among others. "The stats go with it, but all I've really cared about this season is winning as many games as we could," Weaver said. "We fell short in a few of them, but I'm happy with eight wins. It's the most I've ever had in college. These guys will do a great job piggybacking off of that." The Bears open the 2020 season Aug. 29 at UNLV, and the team is well-aware their 2019 performance will result in increased attention from the outset. "It's a big, big win for our program for a lot of reasons," Wilcox said. "We have high expectations for ourselves moving forward. If you're not trying to win every game, what are you doing here? We can talk about it, but what it takes is a lot of hard work and investment by the people in the program."

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Cal Beats UCLA 28-18 at Rose Bowl

Bears Going Bowling Again

LOS ANGELES – The Cal football team closed out the 2019 regular season on Saturday night with more evidence of the program's upward trajectory under head coach Justin Wilcox. In what is becoming an increasingly growing list of accomplishments in the three seasons under Wilcox's stewardship, the Golden Bears defeated UCLA 28-18 at the Rose Bowl on Saturday to give the program back-to-back winning seasons and another bowl date. Cal, which had already become bowl-eligible with its win over Stanford last week in the Big Game, ended the regular season with a 7-5 record after compiling the same regular season record last year.  With Garbers back at the helm the last few games, the Bears’ offense has been clicking as it did when he was for the first four games of the season, when Cal was undefeated and ranked #15 in the country. "Getting seven wins, be in position to win a bowl game, and have a chance to play somebody really good at a great location is really exciting," Wilcox said. Cal has also now won in Los Angeles in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1970-71 seasons. Saturday's win follows the Bears' victory last year at USC, which was their first at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 2003. "To go 8-5 if we handle our business at a bowl game like we should would be the best record since I've been here," Cal safety Ashtyn Davis said. "Any time you can do that and leave the program better than you found it, that's all you can ask for." Cal got it done Saturday with one of its more balanced offensive performances of the season and a playmaking defense that limited UCLA to 167 yards of offense in the second half, 70 of which came on the game's final drive as the Bruins attempted a frantic comeback. The possession ended when Cal safety Ashtyn Davis stopped Bruins running back Demetric Felton behind the line of scrimmage on fourth down from the Cal 2-yard line with 37 second remaining. Cal running back Christopher Brown Jr. recorded his second career 100-yard rushing performance with 111 yards on 18 carries, while quarterback Chase Garbers was 17-for-29 for 230 yards and a touchdown, spreading the ball around to six different receivers. "I thought our offense did a nice job," Wilcox said. "It took us a few to get going. Then we got into a rhythm and got some things going running the ball and throwing the ball." Cal All-American candidate Evan Weaver registered nine tackles to give him 173 for the season - a new Cal record. Weaver now holds two of the program's top four single-season marks in program history. Fellow linebacker Cameron Goode had a pair of sacks and a pass break-up. "Defensively, we did enough," Wilcox said. "Guys were competing. Overall, it's great to get a win. It's tough to win in this conference, and I'm proud of our team for finding a way to win." Freshman wide receiver Makai Polk caught a 44-yard touchdown pass and Garbers scored on a 1-yard TD run. Brown Jr. scored on touchdown runs of 1 and 10 yards, giving him his first two-rushing touchdown game of his career.

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Modster, Defense Lift Bears Over Cougars

Quarterback Throws Three TD, Runs For Another In Win

BERKELEY - The Golden Bears finally got that elusive fifth win.

After starting the season 4-0, beating ranked teams on the road and finally being ranked as high as #15 themselves, things came crashing back down to Earth when starting QB Chase Garbers - the only quarterback the Bears had known for the previous 15 games - went down with an injury.  Suddenly Cal’s dominant defense did not have the offensive component to accompany it.

The Bears had other injuries, particularly to their experienced offensive line.  They also lost their backup QB, Devon Modster, for a time and had to start a true freshman (shades of a year ago).  And while they played surprisingly well - almost beating the Ducks in Eugene and some other frustratingly close contests - they still lost their next four games. Evan Weaver preferred the experience Saturday much more than in previous weeks. Weaver led another impressive performance against Washington State's vaunted offense, and Modster returned from his injury with four touchdowns as the Cal football team upended the Cougars 33-20 at California Memorial Stadium. "It feels pretty good to sit up here not all cranky and angry," said Weaver, who had 10 tackles for his 15th double-digit total in the past 16 games. "It's a pretty good time to be on the winning side. It's awesome to get a win." Saturday's victory snapped the bitter losing streak for the Bears (5-4, 2-4 Pac-12) and moved them within one win of qualifying for a bowl game for the second consecutive season.

Modster threw three touchdown passes and ran for another as Cal scored the most points in a game this season. His 13-yard scoring run with 2:26 to play put the Bears up 33-14.  He had already thrown a 9-yard scoring pass to tight end Gavin Reinwald, a 13-yard touchdown toss to running back Christopher Brown Jr. and a spectacular 52-yard catch-and-run to wide receiver Makai Polk for another score. Modster finished 16-for-24 for 230 yards and no interceptions for a passer rating of 188.4. "I'd say average," Modster said when asked to assess his performance. "I missed a couple of throws that I should have made. But I think it was a great team win. The offensive line played fantastic and the receivers made plays." Cal's return to the win column coincided with a healthier roster. Center Michael Saffell was back on the field after missing the previous two games because of injury as was wide receiver Kekoa Crawford. And Modster, who was injured against Oregon State and didn't play in the Bears' previous game at Utah, looked sharp in his comeback. "I love the fact that (Modster) thinks that way," Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. "He's a competitive guy. I think probably he's thinking about a few plays where we had some home runs that we didn't quite connect on and one that we dropped. But I'm proud of how he handled it and competed. He practiced with a chip on his shoulder last week and this week, and it showed up."

