Jack Plummer's Outstanding Second Half Gives Hope to Cal Offense

Bears quarterback gave Cal a chance to pull off an upset of No. 9 USC

Quarterback Jack Plummer's second half against USC on Saturday night was his best 30 minutes of football since arriving at Cal. 

It did not lead to a victory, enabling the Bears only to scare  ninth-ranked USC in a 41-35 loss. And it will not prevent Cal (3-6, 1-5 Pac-12) from having a losing conference record for the 13th consecutive season.

But it did provide evidence that a scuffling Cal offense might have the tools to be productive enough to be competitive in the Bears' final three games this season and perhaps be a factor in the Pac-12 next season. 

Plummer has another season of eligibility remaining, but he is undecided whether he will use it. Presumably how he and the Bears do in their final three games against Oregon State, Stanford and UCLA as well as his estimation of Cal's chances to make some noise in  the Pac-12 next year will be factors in his decision and how much the coaches encourage him to stick around for another year.

One game is not enough to prove Plummer is on a steep upward climb to stardom, especially against a USC team whose weakness is its defense. Plus you must acknowledge, as Plummer did, that the interception he threw late in the first half was probably the pivotal play in Saturday's game.

However, Plummer was impressive while putting the Bears in position to pull off a major upset in the second half.

USC has shown vulnerability in games earlier this season -- in a one-point loss to Utah, a three-point win over Oregon State and an eight-point victory over Arizona.  But those games were all on the road; the Trojans had been dominant at home, winning all four of those games handily.

Saturday night was different at L.A. Memorial Coliseum because of Plummer, who always avoids boasting but had to admit he performed well.

"I think I played pretty well," he said. "The interception before halftime might be the difference between a win and a loss for us. You can't turn the ball over in a two-minutes drill, and they end up scoring a touchdown [to give USC a 20-7 lead at halftime], so it's a big swing for us. If [we] go down there and get a field goal, that's a 10-point swing.

"I thought I played pretty well in the second half, giving guys chances to make plays. But there's always room for improvement, but probably one of my better games this year."

He threw for a season-high 406 yards, and in the second half alone he was 22-for-30 for 273 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Plummer led the Bears to three fourth-quarter touchdowns, putting them in position to steal the win after entering the fourth quarter behind by 20 points.

And Plummer did it without the benefit of a running game and in front of an offensive line that has struggled all season and was being held together by baling wire after suffering more injuries during Saturday's game.

The Bears managed just 63 rushing yards against a USC defense that entered the game ninth in the Pac-12 against the run, and talented freshman running back Jaydn Ott had only 10 rushing yards on 11 carries after collecting 40 yards on Cal's first possession of the game, which resulted in a touchdown.

Plummer was sacked three times on Saturday, and he has been sacked 28 times this season.  Only Washington State has allowed more sacks in the Pac-12. Plummer will never be as elusive as the Pac-12's five elite quarterbacks, but he is mobile enough to be effective and give Cal a chance.

Head coach Justin Wilcox agreed that Plummer had one of his best games and did a lot of good things.

"Jack can throw the ball," Wilcox said. "He's a good passer, and we need to utilize his ability to throw it and get the ball to our skill players who can make plays."

Plummer has talented receiving weapons at his disposal in wide receivers Jeremiah Hunter (102 receiving yards Saturday), J.Michael Sturdivant (eight receptions Saturday) and Mavin Anderson (87 receiving yards Saturday) as well as Ott (70 receiving yards Saturday).

Now we must see whether Plummer can do it again next Saturday on the road against Oregon State, which ranks first in the Pac-12 and ninth nationally in passer-rating defense.

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Cover photo of Jack Plummer by Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

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