Cal helpless on offense in 35-0 loss to Utah
SALT LAKE CITY — Cal’s defense forced Utah into a three-and-out and a punt on the game’s first series Saturday.
And that was the sum total of the good news for the Golden Bears.
The No. 12 Utes scored touchdowns on their remaining four possessions of the first half to mount a 28-0 lead at Rice-Eccles Stadium and entertained their 62nd consecutive capacity crowd in a 35-0 rout.
The Bears, who began the season 4-0 to reach No. 15 in the AP Top 25, now have lost four in a row and dropped to 1-4 in Pac-12 Conference play.
Cal was shut out for the first time since a 45-0 loss to No. 5 Nebraska in 1999 and went scoreless in a conference game for the first time since a 61-0 thrashing at the hands of USC in 1994. The 35-point margin was Cal’s widest in a loss to Utah.
The Bears had 83 total yards and did not cross midfield after its first possession of the game.
True freshman Spencer Brasch made his starting debut at quarterback and he was unable to get anything accomplished. The 18-year-old was 7 for 19 for 47 yards without an interception before giving way to walk-on Robby Rowell late in the game. But Brasch was not responsible for the Utes piling up 351 first-half yards.
Cal, which has relied on defense to buoy the offense the past two seasons, delivered a terrible performance on that side of the ball. Utah assembled scoring drives of 99, 90, 72 and 76 yards in the first half, consuming more than 18 minutes, then used a 50-yard drive to make it 35-0 on its first chance in the third quarter.
Brasch became Cal’s fifth different starting quarterback over the past two seasons, subbing for Devon Modster, who did not make the trip after being injured the fourth quarter against Oregon State last week. Starter Chase Garbers missed his third game after being injured against Arizona State on Sept. 27, and it’s not determined when he might make his return.
Cal has scored a total 27 points in 13 quarters since Garbers was injured, but the Bears’ ailments on offense extend well beyond quarterback. The offensive line has been beat up all season, and Cal left three injured wide receivers at home this weekend.
They were so desperate they used senior safety Ashtyn Davis — a former track and field All-America hurdler — at wideout for one play. He went deep, drew double coverage and the pass went incomplete.
Brasch completed a 4-yard pass on his first attempt of the night, and twice converted first downs with designed runs. Cal tried to help him avoid Utah’s pass rush by having him roll right early in the game, but Utah quickly figured that out and defensive tackle Leki Foto flatted him for a 13-yard sack early in the second quarter.
Brasch, a 6-foot-4, 180-pounder from Gilbert, Arizona, was 3 for 10 for 20 yards at halftime.
Utah’s first touchdown came after a botched snap to quarterback Tyler Huntley became a 69-yard pass completion to Zack Moss to the Cal 6-yard line. Moss scored from the 4 two plays later and it was 7-0 with 4:50 left in the first quarter.
It only got worse for the Bears. Utah converted six of its first seven third-down plays, and Huntley did pretty much whatever he wanted. The senior quarterback threw for 214 yards in the first half, and did not play in the second half.