Cal Football: Washington Game Thread - No. 8 Huskies Crush Bears 59-32 in Seattle

This may be the last meeting between the long-time rivals as Cal heads to the ACC and UW to the Big Ten next season.

After four straight Cal-Washington games settled by seven points or fewer, this one was no contest.

The No. 8 Huskies led 14-0 before running an offensive play and went on to a 59-32 victory. Washington led 45-12 at halftime and easily improved to 4-0 with a rout in their final Pac-12 opener before heading to the Big Ten Conference next season.

Ben Finley got the start for Cal and threw a pair of touchdowns. He also was intercepted three times, including a pick-six that began the onslaught. Sam Jackson V took over when Finley was shaken up late in the third quarter and he played well, completing 10 of 14 for 156 yards and a touchdown.

Cal had 502 yards of offense, the Huskies ran up 529.

The Bears (2-2, 0-1) return home to face Arizona State next Saturday.

Our game thread: 

12:37 1st Q: Things could not have started worse for the Bears. On third-and-4 from their own 43, Ben Finley delivers a pass over the middle directly to UW linebacker Edefaun Ulorfoshio, who returns it 45 yards for a touchdown. Washington 7, Cal 0.

9:13 1st Q: The Huskies have yet to run an offensive play and yet they have scored two touchdowns in six minutes. This one came on Rome Odunze's 83-yard return of a punt for a TD that doubles the Washington lead. Washington 14, Cal 0.

5:52 1st Q: Cal strikes back, going 75 yards in eight plays with Finley throwing a 7-yard TD pass to Jeremiah Hunter, who makes an impressive one-handed grab in the end zone with a defensive back all over him. The TD was set up by Finley's 27-yard completion for ex-Husky Taj Davis, and Finley also had a 16-yard completion to TE Jack Endries. But Michael Luckhurst's PAT try hit the upright and missed. Washington 14, Cal 6.

2:19 1st Q: The Huskies waste no time on their first offensive series of the night, going 73 yards in seven plays. Michael Penix Jr. was 4-for-4 for 48 yards, including an 8-yard TD pass to Ja'Lynn Polk, who leaped over CB Jeremiah Earby to make a spectacular catch. Penix also hit Odunze with a 23-yard completion. Washington 21, Cal 6.

1:33 1st Q: Pressured on third-and-6 from his own 27 and trying to throw the ball away, Finley is picked off by Dominique Hampton at the 27. Things not getting better for the Bears. Washington 21, Cal 6. 

0:37 1st Q: Kicker Grady Gross delivers a 40-yard field goal four plays after the turnover and the Huskies add to their early stranglehold on this one. Washington 24, Cal 6.

END OF FIRST QUARTER: This was a 15-minute testament to the fact that statistics sometimes are entirely useless. Cal ran 24 plays to 10 for UW and has outgained the Huskies 100 yards to 81. But two turnovers led to 10 Husky points and a punt return accounted for another TD. Finley was still on the field as the first quarter ended after going 7 for 13 for 81 yards with a TD and two INTs. Jaydn Ott has run 6 times for 14 yards. Washington 24, Cal 6.

11:27 2nd Q: Yikes . . . did this get out of hand real quick or what? Penix hit Odunze for 44 yards on first down and UW covered 75 yards in five snaps, with Dillon Johnson piling over from the 3-yard line to complete the drive. UW is averaging 10.4 yards per snap so far. Washington 31, Cal 6.

9:00 2nd Q: Cal shows life by responding with a seven-play, 80-yard scoring drive, capped by Finley's 24-yard play-action TD pass to ex-Husky Taj Davis. He also had completions of 20 yards to Trond Grizzell and 25 to Jeremiah Hunter. Finley is 11-for-20 for 138 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs. The Bears went for 2 points, using a bizarre formation, and threw incomplete. Washington 31, Cal 12. 

7:27 2nd Q: First mistake of the night for UW - Penix, given tons of time, is picked off by Cal cornerback Lu-Magia Hearns III at the Husky 37-yard line. Washington 31, Cal 12.

