BERKELEY – Lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pickles, movies and board games surrounded the Cal football team as it patiently waited out a storm in the visiting locker room at Husky Stadium last Saturday. The offensive linemen had set up an NBA2K live stream, where they watched a familiar face run the sticks back in Berkeley. 
 
Adversity from a significant delay, a hostile road environment, and offensive struggles during the first half could have easily caused Cal to fold against No. 14/12 Washington. But a shift in play from the offensive line during the second half eventually helped carry the Bears to a 20-19 victory early Sunday morning.
 
"The theme of the whole week was – have confidence in your own abilities first, and the guy next to you," Cal offensive line coach Steve Greatwood said. "I think as the game wore on that became more and more apparent. They trusted themselves first, and then each other, to do the right thing."
 
Recently declared out for the season with a lower body injury, sophomore Will Craig's absence has shaken up the look of Cal's offensive line. Though Craig did not travel to Seattle, he was still helping out his guys – providing them with a source of NBA gaming entertainment – in what would end up being upwards of a two-and-a-half-hour weather delay. 
 
"That was the good luck charm for the game," junior offensive lineman Michael Saffell said. 
 
After season-ending injuries to Craig and Gentle Williams, the offensive line donned a new look against Washington. In Cal's first Pac-12 matchup, McKade Mettauer, a true freshman, recorded his first career start, and Henry Bazakas saw the most significant snaps of his career. 
 
"Those guys have to operate as such a cohesive unit – you've got five guys that basically have to operate as one," Greatwood said. "The good thing though is that through spring practice and fall camp, these guys have all had reps with each other." 
 
Despite the new faces and the young players, the offensive line was prepared for any scenario. Greatwood emphasizes his players getting reps at multiple positions – with many players comfortable at four or five spots on the line – and trusts in their confidence to move from one side to the other. 
 
In the first half at Washington, Cal's offense recorded a trio of three-and-outs and just 90 total yards. The offensive line struggled, but never doubted itself and instead focused on regrouping. Cal's only points before halftime came on Greg Thomas' 23-yard field goal late in the second quarter, and the Bears knew they had adjustments to make. 
 
"The second half we just came out and we said, 'We want to come out and score,'" Bazakas said. "We were only down seven points – not that big of a deal. We can come back from that." 
 
With possession to start the second half, Cal sophomore quarterback Chase Garbers completed an 11-yard pass to junior wice receiver Kekoa Crawford to get the ball rolling. That proved to be the start of the Bears' turnaround as Cal strung together an eight-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 20-yard touchdown run by junior running back Marcel Dancy. On its next possession, the offense put together an 11-play, 73-yard drive that ended with another Dancy scoring run, and the Bears took a 17-13 lead late in the third quarter.
 
"Scoring that first touchdown gave us a lot of confidence, then coming back and scoring another was a big momentum builder for the team," Bazakas said. "That was a big turning point for us." 
 
A Washington field goal late in the fourth quarter put the Huskies up 19-17 with two minutes remaining in the game. The fate was in the hands of Cal's offense, and the offensive line welcomed the situation as it is well-versed in the two-minute drill.
 
"Just don't overthink the situation, you just have to take it one play at a time," junior Valentino Daltoso said. "You just have to win your rep each play; the only thing we can control is our jobs."  
 
Cal executed what Saffell considered a "pretty textbook" example of how to run the two-minute drill, and Thomas  drilled a 17-yard field goal with eight seconds left to win it.
 
"You have to have 11 guys, together, doing the right thing for anything to be successful," Bazakas said. "I think the offensive line, more so than any position, really demonstrates that."