NFL Draft: Cal QB Jared Goff has dud performance vs. Utah

Jared Goff showed off his NFL-ready arm with this touchdown pass to Trevor Davis midway through the first quarter. “The Bears are now locked into a long-term deal with Jay Cutler, but if they’re able to find a way out of that contract, an upgrade at quarterback should be priority No. 1 in the draft”, Brugler wrote. And the Utes escaped with a 30-24 win, thanks to a defense that intercepted Cal quarterback Jared Goff five times.

Expect to see this game come down to the wire and make sure to turn your TV to the game or use one of the free streaming options above. Senior running back Booker’s 222 rushing yards is the ninth-highest single-game total in school history…A win would have given Cal its best start since 1950.

Let’s try to put Jared Goff’s five interceptions Saturday in perspective. His first truly bad throw might have been the fourth-quarter interception to Hatfield when he threw off his back foot while being pressured. But that was the only sack logged by the Bears, who entered the game averaging a conference-best 3.6 per game.

The turnovers snowballed on Cal and that’s exactly how the defense wants it. There’s a competition within the unit to make those plays.

“I think we’re going to respond better than ever“, Goff said in a near-defiant tone.

We’d argue that Cal 1) should have handed to the tailbacks more frequently in the second half in general (4.9 yards per carry) and 2) should absolutely have mixed in a few runs on the final drive. Most came on two explosive plays: Booker’s 40-yard touchdown scamper (his only run longer than 18 yards, pretty good considering he got 34 carries) and a 54-yard bomb to Cory Butler-Byrd. Utah stretched its lead to 30-24 on Phillips’ 39-yard field goal with 12:07 left.

If Utah wins they will need to be consistent and not slip up in the last half of the season. Paul had seven tackles and his second interception on the season.

College Gameday is at Utah, so it is ideal and the momentum is on Utah’s side, but Cal has a story to tell and they are going to tell the whole world. He was the battering ram the Utes used to wear out the Cal defense, and he played his part well.

Running back Devontae Booker was the star on homecoming night for the Utes.

Faced with a six-point deficit with time winding down, Cal got one last shot at a comeback.

Cal took the opening kickoff and drove the ball into Utah territory before Utah safety Marcus Williams ended the Cal scoring threat with the first of five interceptions for the Utah defense. “It’s just a chance for us to be together and bond”. They have lost nine straight games against ranked teams, dating back to October 6th, 2012, when they beat 25th-ranked UCLA 43-17.

“I got exhausted of it, really“, he said. “He brings a toughness and a physicality to the defense… he’s exceptional in that regard, ” Whittingham said. Visions of Oregon State in 2013 and Wazzu in 2014 were starting to creep into the minds of Utes fans on that final Cal drive, but Boobie Hobbs did what those teams couldn’t, finish. “We’re all very motivated, so we set high expectations for ourselves”. Oregon scored a touchdown to open the first overtime, but WSU matched it and also got into the end zone to begin the second extra period.