COLLEGE FOOTBALL LOOK AHEAD

Unbeaten Cal begins brutal scheduling stretch

The Sports Xchange

October 06, 2015 at 3:06 pm.

Sep 19, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; California Golden Bears wide receiver Kenny Lawler (left) catches a pass for a touchdown against Texas Longhorns corner back John Bonney (24) during the second quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

Sep 19, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; California Golden Bears wide receiver Kenny Lawler (left) catches a pass for a touchdown against Texas Longhorns corner back John Bonney (24) during the second quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

BERKELEY, Calif. — California has rallied from big deficits and held on after blowing big leads. There is a growing belief in Berkeley that the 23rd-ranked Golden Bears will find a way to win no matter what the circumstances, and they’re about to find out if they can do it against stiffer competition.

Cal is off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 2007 after storming back to beat Washington State 34-28. The Bears trailed 21-7 late in the first half before outscoring the Cougars 27-7 over a span of about 15 minutes in the second and third quarters.

“I’m proud of our guys for finding a way to win,” Cal coach Sonny Dykes said. “All these games in the Pac-12 are going to be tough, and I think our guys knew that coming in. We made plays down the stretch and, as a result, we’ve won some ballgames.”

The victory sets up a battle between Cal and fifth-ranked Utah, the only two unbeaten teams in the Pac-12 Conference. Utah has scored 107 points in its last two games and is coming off a 62-20 thrashing of Oregon, the preseason favorite in the Pac-12’s North Division. The Utes, who moved up five spots in this week’s Associated Press poll, also have wins over Michigan, Utah State and Fresno State.

Utah features one of the conference’s top running backs in senior Devontae Booker. The Utes might present the toughest test yet for the Bears, whose victories have come against Grambling State, San Diego State, Texas, Washington and Washington State, teams that have a combined record of 9-13. Dykes undoubtedly knows his team’s schedule is about to get much more difficult, but he is trying to maintain a business-as-usual approach.

“I told our players what’s different about this game is that it’s the next game,” Dykes said. “They know that all of these games are big games. Try losing one and you realize how big it is. Utah is a good football team. Our guys are really excited about going against them. I know they will be excited about the challenge.”

The schedule won’t get much easier after the Utah game. The Bears will have a bye week before visiting No. 20 UCLA on Oct. 22 and playing host to No. 17 USC on Oct. 31. They travel to Oregon on Nov. 7, then play Oregon State at home on Nov. 14 and No. 16 Stanford on the road Nov. 21 before concluding the regular season at home against Arizona State on Nov. 28.

The seven teams remaining on Cal’s schedule have a combined record of 23-9. Four of those teams are ranked and two others, Oregon and Arizona State, are among others receiving votes in The Associated Press poll. The only apparent advantage in the remaining schedule is that the Bears will have additional time to prepare for their games against UCLA and USC.

Junior quarterback Jared Goff said the Bears can’t get ahead of themselves.

“We’re playing Utah next week. That’s all I’m concerned about,” Goff said. “After that, I don’t even know who we’re playing. We’re just focused on Utah and going in there and getting a ‘W.'”

NOTES, QUOTES

PLAYERS TO WATCH

–QB Jared Goff threw four touchdown passes in the win over Washington State, eclipsing Kyle Boller’s school record for career touchdown passes. Boller threw 64 touchdown passes from 1999 to 2002. Goff now has 68. It was the fifth time in his career that Goff has thrown four or more touchdown passes in a game. The Bears will likely need another big game from Goff against Utah, which is third in the Pac-12 against the run but eighth against the pass.

–WR Kenny Lawler had six catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns against Washington State. It was the third 100-yard receiving game of his career and the eighth time he has caught two or more touchdown passes in a game. He is tied for fourth all-time at Cal with 22 career touchdown receptions. Lawler has caught a pass in all 28 games he has played for the Bears.

–WR Bryce Treggs has caught a pass in 37 of the last 38 games he has played, including each of his last 31 games. He had four catches for 65 yards against Washington State, including a 34-yard touchdown reception.

–DE Kyle Kragen had a career-high 2.5 sacks against Washington State after recording 1.5 sacks a week earlier against Washington. Cal recorded a total of seven sacks against the Cougars, the team’s highest total since a 2005 game against Stanford.

SERIES HISTORY: Cal is 5-4 all-time against Utah. The Utes handed the Bears a 49-27 loss when they last met in 2012 in Salt Lake City.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “At the end of the day, our objective is to win the football game. Sometimes it looks pretty when you do and sometimes it doesn’t look too pretty. I have to give credit to our players. Those guys have a lot of grit — just believe — and that may be the toughest goal to reach in a program. The way you get to do that is by working incredibly hard, investing in each other and doing the right things. When you do all those things, you have a chance to win, and our guys believe in that.” — Cal coach Sonny Dykes, following a 34-28 victory over Washington State.