The Cal Golden Bears had inconsistent offense but they certainly had enough of it as they beat the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, 50-31. Cal failed to score in both the first and third quarters, but piled it on in the second and fourth.
After doing nothing in the first quarter but punting and turning the ball over, Cal opened the second with a field goal, picked up a rushing touchdown from C.J Anderson and another from Isi Sofele, and closed things with another field goal to make things 20-3 at the half.
The offense dried up again in the third, but the fourth featured with quarterback Zach Maynard connecting with Keenan Allen for a touchdown, Marc Anthony getting a pick six, a field goal, Keenan Allen returning a punt for a touchdown and Daniel Lasco breaking off a 77 yard run for another touchdown. Southern Utah was scoring, picking up four passing touchdowns and a field goal, but they couldn't keep pace with Cal.
Box Score Hero: The Cal rushing attack shined here, picking up 289 yards in total and spreading three touchdowns over three backs. Zach Maynard wasn't such a slouch, posting a 73 percent completion rate with 229 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Rankings Ramifications:**How big a rise/fall is in the works here? Might unranked winner enter the rankings? Anybody dropping out? Be careful here, and feel free to ask if unsure.**
But Did They Cover? Neither team was ranked going in, and both are unlikely to be ranked following the game.
For More On This Game:
For more on Golden Bears football, visit Cal blog California Golden Blogs, plus Pac-12 blog Pacific Takes and SB Nation Bay Area.
Next Week's Schedule: Cal goes on the road to face the Ohio State Buckeyes next week in one of the more challenging games on their schedule. Southern Utah faces New Mexico Highlands at home.
