Bears Stage Comeback But Fall At Oregon State

Saturday, October 8

Corvallis, Ore.

6:00 PM

California

3-3 , 1-2

Oregon State

2-3 , 1-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	OT	Final F
California	0	10	7	24	3	44
Oregon State	10	7	17	7	6	47

Notes

Tre Watson Rushed For Career-High 134 Yards As Cal Ran For 317 Against Oregon State

10/8/2016 10:33 PM | Football

CORVALLIS, Ore. – After coming all the way back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Cal football team's bid for a stunning comeback on the road came up just short as a 16-yard touchdown run by Darell Garretson gave host Oregon State the decisive touchdown in overtime and the Bears fell 47-44 at Reser Stadium.

Both teams made their mark by run rather than by pass as Cal and Oregon State combined to rush for a Cal-record 791 yards on the evening. Khalfani Muhammad led Cal's attack with a career-high 165 yards and one touchdown while Tre Watson also had a career-high night with 134 yards and two scores. Cal also rushed for a season-high 317 as a team. Ryan Nall led the Beavers with 221 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries.

Given one last chance in regulation with 1:49 remaining, a 41-38 deficit and a time out in its pocket, Cal (3-3, 1-2 Pac-12) took its shot at either tying or taking the lead. Watson and Muhammad combined to get the Bears into Oregon State territory and a big fourth-down completion from Davis Webb to Vic Wharton III picked up 25 yards and pushed the ball to the 17. A 29-yard field goal by Matt Anderson with five seconds tied the score and sent the game to overtime.

Cal got the ball first in the extra period and Anderson gave the Bears their first lead, drawing a 39-yard field goal through the uprights to make it 44-41. After the Bears held Oregon State (2-3, 1-1) to nine yards on its first two plays, Garretson broke through the line and escaped for the game-winning score.

"You've got to give Oregon State tremendous credit," Cal head coach Sonny Dykes said. "Our guys fought hard in the second half but I felt like it was too little, too late. When you get off to that bad of a start and you've dug yourself that big of a hole, it's hard to come back from."

Cal's strength on the ground helped the Bears get back within reach of a comeback and keep hope alive early in the fourth quarter. A 7-yard touchdown run by Watson capped a 13-play, 94-yard drive and narrowed the gap, bringing the score to 34-24 with 14:35 left to play.

That provided temporary relief as Oregon State countered with a long drive of its own to re-establish control. A nine-play, 73-yard march culminated in a 2-yard touchdown run by Artavis Pierce and the Beavers took a 41-24 lead with just over 10 minutes to play even as Nall had to head to the locker room due to injury.

Watson continued to do what he could to keep the Bears in contact after their own big playmaker, Chad Hansen, left due to injury, scoring from one yard out to make it 41-31 with 7:01 left. A defensive stop for Cal forced a punt and Muhammad drew the Bears even closer, turning a draw play on fourth down into a 50-yard touchdown run that made it 41-38 with 2:41 left. The Cal defense made its own impact shortly thereafter, forcing Oregon State to punt after just three plays and giving the Bears the ball back with 1:49 left.

Oregon State added to a seven-point halftime lead with a strong third quarter, continuing to move the ball on the ground throughout the period. Nall turned the first play of the half into an 80-yard scoring jaunt, but after a field goal pushed the Beavers' lead to 27-10, Cal responded with its own ground attack. A 32-yard run by Watson put the Bears at Oregon State's 5, and two plays later Webb carried it in for a 1-yard touchdown.

With Cal attempting to claw its way back into the game, Nall responded for the Beavers. A 62-yard run left Oregon State on the 5-yard line and the fullback finished the job one play later with a 5-yard scoring run that put the Beavers up 34-17 heading to the fourth quarter.

After a first half in which Oregon State controlled both time of possession and the score, Cal took the energy out of Reser Stadium and claimed momentum heading to the locker room thanks to a big defensive play.

With the Beavers attempting one final drive before the half, Marloshawn Franklin Jr. popped a Darell Garretson pass out of the arms of an Oregon State receiver and into the waiting hands of Raymond Davison. The junior linebacker turned that chance into a 39-yard return for a touchdown and left Cal down 17-10 heading into halftime.

Up until that point, the Bears struggled to get their offense going and the Beavers turned that into an early lead. A 4-yard touchdown run by Nall and 25-yard run to paydirt by Garretson accounted for OSU's touchdowns and the Beavers gained 175 yards on the ground by intermission. Cal never got its pass attack going Saturday and Webb completed 23 of 44 passes for 113 yards and one interception.

The Bears now take their bye week before returning to action in Berkeley on Oct. 21 with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against Oregon that will be televised by ESPN. Cal then goes to USC for a Thursday night showdown before hosting Washington on Nov. 5.