Ott and California defense take a step forward in 24-21 win over Arizona State – Winnipeg Free Press

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Jadyn Ott ran for 145 yards and a touchdown, California’s defense made a crucial interception and then forced a turnover to stop Arizona State’s final drive, and the Golden Bears beat the Sun Devils 24-21 on Saturday. .

Sam Jackson V threw for 130 yards and a touchdown as the Golden Bears (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) bounced back from last week’s lopsided loss to No. 8 Washington to beat the Sun Devils for the second time time in the last five meetings between the conference rivals.

Cal’s defense had a great performance despite allowing 430 yards. The Bears held the Sun Devils to 3 of 15 on third downs and 686 total rushing yards.

Trenton Bourguet threw for 344 yards for the Sun Devils (1-4, 0-2). Cam Skattebo added 59 yards on 24 carries.

With their quarterback situation in flux all season as Jackson and Ben Finley competed for the starting job, the Bears focused on their running game against the Sun Devils.

Isaiah Infanse ran for 26 yards and a score, while Jackson struggled frequently and had 49 yards on two keeper plays negated by penalties.

There wasn’t much Arizona State could do to contain Ott until late in the fourth quarter. The Cal sophomore repeatedly broke down the Sun Devils’ first line and made big physical strides while helping the Bears find some consistency in their offense.

Ott scored Cal’s first touchdown of the second half on a 2-yard run following an interception by nickelback Matthew Littlejohn.

Bourguet came back and scored on a 3-yard keeper and then made the two-point conversion to pull the Sun Devils within 24-21.

Cal missed a chance to seal the victory when Ott was stopped on a fourth-and-goal from the 1, but Arizona State couldn’t capitalize. Defensive back Patrick McMorris knocked down Bourguet’s final shot on fourth down.

DRIVING

Arizona State: The Sun Devils had plenty of opportunities to take control of the game, but couldn’t make a big enough play to shift the momentum in their favor. They also hurt themselves by failing on their fourth-down attempts. On the plus side, Jalin Conyer caught a short pass from Bourguet in the first quarter to take sole possession of the school record for receptions by a tight end. It was the 56th sack of Conyer’s career, breaking a tie he shared with Chris Coyle.

California: The Bears desperately needed a win of any kind and will definitely need a win over Arizona State to get back on the winning track. It wasn’t always pretty, like many of Cal’s games this season, but it was enough to get the win.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

Arizona State: The Sun Devils return to Mountain America Stadium to host Colorado and head coach Deion Sanders on October 7.

California: Host No. 19 Oregon State at Memorial Stadium next Saturday.

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AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll