Cal-Oregon State Game Thread: Bears Snap 4-Game Skid, Roll to 44-7 Win

Cal led 31-0 at halftime and 44-0 before the Beavers broke the shutout with 5 minutes left

Jaydn Ott / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Cal had things its way all day Saturday at Memorial Stadium, cruising to a 44-7 victory over former Pac-12 rival Oregon State.

The Bears led 44-0 until OSU scored with 5 minutes left. Cal snapped a 4-game losing streak and heads into a bye week with a 4-4 overall record. The Bears have a week off before traveling to Wake Forest a week from Friday in their return to ACC play.

Cal offensive coordinator Mike Bloesch talks in the video above about wide receiver Tobias Merriweather, the Notre Dame transfer who has missed the first seven games due to injury. Merriweather began practicing this week but with a bye coming up it seemed more likely he would work to be ready for the road game vs. Wake Forest a week from Friday.

Cal certainly hoped to have all hands on deck while trying to snap a four-game losing streak. The Bears began the season with three wins, but have yet to win in the Atlantic Coast Conference, dropping four games by a combined margin of nine points.

PLAYER AVAILABILITY: The Bears are on the field warming up and there is no sign of Merriweather or TE Corey Dyches.

But starting RG Sioape Vatikani, who has played just a portion of one game in the Bears' first seven, is warming up with his teammates.

Also warming up are OLB Ryan McColloch and NB Matthew Littlejohn.

COIN FLIP: Oregon State wins the toss and defers. The Beavers will kick off and will defend the south goal.

11:33 1st Q: Cal scores on a bizarre third-and-8 play from the OSU 9-yard line. Fernando Mendoza dumps a short pass off to RB Jaivian Thomas in the right flat and as he is being tackled, Thomas spins and laterals back to Mendoza, who runs untouched into the end zone. Derek Morris kicks the PAT. Cal went 75 yards in 9 plays, including a 40-yard completion from Mendoza to Trond Grizzzell. Jaydn Ott started and carried the ball twice for 3 yards. RG Sioape Vatikani did not start. Fred Williams started at RT in place of injured T.J. Session. Cal 7, Oregon State 0.

8:59 1st Q: Cal forces OSU to punt from its own 1-yard line and starts at the Beavers' 42. Mendoza passes 27 yards to Ott to the 15 and, after a false start penalty, drills a 20-yard TD pass to Nyziah Hunter. Cal with 122 yards and OSU with minus-5. Cal 14, OSU 0.

END OF 1ST QUARTER: Cal 14, Oregon State 0. Cal has a 2nd-and-5 at the OSU 12-yard as we flip to the second quarter. The Bears have outgained OSU 196 yards to 17, including 185 to 3 through the air. Mendoza is 12 for 16 for 185 yards with two TDs, including one that statistically goes to himself. Ott carried three times and zero yards but had a 27-yard reception.

Cal has 10 first downs to 1 for the Beavers, is averaging 8.9 yards per snap compared to 1.5 and has been more efficient on third down, converting 3 of 4, while OSU was 0 for 3.

OG Sioape Vatikani saw action in the quarter, as did NB Matthew Littlejohn.

But ILB Cade Uluave, the Bears' second-leading tackler, is not playing. Pete Thamel reported that it's a lower-body injury and he is day to day. Cal has a bye next week.

OG Bastian Swinney was injured and helped off the field on the final play of the first quarter. His status uncetain.

14:08 2nd Q: Cal goes 71 yards in 11 plays before Derek Morris kicks a 33-yard field goal. The drive's bigplay was a 29-yard pass from Mendoza to Grizzell to the OSU 30. Cal 17, Oregon State 0.

9:31 2nd Q: An interception by senior safety Craig Woodson at the Beavers' 47-yard line sets up a seven-play, 19-yard scoring drive with Morris converting a career-long 46-yard field goal. He is now 5 for 6 in two weeks, although the miss last week was a big one. Cal 20, Oregon State 0.

5:09 2nd Q: Jaivian Thomas scores on a 2-yard burst up the middle one play after an official review ruled he was stopped at the 2 after a run from the 18-yard line. Mendoza had a 19-yard completion to Jack Endrives and a 24-yarder to Jordan King and also ran for 11 yards and a first down during the six-play, 71-yard drive. Mendoza then passed to Mikey Matthews for the successful 2-point conversion. Cal has a yardage edge of 277 yards to 27. Cal 28, Oregon State 0.

0:00 2nd Q: Morris kicks his third FG of the game, a 19-yarder at the horn as the Bears ran out of time in their quest of adding another touchdown. The 11-play, 79-yard drive included a 24-yard pass from Mendoza to Ott and an 18-yard completion to Grizzell. Cal 31, Oregon State 0.

HALFTIME: Cal 31, Oregon State 0. This is Cal's biggest halftime lead since 52-0 vs. Grambling State on Sept. 5, 2015. The Bears have thoroughly dominating an Oregon State team that beat them the past two seasons and four of the past five.

Cal has a total yardage edge of 356 to 82, a passing yardage advantage of 299 to 40 and a first downs margin of 20 to 4. Cal is averaging 7.9 yards per snap, Oregon State just 3.4 The Bears have converted 5 of 8 third-down tries, OSU is 0 for 6. Cal is 5 for 5 in the red zone, the Beavers 0 for 1.

Mendoza is 22 for 30 for 299 yards and 2 TDs plus a touchdown reception (although he does not get credit for a catch, just the 15 yards and the TD after taking a lateral from Jaivian Thomas). Ott has 3 receptions for 57 yards, but 5 rushes for 0 yards. Grizzell has 5 catches for 95 yards and Endries 4 for 38.

8:37 3rd Q: Morris kicks his fourth FG, a 26-yarder, after a nine-play, 25-yard drive. Cal took possession at the OSU 32-yard line after the Beavers inexplicably went for it on fourth-and-3 from the 32. They failed to convert and basically handed Cal three points. Cal 34, OSU 0.

0:36 3rd Q: Freshman Jamaal Wiley scores on a 1-yard plunge - his first Cal TD -- capping an eight-play, 71-yard drive. It appeared that Mendoza had thrown his third touchdown pass of the day, but his comletion to Endries was ruled 1 yard shy of the end zone. Mendoza had completions of 35 and 12 yards to Hunter on the drive. Cal 41, Oregon State 0.

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