Huskies top Cal in OT to open Pac-12 play with win
Sean McGrew, Washington’s sixth-year senior tailback, who has now played in a handful of games against California in his career, reflected earlier this week about the last two times these teams met.
“They honestly have had our number the past couple of games,” McGrew said, a few days prior to Saturday’s meeting between the Pac-12 North rivals. “I know the last time we went down there, we lost. And then the last time that we played them, it was up here in the lightning game.
“And, man, just disappointing outcomes for us those two games, for sure. Definitely left a bad taste in our mouth.”
In 2018, the then-No. 15 Huskies traveled to Berkeley, managed little offensively, at one point benched Jake Browning, and ended up stunned when Cal linebacker Evan Weaver, a Spokane native and former Gonzaga Prep standout, scored what turned out to be the game-winning points when he intercepted a pass from UW backup Jake Haener, and returned it for a touchdown in the closing moments of the third quarter.
Then, In 2019, a nearly three-hour weather delay caused by lightning nearby turned into another disastrous night for the then-No. 19 Huskies. It was after 1 a.m. when Greg Thomas sent the winning field goal through the uprights, handing UW another deflating defeat in their Pac-12 opener.
The two teams were scheduled to meet again in the season-opener for both teams last fall, but it was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, by the time this game was underway on Saturday evening in Seattle, this Huskies team, looking to build on an overdue first win of the season against Arkansas State a week ago, was surely ready and waiting to flip their recent shortcomings in this series around.
“This time we’re at home — definitely no rain delays this time, it looks like it will be sunny and 75 (degrees) on Saturday — so I think the energy will be right,” McGrew said earlier this week. “And I think it will be a good Saturday for us.”
McGrew’s prediction came true.
There was no shortage of offense for the Huskies — at least in the first half, when they scored three touchdowns, and later in overtime, when they scored the game-winner — this time. There were no lightning storms on a warm, clear evening at Husky Stadium. And, even though it took longer than the four planned quarters to complete it, the Huskies did open their conference schedule with a 31-24 victory.
This was Cal vs. UW, though, so the game naturally provided some late drama before the Huskies secured their thrilling win in front of an announced crowd of 60,104.
Regulation ended in a 24-24 tie, time expiring as Cal’s long field goal attempt, which would have handed the Huskies another shocking loss in the series, dropped a few yards short of the crossbar.
UW, which had controlled much of the game before the Golden Bears rallied late, opened the overtime period with what turned into the game-winning drive.
Dylan Morris capped an efficient night by completing a pair of passes — one to Taj Davis for 7 yards, and another short toss running back Kamari Pleasant turned into a 14-yard gain on a pivotal third-and-4 — to set the Huskies up inside Cal’s 5-yard line.
A false start knocked UW back a bit on first-and-goal, but McGrew still only needed three plays to get into the end zone. He took the ball on those three consecutive plays, the final two on direct snaps in the wildcat formation, and stretched across the goal line for the last 2 yards.
The play was reviewed to see if he was stopped short of the end zone on the third-and-goal attempt, but upheld, giving UW the decisive points.
“I felt like I got in there,” McGrew said. “And it just all happened how it needed to happen.”
What happened next sent UW players streaming onto the field as the cheers from the crowd echoed around the stadium.
Christopher Brooks picked up a quick 9 yards for Cal on first down, and quarterback Chase Garbers, who gave UW’s defense fits throughout with his mobility, picked up a first down moments later. A short completion to his tight end Jake Tonges, and another 8-yard gain from Damien Moore gave the Golden Bears another first down at the Huskies’ 2.
It seemed inevitable Cal would score, prolonging another eventful matchup in this series. Until it wasn’t.
Moore took a pitch, ran to his right, and seemed headed across the goal line until UW safety Cameron Williams met him at the 1-yard line, and popped the ball out of his hands.
“He came over the top and laid his shoulder right into the running back and popped the ball loose,” Huskies coach Jimmy Lake said. “Just an extraordinary play by Cam.”
