Cal teases, trashes UW
For a parting gift, Keith Gilbertson was given a Washington letterman’s jacket on the field, bringing him to tears before his last home game as the Huskies football coach.
Then for the next 60 minutes, befitting a season that has stripped him of practically everything else he owns, Gilbertson lost a linebacker, tight end and free safety, and yet another game. That was worth crying about, too.
The Huskies played it close for a half against the fifth-ranked California Bears and then rolled over, getting beat 42-12 Saturday at a half-full Husky Stadium, in the process creating unwanted history.
The setback dropped the UW to 1-9 – matching the worst record (1969) in school annals, with Washington State and the Apple Cup still left to play next weekend in Pullman.
“We’ve just had some things happen to us that are almost impossible to explain,” said Gilbertson, whose removal from his job was announced two weeks ago and is effective after the WSU game.
After a competitive opening half, with Cal holding a modest 7-6 lead, things came unraveled for the Huskies almost immediately after intermission. On the fourth play, the Bears’ Greg Van Hoesen rushed up the middle and blocked a punt into the end zone, where teammate Justin Forsett recovered the ball for a touchdown, and the rout was on.
Cal (8-1 overall, 6-1 Pac-10) scored three times in the third quarter and twice more in the fourth period, offsetting a lone UW touchdown, which was symbolic for more than one reason.
Freshman Craig Chambers’ 77-yard scoring catch from Casey Paus in the third quarter was not only the Huskies’ longest play of the season, it marked just their second TD in 4½ games.
Chambers, who was starting for only the third time after escaping the scout team, finished with eight receptions for 189 yards, the latter total ranking as the ninth-best outing in school history.
At least he was able to finish the game. Junior linebacker Joe Lobendahn broke his left arm in the third quarter and was lost for the season. Junior tight end Joe Toledo and junior free safety Dashon Goldson each left and didn’t return with rib and shoulder injuries, respectively.
This game, however, was all about healthy bodies, and Cal had plenty that were way too big, strong and fast for the hosts.
Tailback J.J. Arrington and his backup Marshawn Lynch each rushed for 121 yards to share game honors. However, the second-teamer found the end three times, on 70- and 32-yard runs and a 29-yard reception. Arrington, who turned in his ninth consecutive 100-yard game, which is two shy of a Pac-10 record, provided one TD run.
No one was surprised at all by the outcome; only that it remained in question for two quarters.
“It took a long time to get going,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. “First of all, give them credit. They played very hard defensively. They did a nice job at the line of scrimmage of stopping the run. We just weren’t as sharp. I don’t think Aaron Rodgers had his best day.”
Rodgers, who had a 70 percent completion rate entering the contest, connected on just 12 of 23 throws for 161 yards with two touchdowns. He served up interceptions to UW linebackers Scott White and Evan Benjamin.
The Huskies took advantage only for a half, with the defense generally holding things together as it has done in spurts most of the season.
Freshman defensive end Greyson Gunheim gave hints of what’s expected of him in the future, coming up with a big hit on each of Cal’s first three series, helping force the Bears into punting situations. In order, the 6-4, 240-pound import from Sebastopol, Calif., sliced through from the outside to drop Arrington for a 1-yard gain, sack Rodgers for a 6-yard loss and pull down Arrington for a 1-yard loss.
“I wasn’t really surprised,” Benjamin said of the inspired UW defensive play. “I knew that we could do that, and the coach had a great game plan. In the second half, our team was worn down a little bit and they came out firing.”
The Huskies got on the scoreboard first near the end of the opening quarter with a 36-yard field goal by Evan Knudson. Freshman wideout Sonny Shackelford gave his team scoring position with a 34-yard catch of a wobbly Paus pass, getting hauled down on the Cal 18. However, a Kenny James run netted no yards and two Paus throws into the end zone fell incomplete, requiring a kick with 2:02 remaining in the period
After Knudson missed a 37-yarder near the end of the half, Cal finally got moving. Lynch ran up the left sideline, got behind Huskies cornerback Derrick Johnson and caught a 29-yard pass from Rodgers in full stride, bobbling the ball first before securing it and a score.