It didn’t have the familiar and traditional ring to it, but Cal and Utah’s contest Saturday became a battle featuring the final two undefeated teams left in the Pac-12. And the Utes escaped with a 30-24 win, thanks to a defense that intercepted Cal quarterback Jared Goff five times.
Elsewhere, USC and Oregon both lost at home, with the Ducks’ collapse coming in double-overtime. In addition, Arizona State and Arizona cruised to wins in their match-ups.
Here’s a roundup of all the Pac-12 games, aside from Oregon’s:
Utah 30, Cal 24:
Jared Goff is going to want to eliminate this game from his memory. Goff, who is one of the top quarterback prospects for the 2016 NFL Draft, threw a career-high five interceptions and completed just 53 percent of his passes. Utah capitalized on those mistakes, and scored 17 of its 30 points off turnovers.
Utes running back Devontae Booker led the way on offense, accounting for 222 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Despite all of the Bears’ turnovers though, Goff had Cal in scoring position on its final drive of the game and down by six. But Goff’s pass at the Utah 21-yard line fell incomplete and assured a win for Utah.
Washington 17, USC 12
USC finished with just 346 yards of total offense and couldn’t find the end zone until the fourth quarter as a stingy Huskies team came into Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and stole a win Thursday night.
Washington running back Miles Gaskin rushed for 134 yards and a pivotal fourth quarter touchdown. In addition, receiver Marvin Hall threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Perkins in the second half.
Arizona 44, Oregon State 7
Anu Solomon returned from injury to ignite an Arizona offense that had been reeling in his absence. Arizona accumulated 644 yards of offense on its way to a 44-7 win over Oregon State. Solomon passed for 276 yards, but it was the running backs who capped off every drive that ended with a touchdown.
Jared Baker, Orlando Bradford and Nick Wilson combined for 284 yards rushing and five touchdowns. In addition, Arizona’s defense returned to form, allowing just 249 yards of offense from Oregon State.
Arizona State 48, Colorado 23
Arizona State appears to be playing its best football of the season. The Sun Devils won their second straight Pac-12 game, this time in dominant fashion. Mike Bercovici passed for 260 yards and five touchdowns, a career-high, and Tim White finished his night with 144 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Colorado gave Oregon a scare in the first half of last week’s contest. But, Saturday was a completely different story, and the Buffaloes lost their 13th consecutive conference game. Colorado is 0-7 all-time against Arizona State, according to ESPN.
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