In three games against the Cougars since Wilcox became Cal's head coach, the Bears have held the Cougars to an average of 14 points per game. And that number became inflated when Washington State scored an insignificant touchdown with five seconds remaining. Still, Cal still held the Cougars well under their scoring average of 41.8 points per game, continuing a trend of holding WSU well below their season average. In the previous two games before Saturday, Cal held the Cougars to an average of 11 points per game – 24.8 points per game less than their average against all other teams during the same period.

Weaver led the defensive effort and moved into ninth place on Cal's single-season tackles list with 137 (he already is tied for second on the all-time list with 159 last season). Safety Jaylinn Hawkins recorded an interception and forced fumble and nickelback Josh Drayden had a career night six solo tackles. "(WSU's offense) correlates with our defense very well," Weaver said. "We had dudes who can cover and a D-line that can rush. To have guys like that all over the field is perfect." The Bears' defense limited Washington State to 423 total yards, 81 of which came on their final drive when Cal enjoyed a significant lead, and only 16 rushing yards. The Cougars entered the game ranked sixth in total offense at 521.9 yards per game. "We came into the game hungry," Polk said. "We're trying to get to a bowl game. We knew if we won this one, we'd be one win away from a bowl game. That was our motivation going into the game."

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GOAL LINE STAND #23 Bears Keep Winning

Oxford, MS - How many people expected the Golden Bears to be unbeaten at this point? But here they are with two true road wins, the latest a 28-20 victory over the University of Mississippi on Saturday that saw Cal slam the door shut against a rising SEC power after building a 28-13 lead into the fourth quarter. Justin Wilcox's defense hasn't given up more than 20 points this season, and Cal came alive offensively against Ole Miss with 433 yards of total offense.

Evan Weaver stuffed Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee on Cal's 1-yard line with his career-best 22nd tackle of the game to seal the victory. The Bears (4-0), who earned their first win at an SEC school since 1977, also became the first Pac-12 team to defeat an SEC school on the road since Oregon bested Tennessee in Knoxville in 2010. Quarterback Chase Garbers put together a personal-best performance in the win, setting career highs in passing yards (357), completions (23) and touchdown passes (four). The redshirt sophomore finished 23-of-35 passing and found nine different receivers at least once. The Cal defense bent, but did not break, holding Mississippi (2-2) to just seven second-half points. Leading 28-13 in the fourth quarter, Cal surrendered its only score of the second half, a 15-yard touchdown rush by Jerrion Ealy with 4:29 remaining. After a short drive, Cal punted to the Ole Miss 10 with 2:45 on the clock, only to see the Rebels drive 89 yards before the pivotal goal-line stop as time ran out. "Coming down here and playing in this type of environment against a talent like that and the coaches they have, you feel really excited for our team," head coach Justin Wilcox said. "I just love the way they competed." Weaver and company were strong throughout, forcing Ole Miss to attempt four field goals, including three on its five first-half drives. The Rebels made just two of those four attempts. Cal held the Rebels scoreless in the third quarter while Garbers led a pair of touchdown drives in the frame to build a healthy lead. After Ole Miss' 47-yard field goal attempt sailed wide-right on the opening drive of the game, Cal executed a 10-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Trevon Clark hauling in a six-yard touchdown reception from Garbers. The Rebels tied it up at 7-7 on their following possession with a one-yard touchdown rush by Matt Corral. Mississippi owned a short-lived 10-7 advantage in the second quarter before Garbers hit Christopher Brown Jr. with a 13-yard touchdown pass at the 10:43 mark of the period. One of Garbers' few blemishes came with 5:24 left in the first half when he was intercepted by Deantre Prince at the Ole Miss 44. Despite the turnover, the Bears' defense came up big and held the Rebels to a field goal. The defensive stand helped Cal take a 14-13 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Cal's momentum carried over to the second half as Garbers led a 75-yard drive that was capped by a nine-yard touchdown pass to Mississippi native Jordan Duncan, who led the Bears with five receptions and 63 yards in his home state. Garbers completed three passes of 10 yards on more on the drive, including a 43-yard connection with Nikko Remigio. A 60-yard touchdown pass from Garbers to Jake Tonges with nine minutes left in the third quarter extended Cal's lead to 15 points and proved to be the Bears' final score. "We just executed in the game," Garbers said. "We lacked execution the past three weeks and we execute all the time in practice; it was good to have it carry over to Saturday today." Garbers left the game with an injury briefly in the third quarter and was replaced by Devon Modster, who completed a 16-yard pass in his lone attempt. Garbers returned on Cal's next offensive drive, however, and finished the contest. "I thought Chase – and it was not even close – (had) his best game by far," Wilcox said. "He had one throw on the pick that I think he'd like to have back, but man, I thought he just played awesome. I'm really proud of him. "With how comfortable he was and how confident he played ... he delivered with authority. All of these experiences, you learn from them, and he'll learn from this one." Ole Miss was forced to punt on its first three second-half possessions and missed its second field goal of the game, a 29-yard attempt, early in the fourth quarter. It was not until Plumlee, a true freshman, entered the game that Ole Miss started to gain offensive momentum against Cal's defense. The Golden Bears, who are 4-0 for the first time since 2015, were ranked #23 going into the game and will surely break into the Top 20 today.  They will return to California Memorial Stadium next week for a clash with Arizona State at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night. The Pac-12 contest will be aired live on ESPN.