Star freshman Ott’s monster day on the ground leads Cal to Pac-12 win over Arizona
BERKELEY — The Cal football team has found a star.
Freshman running back Jaydn Ott raced 73 yards for a touchdown on the game’s second play, dashed 72 yards to break the game open in the fourth quarter and wound up with the third highest rushing total in program history as the Bears kicked off Pac-12 play with a 49-31 win over Arizona in front of 37,216 at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Ott, who scored a three touchdowns, wound up with 274 rushing yards on just 19 carries, a sparkling 14.4 yards per carry. Only Jahvid Best, with 311 yards vs. Washington in 2008 and Jerry Drew with 283 vs. Oregon State in 1954, exceeded Ott’s total.
The first-year player from Norco, California, became the first Bears player to rush for 200 yards since Patrick Laird had 214 against Oregon State in 2017.
Jack Plummer was 18 for 28 for 245 yards and three touchdowns and Cal (3-1, 1-0) repelled Arizona’s comeback tries with fourth-quarter interceptions by Daniel Scott and Isaiah Young.
The Bears had a big third quarter to surge into the lead.
They went in 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 Latu with 9:17 left in the period. Latu also had a 23-yard catch on the drive and fellow tight end Elijah Mojarra had grabs of 20 and 9 yards.
Ott provided another highlight play to push the Cal lead to 35-24. He burst up the middle from the Arizona 18, was stopped at the 13, kept moving his feet with his back to the end zone, then burst free for the TD with 4:59 left in the period.
Then, after Orin Patu forced a Jayden de Laura fumble and Myles Jernigan recovered for Cal at the Bears’ 29-yard line, they went back on attack. Plummer showed off his arm with a 37-yard strike to Jeremiah Hunter in the end zone and Cal was up 42-24 one play into the fourth quarter.
Arizona led 24-21 at halftime of a game that featured almost no defense.
Ott ran 73 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the game and the offensive highlights were just getting started.
By halftime, the Wildcats had 329 yards on 8.7 yards per clip. Cal struggled to contain de Laura, who was 14 for 21 for 235 yards with a touchdown. Wide receiver Jacob Cowing caught five first-half passes for 109 yards.
Arizona’s 213 yards in the first quarter were the most a Cal team coached by Justin Wilcox has ever allowed in the opening period
Ott had 12 carries for 164 yards by halftime — and he got one entire offensive series off to rest. Plummer was 10 for 17 for 116 yards and a touchdown.
The Bears piled up 295 first-half yards, gaining 8.9 yards per snap.
Cal’s defense finally prevented a touchdown on the Cats’ final possession of the half, when a sack of de Laura by Ryan Puskas on third-and-10 from the Cal 12-yard line forced a 37-yard field goal by Tyler Loop with 40 seconds left.