Recap: Cougs fall to Cal for third straight time in Berkeley

RECAP: Washington State at California

Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, Calif.

Nov. 9, 2019

After a bye week, Washington State hits the road again for the fourth time in the last five games. Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of California is the scene, a place where the Cougs lost badly 2 years ago. Here is a recap of what happened:

FIRST QUARTER: WSU won the toss and elected to receive. Max Borghi rumbled for 13 yards on the first snap but Anthony Gordon missed his target badly on his first pass attempt and the throw was intercepted. Cal ball at the WSU 27. First play for the Bears, 27-yard TD run by Christopher Brown through the left side. PAT was blocked and scooped up by George Hicks and returned for the 2-point defensive conversion! SCORE: Cal 6, WSU 2. Drive: 1 play, 27 yards. Cougs went 3-and-out on their next possession as Gordon’s third down pass hit a Pac-12 official over the middle. On 3rd-and-5 for Cal from the 30, Modster hit Crawford for 35 yards to the WSU 35. On 2nd down from the WSU 37, the Cal receiver looked to have possession for an instant but the refs ruled an incomplete pass, nullifying the call on the field of a fumble and recovery by WSU. A sack on third down forced a Cal punt from the WSU 39. WSU took over at its 4-yard line with 9:45 left 1Q. On 3rd and 5, Gordon completed a pass to Fisher right at the first down marker. But the refs also called holding on WSU, bringing up 3rd and 9 at the WSU 4. Gordon threw downfield to Borghi, who was out of bounds. But Evan Weaver was flagged for a personal foul penalty (no review for targeting), giving WSU a first down at the WSU 20. The Cougs drove as far as the CAL 47 with three straight completions by Gordon, but WSU eventually punted after 10 plays and 49 yards. Cal took over at its 14 with 5:43 left 1Q. The Cougs finally got the turnover it needed when Daniel Isom knocked the ball loose after a completion and Skyler Thomas scooped up the loose football and returned it to the CAL 19. But WSU had to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Blake Mazza with 3:34 left 1Q. SCORE: Cal 6, WSU 5. Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards. On 2nd-and-8 from the CAL 40, Isom was beaten deep for a 40-yard completion to the WSU 12. Cal had the ball at the WSU 9 when the first quarter ended.

END OF FIRST QUARTER: California 6, Washington State 5.

SECOND QUARTER: One the first play of the 2Q, Modster rolled out and hit Reinwald in the flat. He ran to the goal line and fumbled a millisecond after the ball broke the plane. The refs reviewed the play and upheld the TD call. SCORE: Cal 13, WSU 5. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:41. WSU punted again after Gordon was sacked on 3rd down. On Cal’s next possession, Tyrese Ross was flagged for pass interference on 3rd down, giving Cal a first down at the WSU 34. On fourth down from the WSU 32, Call called timeout and gambled. But and incomplete pass turned the ball over to WSU at the 32. Flat pass to Borghi gained 8 yards. Then Borghi ran for 7 yards and a first down. WSU began utilizing quick, short passes. Gordon sacked on 3rd and 1. WSU punted. Touchback. Cal takes over at the CAL 20 with 7:25 left 2Q. On the first snap, Brown ran for 22 yards to the CAL 42. A third down pass gained nothing and Cal punted. Fair catch at the WSU 15 by Harris. Looking to get something going, Gordon hit Arconado between the hashes on first down for 12 yards. Next play, same thing. Arconado over the middle. Pass to Patmon for 13 yards, Martin for 11 yards to the CAL 42. Winston for 9 yards. Finally, some rhythm from the Cougs offense. Holding call on Borghi negated a completion to Winston. But Gordon calmly hit Winston for 12 yards to the CAL 31. On 3rd and 7 from the CAL 28, Gordon hit Winston on a drag route for 11 yards to the CAL 17. Next play, Gordon connected with Arconado for the TD at the right pylon. Arconado caught the pass around the 5 and dove into the end zone with 45 seconds left 2Q. WSU went for 2 ran a slant but the receiver was down inches before the goal line. Gordon was 9-10 passing for 95 yards on the drive. SCORE: CAL 13, WSU 11. Drive: 10 plays, 85 yards. Cal ran 4 plays before halftime

HALFTIME: California 13, Washington State 11.

THIRD QUARTER: Cal picked up one first down on the first possession of the second half, but didn’t get another one as a second down run was stuffed and Modster was sacked by Justus Rogers for a 9-yard loss. WSU took over for the first time at its 31. However, the Cougs’ first play of the second half didn’t end well as Winston caught a pass and fumbled at the WSU 39. Cal needed just 4 plays to score a TD. 23-yard run by Clark led to 13-yard TD pass by Modster to Brown. SCORE: CAL 20, WSU 11. Drive: 4 plays, 39 yards. Big kickoff return negated by a hands to the face penalty. WSU started at the 8. Arconado sat in the zone between the hashes and caught a 14-yard pass to the 25 and a first down. Two more receptions by Arconado moved the ball into Cal territory. On 3rd and 9 from the CAL 45, Gordon found Martin for 28 yards to the CAL 17. Holding on Ryan pushed the ball back 10 yards. WSU couldn’t penetrate the red zone again until 3rd down pass and Mazza booted a 35-yard field goal with 3:27 left 3Q. Gordon completed 11 straight passes on the drive, improving to 31-of-38 for 262 yards in less than 3 quarters. SCORE: CAL 20, WSU 14. Drive: 13 plays, 74 yards. Cal dug themselves out of a 1st and 20 hole and gained a first down. WSU was whacked with simultaneous personal foul and unsportsmanlike penalties as Cal moved all the way to the WSU 27. But a holding call on Cal pushed the ball back 10 yards and the quarter ended with Cal facing a 3rd-and-8 at the WSU 35.

END THIRD QUARTER: California 20, Washington State 14.

FOURTH QUARTER: In the opening moments of the fourth quarter, Cal attempted a 39-yard field goal but the kick was blocked as the ball popped high in the air. WSU took over at its 22. On the fourth play, Gordon hit Winston for 36 yards to the CAL 21. 7-yard completion to Arconado moved the ball into the red zone. On fourth down, Gordon was stopped two yards short of the first down marker but Cal was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after the play, so they were pushed back inside the 5-yard line after a false start. On 3rd and 6, Cal called timeout with 9:10 left. Modster burned the Cougs defense for 26 yards on a scramble. Than WSU was burned on a blitz as an inside screen turned into a 52-yard TD play. Ball was caught in the backfield. 2-point conversion failed as a pass into the middle of the end zone was batted down. SCORE: CAL 26, WSU 14. Drive: 8 plays, 93 yards. The kickoff nearly turned into disaster for the Cougs as a pooch kick bounced around and Cal came close to falling on the football. Soon, WSU faced a 4th and 2 after Borghi was stuffed on 3rd down. Gordon to Winston for 4 yards. Cal almost intercepted a pass off a deflection but the ball hit the ground with 4:20 left. Moments later, Gordon’s pass on 4th and 15 fell incomplete. Cal takes over with 4:11 left. Two runs gained 21 yards to the WSU 14. On 4th and 3 from the 13, Modster faked a handoff and scampered around the unguarded left side for the touchdown. SCORE: CAL 33, WSU 14. Drive: 5 plays, 35 yards. WSU quickly drove into the red zone as the clock moved under a minute left. Pass to Martin to the 1. WSU timeout with 5 seconds left. Slant to Bell for the TD with 5 seconds left. Botched snap on PAT. Kickoff. Out of bounds. One final snap. Over.

FINAL SCORE: California 33, Washington State 20.