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BERKELEY, Calif. — In their regular season finale, the Cougars snuck out of California Memorial Stadium with 42-35 victory over the Golden Bears Saturday.
And they partied like it was 1984 afterward.
Bronco Mendenhall raised his arms in triumph and shouted with joy atop the shoulders of his players inside the visitors’ locker room as others in white and navy blue jumped and gleefully emptied water bottles in celebration.
BYU had already determined its fate when it accepted an invitation to the Miami Beach Bowl, and used the game to get to eight wins for the fourth time in five years, while also concluding 3-0 against power conference opponents this season.
The emotion was visible for a team that won four games to become ranked in the Top 20 before being devastated by injury; lost four straight in a woeful stretch; and took care of weaker competition while improving to where it could outplay a quality program and solidify another run of four straight victories.
Christian Stewart: All the shots downfield that fell incomplete when Stewart first came on in place of Taysom Hill against Utah State are a distant memory at this point. BYU needed every one of the 433 yards Stewart accumulated through the air, none bigger than the 38-yard heave he dropped in the hands of a streaking Jordan Leslie for the winning score. The signal caller continues to look like a veteran, despite a few mistakes like his interception on the wrong side of the 50 that Cal turned into seven points. Stewart outdueled Jared Goff — ranked second in the Pac-12 in passing yards entering the game — and went 15-of-20 for 330 yards and four touchdowns in the second half to set up the win.
Safety play: During an afternoon where Cougar defensive backs couldn’t contain the likes of Bears receivers Kenny Lawler and Chris Harper, the secondary wouldn’t earn high marks. Craig Bills couldn’t play, though, suffering from post-concussion symptoms. In stepped Harvey Jackson, Skye PoVey and Kai Nacua to combine for 35 tackles, two tackles for loss, two pass breakups, a sack that was called back and an interception that likely would’ve led to a touchdown if not for a poorly timed and executed read-option from the Cal 1, which the Bears recovered on Stewart’s lateral. Goff ended up putting up his usual gaudy numbers, but the safeties combined with the corners to do just enough for the 97th ranked defense in passing yards allowed.
Wide receivers: Leslie and Mitchell Juergens were the main cogs in Stewart’s air raid, hauling in five catches for 155 yards and seven for 107, respectively, while each reaching the end zone twice. Both frequently separated themselves from opponents with their speed and route running. But the performance of Devon Blackmon can’t be overlooked, who made six grabs for 60 yards — with at least two converting crucial third downs — although he came in with just three receptions. This group of playmakers rallied together to shine, even in the wake of another offensive injury; this time to leading receiver Mitch Mathews.
Offensive line: Stewart was sacked three times, and the running game never really found its stride. These are issues not inherently due to one unit, but are easy measurements of this group’s impact. At times Stewart was well protected, as was the case on a number of his pinpoint deep throws. Still, 107 yards on 39 carries (2.7 ypc) doesn’t make life any easier for a quarterback working without his favorite target and the Cougars’ leading rusher, Jamaal Williams. Paul Lasike had the most success with 63 yards in the three-headed ground attack that also features Algernon Brown and Adam Hine. The offensive line just had trouble establishing a consistent push up front, and the scoring relied on the deep ball.
Defense: Take away some plays of the safeties, Sione Takitaki’s lone sack and the other three tackles for loss, and this would’ve been an absolutely awful effort the penultimate time some of them will suit up in a BYU jersey. Cal outgained BYU 566 to 540 and converted 12 of 21 third-down tries, holding the ball nearly 10 minutes longer than the Cougars. It appears to be a fortunate win considering the defense’s output, but Stewart and the passing game bailed out what doesn’t resemble past stout units in the slightest. A once-dependable group is now exploited in nearly every asset of the contest; surrendering 173 rushing yards in addition to getting lit up for 393 in the air.
