BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 24: California’s Jadon Ott (6) pitches for a touchdown against Arizona during the first quarter of a game at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, CA on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. run. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay area newsgroup)
Berkeley — The Cal football team has found a star.
Freshman running back Jadon Ott raced for a 73-yard touchdown on his first touch of the ball on Saturday and a 72-yard TD on his final carry to lead the Bears to a 49-31 victory over Arizona in the Pac-12 opener. rice field. 37,216 at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Ott scored three touchdowns and had 274 rushing yards on just 19 carries. Quarterback Jack Plummer said of his average per carry, “whether you’re playing pee football or playing at the highest level.”
Only Jervid Best, who had 311 yards against Washington in 2008, and Jerry Drew, who had 283 yards against Oregon State in 1954, were the most Ott players in the first month of the season. Exceeded total.
A native of Norco, California, Ott has been modest about his performance.
“When I see the green, when I see the end zone, I know to take off and score,” Ott said. “Every time I touch the ball, I feel like I’m scoring.”
Coach Justin Wilcox said Ott’s speed sets him apart.
“He doesn’t look back when he’s out in the open,” Wilcox said. “Sure, people look back.
Ott became the first UC player to run 200 yards since Patrick Laird ran 214 yards against Oregon State in 2017.
Plummer went 28-for-18 for 245 yards and three touchdowns as Cal (3-1, 1-0) fended off Arizona’s comeback attempt with fourth-quarter interceptions by Daniel Scott and Isiah Young.
The game featured 1,135 offensive yards, including 599 yards by the Bears, whose 49 points equaled Wilcox’s highest in a Pac-12 game in six seasons. The Bears averaged 9.1 yards per play this game.
The Bears’ 354 rushing yards was the most in a Pac-12 game since 2003 when they had 381 rushing yards against Washington.
Cal jumped to the top by a large margin in Q3.
They went up front on their first possession of the half, going 87 yards in eight plays, with Plummer throwing a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Keleki Ratu with 9:17 remaining. Ratu also got a 23-yard catch on the drive, and fellow tight end Eliya Mojara grabbed a 20-yard and a 9-yard grab.
Ott delivered another highlight play to push Cal’s lead to 35-24. He burst down the middle from the Arizona 18, stopped at 13, turned his back into his zone to keep his feet moving, and burst for his TD with his 4:59 left in the period.
They then returned to attack after Olin Pattu forced a Jayden de Lola fumble and Miles Jernigan recovered for Cal at the Bears’ 29-yard line. Showing his prowess with a 37-yard strike on Sunday, Cal went up 42-24 on one play in the fourth quarter.
Arizona led 24-21 at halftime in a game with little defense.
The Wildcats gained 329 yards in the first two quarters. His 213 yards in the opening was the most by Wilcox coach Cal his team surrendered in the first quarter.
“As poor as we played in defense in the first half,” he said. I couldn’t even cover it.
Cal struggled to contain Arizona quarterback Jayden De Lola. Jayden De Lola went 14-for-21 for 235 yards in touchdowns before halftime. The move to Washington State ended with his career-high 401 passing yards and his two TDs, but was picked off late twice.
