By Jonathan Okanes, Cal Athletic Communications
BERKELEY – At some point – maybe next week, maybe at the start of spring practice, or maybe at the beginning of fall camp – members of the Cal football program will allow themselves to enjoy the strides they made during the 2014 season.
But not now. Not when the Bears were 14 yards away from a game-tying score that would have put them in position to earn bowl eligibility. Not when magical wide receiver Kenny Lawler came oh-so-close to making one more play to keep the season alive.
The disappointment was palpable following Saturday’s 42-35 loss to Brigham Young at Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium. In a back-and-forth game that would dictate Cal’s postseason fate, the Cougars made one more play with 2:39 remaining, scoring a touchdown to break the tie and lift them to a victory when Christian Stewart and Jordan Leslie hooked up for the second time in the fourth quarter.
It prevented the Bears from notching their pivotal sixth win of the season, the benchmark for earning a bowl berth. But considering the Bears went 1-11 in 2013 and were often overmatched, the developments of their 5-7 season (3-6 Pac-12) can’t be understated.
“I think everybody associated with our program has worked incredibly hard,” Cal coach Sonny Dykes said. “To come from where we came from last year to get to this point, where we were playing for bowl eligibility, is a real credit to the players. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a group deal with more adversity than this group has, and they just kept working. The reason they’re so disappointed is because of that. They’ve invested a lot. It’s hard to come up just a little bit short.”
The Bears put themselves in bowl contention with an impressive 4-1 start, taking down Northwestern on the road and notching wild, heart-pumping victories over Colorado and Washington State. Cal also defeated Oregon State on the road.
But what the Bears were most disappointed about Saturday were their missed opportunities – not necessarily against BYU but earlier in the season. Cal fell to Arizona – which won the Pac-12 South – on a Hail Mary pass on the game’s final play. The Bears lost to UCLA 36-34 in a game in which they had the ball last but couldn’t register the game-winning score. They made a spirited comeback on the road against USC, coming one successful onside kick away from possibly tying that game down the stretch.
“Obviously, we’re extremely disappointed and could have and probably should have had at least six wins this year,” said Cal quarterback Jared Goff, who threw for 393 yards and four touchdowns, breaking the school record for TD passes in a season in the process with 35. “We had plenty of opportunities to do it. That’s probably the most frustrating thing. With all those opportunities, we weren’t able to capitalize.”
Lawler set career marks with 12 catches and 138 yards, while also scoring a Cal single-game record-tying three touchdowns for the second time in his career. Running back Daniel Lasco rushed for 130 yards, putting him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season (1,115).
Despite the disappointment, Goff said this year’s developments will make an impact heading into next season. Not only did a young team earn valuable experience, the Bears learned that they have what it takes to compete in one of the top conferences in the nation.
“There are just so many players that did great things,” Goff said. “Just seeing the progression of so many guys is just so encouraging. In the future, when we get in similar situations when it’s down to the wire and we need a big play, now we’ve been there before. We’re going to be able to make that play.”