7:03 2nd Q: The sense of hope for Cal fans didn't last long - Finley threw into double coverage trying to get the ball to Taj Davis and Javion Green intercepted, returning the ball 42 yards from the 10 to the Cal 48. That's three INTs in the first half by Finley. Does he return on Cal's next possession? Washington 31, Cal 12.

4:08 2nd Q: The Huskies cash in the turnover with Penix firing a 24-yard TD pass to Polk, capping a six-play, 48-yard drive. Penix is 8-for-12 for 146 yards with two TDs. Washington 38, Cal 12. 

0:44 2nd Q: Penix throws a 35-yard TD pass to Odunze, who hauls in the pass while going to the turf in the end zone. This drive covers 80 yards in six plays. Odunze has 4 catches for 112 yards (plus the punt return). Washington 45, Cal 12.

HALFTIME: Washington 45, Cal 12. Cal ran 44 plays to 30 for the Huskies but Washington averaged 10 yards a snap, totaling 301 yards to 219 for the Bears. Penix was 12 for 17 for 215 yards with 3 TDs and 1 INT. Odunze caught 4 passes for 112 yards and a TD and returned a punt 83 yards for another score. Polk had 5 catches for 66 yards and two TDs.

Finley played the entire first half, completing 15 of 27 for 154 yards with two TDs but he also was picked off three times. UW cashed in those turnovers for two TDs and a field goal. Taj Davis had 5 receptions for 60 yards and a TD and Jeremiah Hunter caught 4 for 35 yards and a score. Jaydn Ott, in his return after missing last week, carried eight times for 20 yards.

UW's 45 points match the most Cal has allowed in seven-plus seasons under Justin Wilcox . . . and that happened in a full game seven years ago.

And UW gets the ball first to start the third quarter.

11:28 3rd Q: The beat goes on . . . the Huskies go 68 yards in seven plays with Penix passing 13 yards to Odunze for the touchdown. Washington 52, Cal 12.

1:49 3rd Q: Cal scores again but not until a crazy sequence of events. Finley threw a 12-yard TD pass to Jaydn Ott, but it was wiped out by an ineligible receiver downfield On the next play, Finley was intercepted by Thaddeus Dixon, who took it back 95 yards for an apparent touchdown with 3:15 left. That didn't count, either, because of a personal foul-facemark penalty against the Huskies. Finley was shaken up on the play, holding his lower back as he walked off the field. He slammed his helmet to the ground before going into the medical tent. That brought Sam Jackson V into the game for the first time, and on third-and-goal from the 2-yard line, Ott powered his way over for the TD. Luckhurst made the PAT. Washington 52, Cal 19.

10:48 4th Q: With Jackson at the helm, the Bears go 87 yards in eight plays to score again. Jackson threw 20 yards to Trond Grizzell for the touchdown, but Luckhurst missed his second PAT try of the night. Washington 52, Cal 25.

7:08 4th Q: Sam Adams runs 9 yards for a touchdown as the Huskies, using mostly reserves, go 75 yards in nine plays. They now have 521 yards of offense, despite not getting the ball for the game's first 9 minutes. Washington 59, Cal 25.

3:40 4th Q: Ashton Stredick scores on a 3-yard run as the Bears went 75 yards in 11 plays. Freshman Mateen Bhagani made his debut on the PAT and converted the kick. Wilcox said after the game the kicker position will be up for grabs next week, like so many others on the field. Washington 59, Cal 32.

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*** Some pre-game reading material: 

-- Our thorough game preview, with pretty much everything you need about tonight's game

-- Cal coach Justin Wilcox re-opened the quarterback competition in practice this week, looking for more consistency and more explosiveness

-- The Bears' defense has been solid this season but UW will challenge them with the nation's most prolific passing attack

-- Veteran UW beat writer Dan Raley answers our 5 Questions about the Huskies

-- A great schedule of games today in the Pac-12, and we make picks on all of them

-- Sixth-year senior center Matthew Cindric's return home to Seattle tonight is not quite how he planned it but he has no regrets

-- It's a homecoming also for ex-Huskies Jackson Sirmon and Taj Davis

-- The UC Regents met this week to discuss the so-called "Berkeley Tax" it may levy on UCLA, but the only outcome so far was to form a committee

Cover photo of Husky Stadium courtesy of Washington Athletics

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo