California uses goal-line stand to beat No. 18 Utah 28-23

Davis Webb threw four touchdown passes and California stopped Zach Moss from the 1-yard line on the final play to win its second straight matchup against a ranked opponent, 28-23 over No. 18 Utah on Saturday in Berkeley, California.

“I’m really proud of our defensive players,” coach Sonny Dykes said. “Those guys have taken a lot of criticism from people. The good thing is they didn’t listen to it. They kept working and kept getting better.”

Webb threw for 306 yards and connected on a pair of scoring strikes to Chad Hansen and Demetris Robertson to lead the Golden Bears (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12).

But it was the defense that sealed the win, stopping the Utes (4-1, 1-1) on three plays inside the 2 in the closing seconds. James Looney wrapped up Moss just short of the goal line on the final play to set off a celebration.

“I had a chance to make a play, it was my play to make and I made it,” Looney said. “It was about time. I need to make those. I’m a leader of this defense and I need to make those plays.”

Cal had lost 11 straight games against ranked opponents before beating No. 11 Texas 50-43 at home two weeks ago.

The Bears broke out to a 14-0 lead and then went stagnant against the ball-control play of the Utes (4-1, 1-1), who used touchdown drives of 21 and 13 plays to take a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter on Armand Shyne’s second TD run.

USC 41, Arizona State 20: Sam Darnold passed for 352 yards and three touchdowns in his first home start, and the Trojans emerged from its rough September with a victory over the Sun Devils in Los Angeles.

JuJu Smith-Schuster caught seven passes for 123 yards and a career-high tying three TDs for the Trojans (2-3, 1-2 Pac-12), who emphatically avoided their first 0-3 start to conference play since 2001 with a blowout of the previously unbeaten Sun Devils (4-1, 1-1).

USC racked up 34 consecutive points to take a 41-6 lead during the middle two quarters, and Smith-Schuster scored on catches of 5, 3 and 67 yards. Justin Davis had a 37-yard TD run among his 123 yards rushing for the Trojans.

Colorado 47, Oregon State 6: For a program that bore the brunt of rebuilding for such an excruciatingly long time, the Colorado Buffaloes sure carried the weight of expectations well on a sunny Saturday afternoon at jam-packed Folsom Field.

A rare double-digit favorite in a Pac-12 game, Colorado cruised past Oregon State 47-6 on Saturday behind three long TD throws from freshman Steven Montez to Shay Fields.

“We just called some plays that worked,” Fields shrugged.

You have to go ball the way back to Oct. 24, 1992, when the Buffs beat Kansas State 54-7 in Big 12 play to find a league laugher quite like this.

The last time the Buffaloes (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) were a double-digit favorite in a league game was Nov. 25, 2005, against Nebraska – and they were walloped 30-3 by the Cornhuskers