Cal Beats Colorado 59-56 In Double OT
BERKELEY (CBS/AP) -- Jared Goff and California found themselves on the right side of a wild, high-scoring game for a change.
Goff threw seven touchdown passes before Cal used a rare defensive stop and a 34-yard field goal in double overtime from James Langford to snap a 15-game Pac-12 losing streak by beating Colorado 59-56 on Saturday.
"It's definitely a big confidence builder, especially off of last week when we played so well and didn't win," Goff said. "This week was maybe the opposite where we didn't play as well as we wanted to but came out on top."
The win came a week after Cal (3-1, 1-1) allowed five touchdowns in the fourth quarter of a 49-45 loss at Arizona, including a 47-yard desperation heave on the final play for the heartbreaking loss.
But the Golden Bears overcame a 14-point halftime deficit and won despite allowing another late touchdown pass that forced overtime.
"Wow, I think I've aged like 100 years the last two weeks," coach Sonny Dykes said.
On a day that Goff and Sefo Liufau both threw seven touchdown passes and had 449 yards passing, and the teams combined for more than 1,200 yards offense, it ended up being defense and the kicker that won the game for the Golden Bears (3-1, 1-1).
Colorado (2-3, 0-2) could not punch it in after having first-and-goal from the 2 to open the second overtime, as Cal stopped four straight running plays capped by Jalen Jefferson knocking Liufau for a 3-yard loss on fourth down from the 1.
"I stared at the ball and saw that he kept it and just chased him down," Jefferson said.
Liufau faked a handoff and kept the ball on a broken play that did not come off as the Buffaloes planned against a Cal defense that was selling out to stop the run.
"We had something that was definitely going to beat it," Liufau said. "If we run the play right the last play I think we score easy."
Cal failed to get a first down on its possession but Langford came on and calmly drilled the kick that gave the Bears their first conference win since beating Washington State on Oct. 13, 2012.
"My cheeks kind of hurt from smiling for so long right now," Langford said.
Goff finished 23 for 41, hitting Bryce Treggs on a 25-yard score on the first possession of overtime. He also combined with Daniel Lasco on a 92-yard pass play in the first half that was the longest in school history.
Liufau was just as prolific, going 46 for 67, including a 25-yard score to Nelson Spruce that tied the game after one overtime. Spruce finished with 19 catches for 176 yards and three touchdowns.
Goff and Liufau traded big plays down the stretch with each throwing a pair of touchdown passes in the final 3:23 of regulation to send the game to overtime.
Liufau started the scoring barrage with a 6-yard TD pass to Spruce that put Colorado up 42-35.
But that lead was short-lived as Goff was flushed out of the pocket to his right and threw back over the middle where he hit Stephen Anderson in stride for the game-tying 75-yard score.
Jake Kearney intercepted Liufau on the next play from scrimmage for Cal. That set the stage for Goff's 40-yard TD pass to Chris Harper with 2:29 remaining.
The Bears once again wilted late when Bruce Bobo got behind Cedric Dozier for a 30-yard TD catch with 21 seconds to play that tied the game at 49.
Both teams missed field goals early in the fourth quarter with Will Oliver going wide left for Colorado from 45 yards and Langford missing to the right from 42 yards for Cal. Oliver also missed a pair of 39-yard attempts in the first half for Colorado.
"This is a real first where you feel completely responsible but it is the beauty and terrible part about being a kicker," Oliver said.
Cal trailed 28-14 at halftime before taking the lead by scoring touchdowns on its first three drives of the second half, including a pair of throws from Goff to Kenny Lawler.
But Colorado responded and tied the game at 35 in the final minute of the third on a 12-yard pass from Liufau to Spruce.
Liufau threw three TD passes in the first quarter and Colorado added a late score with help from three Cal penalties to go up 28-14 on George Frazier's 1-yard run.
