FORT WORTH, Texas — Stuck on the sideline for disciplinary reasons, DeSean Jackson and Robert Jordan could do nothing to keep California from falling behind by three touchdowns.
“They were chomping at the bit to get in,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. “They were prancing around on the sideline. And so when they finally got let loose, they were ready to roll.”
And they made an immediate impact.
Jackson made an acrobatic 40-yard grab for Cal’s first touchdown right after entering the game and Jordan had six catches for 148 yards and a score as the Bears rallied to beat Air Force 42-36 in the Armed Forces Bowl on Monday.
Ranked No. 2 in the nation in October before losing six of seven games, the comeback gave California (7-6) its sixth straight winning season.
Jackson, Jordan and leading tackler Thomas DeCoud were held out of the starting lineup and didn’t play the first quarter because of unspecified violations of team rules.
While the starting receivers watched helplessly, Air Force (9-4) built a 21-0 lead after scoring twice in a 2-minute span early in the second quarter with help of a botched kickoff.
“The hard part about it was the score,” said Jordan, who was about to finally get into the game with Jackson when the Falcons recovered the fumbled kickoff. “That just made me play harder. I haven’t felt all year the way I did today about trying to prove a point and help the team.”
Jackson caught three passes on his first possession, including the TD on which he made a twisting and diving catch in the end zone. He finished with five catches for 81 yards.
“It gave them a spark,” Air Force linebacker Drew Fowler said of the return of Jackson and Jordan. “As soon as they got in, it was a different story.”
Jordan had an 18-yard TD reception in the third quarter, then a 52-yard catch to set up the go-ahead 1-yard run by Justin Forsett with 1:33 left in the third quarter. That made it 28-27 and the Bears led the rest of the way.
Forsett, playing his final collegiate game only about half and hour from his home, ran for 140 yards and two TDs on 23 carries. He added a 21-yard TD run on Cal’s next drive.
For complete stats, see the Scoreboard on Page C6.
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