Washington Gets Its Act Together
BERKELEY — Washington wasn’t prepared for California’s first-half energy, and the Golden Bears weren’t equipped for the Huskies’ second-half moxie.
Cody Pickett completed 18 of 33 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns as No. 13 Washington rallied for a 31-28 victory over California on Saturday.
“We lived to tell about it,†Coach Rick Neuheisel said after the Huskies overcame a 21-10 first-half deficit, then held off a final Cal charge. “We had some things we did not prepare for, but we responded in the second half.â€
Washington (3-0, 1-0 Pac-10) has won 11 games in a row and eight consecutive conference games.
California (0-4, 0-2) has lost 19 consecutive games to Washington, dating to Nov. 6, 1976, in Seattle.
Paul Arnold caught five passes for 116 yards, including both touchdown passes from Pickett, and Rich Alexis had two one-yard touchdown runs.
Kyle Boller completed 21 of 36 passes for 265 yards and a career-best four touchdowns for the Golden Bears, who have squandered early leads against Washington the past three years.
Cal had not been 0-4 since 1980.
“I think there’s a ghost over Cal or something--something that’s preventing us from winning,†Boller said.
The Huskies trailed, 21-17, but scored on Alexis’ dive on fourth and one early in the fourth quarter to go ahead, 24-21. Alexis scored again with 5:26 to go.
Cal made it close with Boller’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Chase Lyman with 3:23 left. Cal got the ball one more time but couldn’t score.
“I think at this time and point in our season it’s important for us to make gains in certain areas,†Coach Tom Holmoe said. “Today we made gains in that we played harder and played with a lot of heart.â€
But Holmoe could not hide his disappointment.
“I’m not in the least bit content. I’m not satisfied,†he said. “This was a game we should have put away.â€
Cal struck on its first possession with a two-yard touchdown pass from Boller to Sean Currin.
The score followed a 15-yard pass from fullback Marcus Fields to Boller.
On their next possession, the Bears increased the lead to 14-0 on Boller’s 19-yard pass to tailback Joe Igber.
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
