Takeaways: Cal takes turn for worse in fourth straight loss at Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — Here are the numbers that mattered in Cal’s 35-0 loss to No. 12 Utah on Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium:

The Bears had nine punts, six first downs and, for the first time in 20 seasons, zero points. The Bears (4-4, 1-4 Pac-12) lost for the fourth straight game and seem to be getting worse in every way.

“This is crushing,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. “There’s nothing worse. You want to throw up, the way you feel after games like this. And they (his players) feel the same. It’s extremely disappointing.”

The offense was handicapped by playing with a third-string freshman quarterback, and without a slew of injured offensive linemen and wide receivers. Cal totaled just 83 yards against one of the nation’s toughest defenses.

But this is new territory for the Cal defense, which entered the game having held 14 straight opponents under 25 points. Utah had 28 points by halftime and averaged 7.8 yards per snap for through three quarters before calling off the dogs.

And it could have been worse. Starting quarterback Tyler Huntley didn’t play in the second half and the Utes (7-1, 4-1) and the Utes played their third-stringer for much of the final quarter.

Here are the takeaways:

The freshman

Spencer Brasch, 18 years old and maybe 180 pounds, got his first career start in place of Devon Modster, who did not make the trip after being injured against Oregon State last week. He was Cal’s fifth different starting quarterback in two seasons.

It’s hard to grade Brasch, who finished the game 7 for 18 for 47 yards. He had an interception (his only one) wiped out by a Utah penalty but he did not appear to be a deer in headlights most of the night.

“I was just trying to make plays,” Brasch said. ‘There’s some passes I could have completed, some reads I could have made. There’s always ways to get better.”

Said Wilcox: “We’ve got to help him some more. We’ve got to give him answers. I think Spence did fine. This was not on Spence.”

But the Bears were shut out for the first time since losing 45-0 at Nebraska in 1999 and were blanked in a conference game for the first time since 61-0 to USC in 1994.

It obviously didn’t help that wide receivers Kekoa Crawford, Jeremiah Hawkins and Ricky Walker III remained at home with injuries, and that former defensive lineman Erick Nisich started at left guard, his first career start on an ever-changing Cal offensive line.

The defense

Wow, that was shocking. Cal allowed the Utes to assemble touchdown drives covering 99, 90, 72 and 76 yards in the first half.

“We didn’t play the run well, we didn’t play the pass well, we didn’t talk very well,” said Wilcox after watching the Utes roll up 473 yards of offense. Whether it was run game, pass game, they were able to do whatever they wanted.”

Linebacker Evan Weaver, the nation’s leader in total tackles, had 22 – his third game this season with at least 20. He climbed to No. 4 on Cal’s career list with 357 tackles.

But Weaver felt no consolation. “We didn’t make the plays we could have made. We could have tackled a lot better,” he said.

Next up

Cal has a bye before closing out its schedule at home against Washington State and USC, then on the road against Stanford and UCLA.

Is there still a bowl game in the Bears’ future? Or even another victory?

“We have to forge on. There is no other option,” Wilcox said.

The Bears hope to get healthier during their bye week, but they also have to get better.

Weaver, restrained but determined, said this is not over. “I don’t plan to go out like a posey.”