BERKELEY, CALIF. – Tyrone Willingham didn’t ask his Washington Huskies to win one last game for him, and they didn’t.

The worst season in UW football history finally ended Saturday with yet another loss: 48-7, to California at Memorial Stadium.

Washington finished the season 0-12 - the worst for the school, the worst by a Pacific-10 Conference team.

The loss also brought an end to Willingham’s career at Washington – four seasons, 11 wins and 37 losses after it started.

He was asked if he had any final words for UW fans.

“I’m just disappointed I didn’t get done what I came here to do,” he said. “That’s it.”

Willingham had maintained he wouldn’t make any emotional personal appeal to his players, and his players said he did not.

No one will ever know if such a plea might have helped fire up his team. But without it, there was no consensus even among the players that they gave full effort.

Said freshman tight end Kavario Middleton: “You have some guys who are ready to get on the bus, but other than that, I think we played well emotionally.”

Said sophomore linebacker Mason Foster: “I was ready, everybody felt ready. … But the loss was terrible.”

Ready or not, the offense opened with a three-and-out.

And the defense opened by allowing Jahvid Best to run untouched for a 60-yard touchdown on Cal’s second offensive play.

Those plays set the pattern for the game for each side.

“We didn’t contain their backs,” Willingham said. “We knew coming in that we had to contain these backs; that was the most explosive part of their offense, and we didn’t do that. Four had probably an unbelievable day and we couldn’t shut him down.”

“Four” is Best, who rushed 19 times for 311 yards and four touchdowns.

The rushing total was a school record for Cal, the second-most by a Washington opponent and the fourth-most in Pac-10 history. And Best left the game in the third quarter.

The Huskies were down 24-0 late in the second quarter when quarterback Ronnie Fouch went out with a concussion. That brought in walk-on Taylor Bean, whose first pass was intercepted.

However, Bean went 8-for-17 for 80 yards with one interception in his first extended playing time since he walked on. He scored his team’s only touchdown on a 2-yard bootleg late in the third quarter.

“It was pretty cool,” he said. “I just wish we would have been able to put something else together, but when we do things right we can look pretty good.”

Then there are those other times, and the worst may have come on Cal’s final possession of the first half. The Bears took over on their own 11 with 33 seconds remaining.

They may have simply been trying to run out the clock with a safe run into the line, except Best broke it for 53 yards. A 30-yard pass got the Bears to the UW 6. And one more completion made it 31-0 at halftime.

Cal scored again on its first possession of the third quarter – an 84-yard run by Best. Soon enough, both teams were playing their reserves and rewarding little-used seniors with playing time.

Finally, the clock showed zeros.

That a zero also stubbornly remained in the UW win column was something most Huskies seemed unable to wrap their minds around.

“In retrospect, there’s really no good answer,” senior tight end Michael Gottlieb said. “I think, first of all, it’s a subjective thing: everybody’s going to have their own opinion, and I don’t think there is one thing. Watching our film offensively, people took turns messing up, not executing. I really don’t know. It’s not even really on my mind right now. I’m past that. I’m just trying to enjoy my last day of college football.”

It may not have been Willingham’s last day of college football. His name already has been linked to the job openings at San Diego State and New Mexico State, although he didn’t want to discuss that Saturday.

But it was his final day as coach at Washington, and he was asked if there was any sense of relief that it was over.

“No,” he said. “I keep saying that there’s a sense of disappointment. Disappointment for our young men, disappointment for the Husky program that we didn’t get done what I came here to do.”

Don Ruiz: 253-597-8808

blogs.thenewstribune.com/uwsports

game in review

Bears 48, Huskies 7

Player of the game

Cal tailback Jahvid Best carried 19 times for 311 yards. That’s the most individual rushing yards in the single game in Cal history, the second-most surrendered by a Washington defense (UCLA’s Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 322 in 2004) and the fourth-most in Pacific-10 Conference history. The performance also gave him the Pac-10 regular-season rushing title.

Husky of the game

UW linebacker Mason Foster had a game-high 13 tackles, including three tackles for loss. That gives him 105 tackles for the season and moves him into a tie with Oregon State’s Greg Laybourn for the Pac-10 lead.

Key plays

On Cal’s second play, Best went off tackle for 60 yards and a touchdown. Best opened the second half similarly: an 84-yard touchdown run that increased Cal’s lead to 38-0.

Personnel report

Washington starting quarterback Ronnie Fouch suffered a concussion when he was hit while sliding after a second-quarter scramble for a first down. He did not return to the game. ... His replacement, walk-on Taylor Bean, completed eight of 17 passes with one interception and also ran for the Huskies’ only touchdown in the first extensive playing time of his career. ... Willie Griffin led UW rushers with 60 yards on 24 carries. ... Linebacker Trenton Tuiasosopo has been granted a sixth season of eligibility, but he said he has not yet decided if he will use it. ... Sophomore tailback Brandon Johnson did not travel for disciplinary reasons.

Extra points

UW will carry a 14-game losing streak into next season. The Huskies became the first winless UW team in more than a century and the first 0-12 team in the history of the Pac-10. ... The Huskies averaged 12.67 points per game and allowed 38.58. Their total 463 points allowed is most in school history, as is their average of 451.75 yards allowed per game. ... Captains for the final game were Chris Stevens, Michael Gottlieb, Daniel Te’o-Nesheim and Juan Garcia. ... After the game, Cal accepted an invitation to the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco. ... A crowd of 50,038 allowed the Bears to barely keep alive a streak of 31 consecutive home games drawing 50,000 or more.

Next

Steve Sarkisian will be introduced as coach Monday. The 2009 team is expected gather for spring work in early April. Next season is scheduled to begin with a Sept. 5 visit from Louisiana State.

Don Ruiz, The News Tribune

Join the discussion at blogs.thenewstribune.com/uwsports