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Arizona State Sun Devils @ Cal Golden Bears Football Recap

California 50, Arizona State 17

One needed to be ready to expect anything on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California.

Anything did happen.

The California Golden Bears received the benefit of anything that could go right, while the Arizona State Sun Devils bore the brunt of anything that could go wrong. The result was a bloodbath in the midst of a typically strange season for both of these clubs.

For Cal, the 33-point win (which felt like something even more lopsided, if you can believe it) was the continuation of a distinctly split season, a journey through autumn in which the Bears are two entirely different clubs at home and on the road. Cal has lost all three of its road games this year, two of them by a combined total of 55 points. Coach Jeff Tedford’s team hasn’t had a pulse away from its Berkeley cave, but boy, when Cal is allowed to play near its native habitat in Strawberry Canyon, the home folks have been able to whoop it up… and the Bears have been able to open a can of whoopin’ on their opponents. With this win, the Bears have now triumphed in all four of their home games by an average of 38.75 points, or an aggregate margin of 155 points. The tamest and most timid home win for Cal in 2010 was a “mere” 35-7 win over UCLA. This game exceeded that Pac-10 beatdown, proving that the up-and-down Bears can get healthy against more than one team in their league.

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Just how much of a perfect ride was this for Cal, and just how awful was this Saturday for coach Dennis Erickson’s flat and thoroughly unprepared Sun Devils? After ASU snatched a quick 3-0 lead on the first drive of the game, Cal ran off 40 points in a row. The Bears stormed to a 26-3 halftime lead by forcing four separate three-and-outs and also nabbing an interception of beleaguered ASU quarterback Steven Threet. The biggest play of the half for Cal was a 52-yard touchdown bomb from quarterback Kevin Riley to Marvin Jones. The half-field home run extended the Bears’ lead to 23-3 with 8:28 still left in the second quarter. The play appeared to break the backs – and the spirits – of the Devils, who won earlier in the Pac-10 season on the road at Washington but could not replicate that away-game magic on Saturday.

When all was said and done, Arizona State’s only offensive points – amazingly enough – came on that aforementioned opening drive. The Devils’ other 14 points came from a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown and a fumble that was carried into the end zone. ASU produced a meager 234 yards and a pitiful 57 on the ground. Threet hit only 8-of-16 passes for 125 yards with two picks, and his backup, Samson Szakacsy, fared little better, hitting 8-of-17 throws for a mere 52 yards with “only” one interception. It was a Bearish afternoon for Cal and a dog-with-fleas performance for the Devils, who must dust themselves off and, at 3-4, fight like the dickens to reach bowl eligibility before the seasons over.

Cal’s big challenge? Win a game on the road. We know the Bears can flourish in their natural Bay Area dwelling place.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer