BERKELEY – Another resilient effort brought the Cal football team back from 14 points down to force two overtimes but one final two-point try to win the game came up just short as the Bears fell 45-44 to Arizona in a thriller at California Memorial Stadium.

Patrick Laird returned after missing one game due to injury and made an impact both on the ground and in the air, rushing a career-high 28 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns. The redshirt junior from San Luis Obispo, Calif. also caught five passes for 42 yards. Ross Bowers completed 29 of 49 passes for 301 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and also scored a rushing touchdown.

Arizona took the game's final lead in the second overtime as a 22-yard pass from Khalil Tate to Bryce Wolma put the Wildcats ahead 45-38. On the ensuing drive, Cal got its final chance with a 4^th and goal play from the 1 and Vic Enwere simply wouldn't be denied, carrying three defenders with him over the goal line to bring the Bears within one.

That gave Cal the chance to either tie or win the game and the Bears elected to go for the victory. Bowers' pass to the back of the end zone ended up on the ground though as the breakup denied Cal's two-point try and the Wildcats escaped with the win.

"I do believe in them. I told them, if it was a different style of game, it might have been a different decision," Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said. "Based on the overtime, I love our team, how they compete. We didn't play well enough, especially on defense, to win the game today. We had our opportunities and battled back. We were down at half, went and battled and found some stops. Our offense did a nice job all night, really staying in rhythm. The turnovers were huge, but I thought they (the offense) did a nice job. At the end of it there, that was our best chance to win. You can dispute it, but I would do it again."

Cal (4-4, 1-4 Pac-12) got the ball first in overtime and found paydirt to strike the first blow. Bowers connected with Kanawai Noa on a crossing route and Noa snuck just inside the pylon, diving for a 13-yard touchdown to put Cal up 38-31. One play later, Arizona responded with a touchdown of its own as Zach Green broke free for a 25-yard touchdown and the PAT tied the score to extend the game.

Having already come back from a pair of 14-point deficits, Cal got one last chance to pull even inside two minutes to play. The Bears drove into Arizona territory but stalled on the Wildcats' 35, setting up a 52-yard field goal for kicker Matt Anderson. The senior delivered, driving a career-long 52-yard field goal through the uprights to bring the score to 31-all with 1:41 left.

Arizona's last gasp in regulation ended with the ball in Cal's hands as a long pass from Tate sailed over the intended receiver and Ashtyn Davis grabbed it on his own 1-yard line, claiming his first career interception and returning it to the 32. Time expired after a Cal punt and the Bears went to overtime for the first time in 2017.

Cal tied the score with a methodical march down the field early in the fourth quarter. An 18-yard touchdown run by Laird capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive to tie the score at 28 with 10:36 left to play. That return to neutral on the scoreboard was short lived though as Arizona re-took the lead on its next drive. A 36-yard field goal by Josh Pollack put the Wildcats up 31-28 with 5:07 remaining.

The Bears came out swinging to start the second half, scoring right away with a long, sustained drive that re-established momentum in Cal's corner. A 13-play, 79-yard drive culminated with an 8-yard play-action pass from Bowers to a wide-open Malik McMorris as Cal got within one score and trailed 21-14 with nine minutes left in the third quarter.

Arizona answered quickly, countering on its next drive with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Tate to Shun Brown but Cal wasn't nearly done. The Bears covered 56 yards on 11 plays on their very next drive, scoring on a 4-yard run by Bowers. The quarter ended with Cal still down by seven as the Wildcats took a 28-21 lead to the final period.

An uneven first half littered with penalties and turnovers on both sides ended with Arizona ahead 21-7 heading to the locker rooms. Cal owned a nearly four-minute edge in time of possession but the Wildcats were able to call on the big play for points, scoring on a 30-yard run by J.J. Taylor, 76-yard run by Tate and a 13-yard run by Green.

Cal's first-half points came courtesy of some creativity as the Bears opened the scoring with Patrick Laird scoring from 8 yards out on a Statue of Liberty trick play in which Bowers faked a pass and handed off behind his back to Laird.

That score, which came on Cal's first offensive drive, represented all the first-half scoring for the Bears as they turned the ball over twice with one coming inside the Arizona red zone. The two teams combined for 10 penalties in the first half, two of the targeting variety that resulted in Arizona ejections.

Cal hits the road for its next game as the Bears travel to Boulder for a Saturday contest at Colorado. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. (PT) and the game will be broadcast live by Pac-12 Networks. Cal returns to Strawberry Canyon on Nov. 4 to host Oregon State in the final home game of the 2017 season. Kickoff time for that game has yet to be announced.