And sixth-year linebacker Ryan Bowman picked up the fumble and dropped to the turf to end the game.
“We were just saying, ‘We get the ball back, we win,’ ” Bowman said of the conversation on the sideline as the defense prepared for Cal’s drive. “ … We always emphasize getting the ball back for our offense. So, that was kind of our motto in that moment.”
Before all of that, UW seemed in control for much of the contest, despite the absences of a pair of All-Pac-12 performers in tight end Cade Otton and cornerback Trent McDuffie.
Moments after UW opened the game with a quick three-and-out on its first offensive series, cornerback Kyler Gordon hauled in his first career interception.
With Cal facing third-and-9 on its first drive, Garbers tossed a ball to his right, and Gordon read it, beat the receiver back to the ball, and suddenly set the Huskies up inside Golden Bears territory.
McGrew, making his first start of the season, and Culp, starting in place of Otton, caught passes from Morris to help set up what was eventually the first touchdown catch of Davis’ career.
Morris dropped back on third-and-10, found Davis over the middle, he snagged the pass behind the outstretched hand of a Cal defender, then stretched the ball across the goal line to give the Huskies their first lead in the early minutes of the first quarter.
Cal answered on the ensuing drive, when tight end Jake Tonges leaked behind the Huskies defense and caught Garber’s 1-yard pass on fourth-and-goal, but tying the game twice was as close as Cal got.
Morris completed five more passes on five attempts on UW’s next possession as part of a six-play scoring drive that ended with Jalen McMillan’s 6-yard leaping grab in the back of the end zone.
UW’s defense forced Cal into settling for a field goal attempt on its next possession, and a mishandled snap kept the Golden Bears off the board. The Huskies responded by marching down the field, and scored again on the first of McGrew’s two touchdowns, on a 5-yard scamper, again out of the wildcat formation, to push the lead to two touchdowns with less than two minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Cal did convert on a 29-yard field goal by Dario Longhetto as time expired in the half, but UW still took a 21-10 lead into the break.
Morris at one point completed 10 consecutive passes between UW’s three first-half scoring drives, and finished 19-of-32 passing for 234 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
He kept the Huskies moving again on their opening drive of the third quarter, marching the offense inside the Cal 10 before a holding penalty backed them up. UW scored for the final time in regulation moments later on Peyton Henry’s 32-yard field goal.
Cal proceeded to cut into the two-touchdown lead from there. The Golden Bears answered on the next drive with a pass from Garbers to Damien Moore, who scurried up the sideline for a 26-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.
The Huskies punted on their next drive, but Gordon made a brilliant catch three plays later for his second interception of the game, keeping his toes in bounds while snagging a long throw from Garbers down the sideline.
UW’s offense gave the ball back moments later, losing a fumble, but Gordon stymied Cal’s next drive by tackling Moore short of a first down on fourth-and-2.
“This is the Kyler Gordon tonight that we all knew was going to happen,” Lake said.
The Huskies couldn’t capitalize, though, watching a field goal attempt sail wide left on the ensuing drive, and trading punts with Cal before Garbers engineered a fourth quarter drive that tied the game again with less than three minutes to play.
He converted a crucial third-and-4 with his feet, picking up 23 yards to set Cal up on the UW 11, and three plays later scooted into the end zone for a 7-yard score to make it 24-24. He finished 30-of-41 passing for 319 yards, the two touchdowns and two interceptions, and led Cal in rushing with 16 carries for 71 yards and the score.
The Huskies went three-and-out, but the defense held in the final two minutes of regulation, eventually watching Cal’s 55-yard field goal try fall into the end zone as the fourth quarter expired.
“Our guys just continue to fight,” Lake said. “We played a quality football team with a big-time quarterback who has been in this conference for a long time. And we knew we had to try to limit him as much as we could, and he still got a bunch of yards on us and made a bunch of plays for them.
“But, so proud of our guys to hold together and continue to fight all the way to the end.”
This story was originally published September 25, 2021 at 10:22 PM.
