Cal Sports Report

A Day for the Ages -- Cal's Jaydn Ott Runs for 274 Yards

He had the most yards ever by a Pac-12 true freshman in helping Cal beat Arizona

Jake Curtis

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Everything Jaydn Ott accomplished on Saturday should be followed by the phrase "and he's only a true freshman." 

In fact, his 274 rushing yards in Cal's 49-31 victory over Arizona on Saturday were the most ever by a Pac-12 true freshman.  It was the second most by any Pac-12 freshman, as Colorado's Jarek Broussard had 301 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2020.

Ott's total was the third highest rushing total in Cal history, behind only Jahvid Best's 311 yards in 2008 and Jerry Drew's 283 yards in 1954.

And he's only a true freshman.

Ott's 274 yards are the most by any player in the country this year.

---Click here for a summary of the game's key plays---

And he's only a true freshman.

On Cal's second play of the game, he went 73 yards for a touchdown, and on his final carry of the day he went 72 yards for a touchdown. And his 18-yard run for a touchdown in between was probably his most impressive run of the day as he bowled through four tacklers who seemed to have him stopped.

"I see green, man, I see the end zone, I just take off," said Ott.

"He doesn't look back," Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said of Ott. "Sometimes guys look back. Fast guys don't look back. They're just going to outrun everybody because they have confidence in their speed."

And he's only a true freshman.

Ott did it all on 19 carries, giving him an average of 14.4 yards per attempt.

And he's only a true freshman.

"274 rushing yards, 14.4 average?" said Cal quarterback Jack Plummer. "That's pretty good if you're playing Pee Wee football, or you're playing at the highest level, so he played extremely well."

He has 463 rushing yards and his three touchdowns Saturday gives him six touchdowns for the season.

"Every time I touch the ball I feel like I'm going to score," said Ott. "That's my mentality."

Certainly some other players, such as quarterback Jack Plummer and the offensive line, played a role in Cal amassing 354 rushing yards and 599 total yards against the Wildcats. 

"The offensive line, they played their butt off," Ott said.

But Ott was instigator of Cal's output, which matched the highest point total in a Pac-12 game under Wilcox.

"When you're able to break off some runs like that, it changes the complexion of the game, and what the defense can do against you," Wilcox said.

The work "electric" was thrown around like confetti in postgame comments by Wilcox and Cal players in describing Ott, a 6-foot, 205-pound speedster who provides the big-play threat Cal has been seeking since Wilcox became head coach.

"Every time he gets the ball I'm expecting a big play," Cal safety Craig Woodson said.

He is similar to Best, the player who holds the Cal record of 311 yards, and, like Ott, Best did it on just 19 carries.

"No, I've never met Jahvid," Ott said. "But we follow each other on social media. He's a cool dude."

Top eight rushing games by Cal running backs

1. Jahvid Best -- 311 yards, 2008, vs. Washington

2. Jerry Drew -- 283 yards, 1954, vs. Oregon State

3. Jaydn Ott -- 274 yards, 2022, vs. Arizona

4. John Olszewski -- 269 yards, 1951, vs. Washington State

5. J.J. Arrington -- 261 yards, 2004, vs. Southern Mississippi

6. Justin Forsett -- 235 yards, 2005, vs. New Mexico State

7. Paul Jones -- 232 yards, 1978, Washington State

8. Russell White -- 229 yards, 1992, vs. USC

Check out videos of Ott's three touchdown runs below.

Highlights of the game below:

Cover photo of Jaydn Ott is by Darren Yamashita, USA TODAY Sports

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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