BERKELEY, Calif. — California came back from its week off with a pledge to put two blowout losses in the past and view the rest of the year as a brand-new season.
The Golden Bears started this “new” season the same way they started the real one — with a bevy of big plays leading to a convincing win.
Kevin Riley threw for touchdowns on his only three passes of the first quarter, Jahvid Best scored three touchdowns and California routed Washington State 49-17 Saturday for its second straight big victory.
“We got our mindset right and got those two losses out of our heads and are back to playing how we should be,” Best said. “This is a new season, we have a seven-game season. That’s how we’re looking at it now. We’re 2-0.”
The Golden Bears (5-2, 2-2 Pac-10) followed up last week’s 45-26 win over UCLA by taking a 28-3 lead after running only 11 offensive plays. Riley connected with Best, Marvin Jones and Shane Vereen on his only passes of the first quarter and Cal cruised to the victory.
Jeremy Ross scored on a 76-yard punt return, and Best ran for 159 yards and two scores on 13 carries for Cal. The Bears are averaging 48 points in their victories but failed to score a single touchdown in the two losses.
With eight plays from scrimmage that went at least 20 yards, the Bears’ offense is back to where it was early in the season.
“It was perfect timing,” Riley said. “We needed that. The confidence wasn’t down but the spirits were down definitely. Two spankings like that against us, that doesn’t happen against a team of our caliber and it shouldn’t happen.”
The Cougars (1-6, 0-5) gained 299 yards in the first half and finished with a season-high 440. The Cal defense allowed at least 400 yards for the fourth straight game despite facing a freshman quarterback in Jeff Tuel.
Tuel had his best game yet in his third straight start, getting much more time than he did the previous game when the Cougars allowed 12 sacks against Arizona State. He completed 28 of 42 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns.
“It made a big difference,” Tuel said. “I was able to step up in the pocket and deliver a few times. I had a lot more trust in my line and the things they were doing.”
Cal picked up where it left off last year against Washington State when the Bears won 66-3 in Pullman, Wash. Ross returned the opening kickoff 54 yards. Two plays later, Best went in motion and ran past cornerback Brandon Jones to catch a 27-yard TD pass from Riley.
Riley added a 37-yard TD pass to Jones on the next possession, the third TD in the past two weeks for that duo, and a 21-yard screen pass to Vereen for a touchdown late in the quarter that made it 28-3. Best also scored on a 61-yard run early in the second quarter to make it 35-3.
“Any time we can get our speed in space, we feel like we can make some big plays,” coach Jeff Tedford said.
But instead of another blowout, Cal’s porous defense allowed the Cougars back into the game. Tuel threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Forzani, who beat backup cornerback Bryant Nnabuife, and then a 19-yarder to Gino Simone in the final minute of the half to make it 35-17.
“We didn’t try to take the foot off, but that’s what happened,” linebacker Mike Mohamed said. “We let up a couple of big plays and all of a sudden they scored two touchdowns.”
Riley’s 61-yard pass to Ross in the third quarter set up Best’s third touchdown, a 2-yard run. Vereen added a 7-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
“When you have got speed in their skill positions like they have got, it’s tough,” Cougars coach Paul Wulff said. “They make plays. They are a big-play offense.
“They have as good of skill players top to bottom on offense as anybody we have played, including Oregon and USC.”
Riley finished 12 for 18 for 229 yards, three touchdowns and his second interception of the season.
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