Playing without 24 players, including quarterback Chase Garbers, who stayed home in COVID protocol, Cal became the antidote to Arizona’s 20-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon in Tucson, Arizona.
The Wildcats, who hadn’t won in 763 days since October 2019, beat the short-handed Bears 10-3 after Michael Wiley scored on a 10-yard run with 2 minutes, 17 seconds left.
Up until then, the game was the first involving Cal that did not feature a touchdown by either team in at least 60 years.
Cal (3-6, 2-4 Pac-12) entered the week needed three wins in their final four games to become bowl eligible. Now the Bears will have to beat USC, Stanford and UCLA in order to make it to the postseason.
The Bears played without 24 players and five coaches who were left home, per COVID protocol. Besides Garbers, key players absent on offense included left guard Ben Coleman and center Matthew Cindric, while left tackle Will Craig and wide receivers Nikko Remigio and wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter were shelved by injury.
On defense, the Bears were without seventh-year end Luc Bequette, inside linebackers Trey Paster and Femi Oladejo, defensive back Collin Gamble and backup nose guard Ricky Correia.
Cal also was without placekicker Dario Longhetto. The Bears had just 63 players on the trip.
Without Garbers, who was second in the Pac-12 in total offense, the Cal offense was helpless. Ryan Glover, a graduate transfer from Penn and Western Carolina, led an offense that managed just 122 yards and nine first downs.
Glover, who had not taken a snap in Cal’s first eight games, was 11-for-29 for 94 yards and was sacked four times
A 25-yard punt return to the Cal 29 by Stanley Berryhill set up the winning score for Arizona (1-9, 1-5), which snapped the longest losing streak in Pac-12 history.
Arizona quarterback Will Plummer, who overcame shoulder and hand injuries in the game, passed 19 yards to Dorian Singer to get the Cats in position for Wiley’s game-winning touchdown.
Arizona scored first, with Tyler Loop making a 29-yard field goal with 5:46 left in the third quarter to cap a 10-play, 61-yard drive.
Cal answered immediately, going 59 yards in nine plays before Nick Lopez — subbing for Longhetto — kicked a 34-yard field goal with 2:09 left in the third quarter. A 26-yard pass from Glover to Kekoa Crawford began the drive, which was aided by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Wildcats.
The Bears totaled 66 first-half yards and just two first downs. Glover was 5-for-15 for 40 yards and Cal was 0-for-7 on third-down conversions.
Arizona had 179 yards at halftime despite using three different quarterbacks. Plummer appeared to injure his right (throwing) shoulder on a hit by linebacker Marqez Bimage, so the Cats also used wide receiver-turned-wildcat QB Jamarye Joiner and Luke Ashford.
But the Wildcats, who entered the game with a minus-11 turnover margin, gave the ball up twice on interceptions, one each by Plummer and Ashford (on his only pass attempt).
Linebacker Evan Tattersall grabbed the first pick for the Bears on a ball tipped by Bimage, and freshman linebacker Nate Rutchena secured the second one after a tip by Cameron Goode.
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