Bears' Sun Bowl Hopes Sacked in Seattle

In a game more reminiscent of their uninspired 37-23 debacle in Seattle in '07 than a drive to a potential ten win season, the Bears were hammered by the improving Huskies, 42-10 on Saturday.  

A win in Seattle would've guaranteed the Bears a 2nd place finish and a likely Sun Bowl appearance vs. Oklahoma, yet a loss will likely drop them all the way to a 5th place tie with USC, surprise losers to Arizona earlier in the afternoon, and a likely Poinsettia Bowl appearance -something no Bear player or fan was looking forward to.

The game started well for the Bears, who received the opening kickoff after Washington deferred and marched downfield to the Washington 25 with several clutch plays, including a 20-yard third down completion to receiver Marvin Jones.

However, the Bears' drive stalled there and, yet again, Cal's special teams let them down, as kicker Vince D'Amato's kick sailed wide left, and Washington took over.

The Huskies wasted no time in taking advantage of their good fortune, marching 75 yards in just three plays, including an 38-yard end-around pass by receiver Cody Bruns to Jermaine Kearse and a 30-yard td pass from Husky quarterback Jake Locker to Kearse again over a flailing Bryant Nnabuife for a 7-0 Husky lead.

Kearse was a one-man wrecking crew, compiling an amazing 135 yards on five catches and a touchdown in the first quarter alone.

"There were some things designed for him," said Washington Head Coach Steve Sarkisian.  "We liked the match-up with him and he came through again. 

"He has tremendous ball skills when the ball is in the air.  He's long and he has the ability to high point the football as good or better than anyone I've been around."

Cal running back Shane Vereen got the Bears rolling again, taking handoff off-tackle and bouncing outside for a 50-tyard run to the Washington 15.

The Bears' drive went backwards and stalled at the 21 as kicker D'Amato converted this time on a 37-yarder, bringing the score to 7-3, where the quarter ended.

The second quarter found Locker and the Huskies striking quickly again, with another 3-play drive culminating in a 19-yard touchdown run by Locker as the Huskies took advantage of yet another special teams gaffe, starting the drive on Cal's 34 after a short Bryan Anger punt and a 26-yard return by Washington's Devin Aguilar.

It would only get worse for the Bears, as the Huskies put together another touchdown drive in their next posession, this one covering 81 yards in 10 plays, with Locker carrying the ball for his second touchdown of the night with a two yard run and a 21-3 lead that would take them into the half.

Despite some 10,000 empty seats, the Husky crowd of 62,334 were now rocking, with chants of "One more year!" crescendoeing down on the Husky Stadium field for Locker.

As a fourth-year junior and a likely high first round draft choice if he declares, Locker has a big decision ahead of him now.  Locker finished his impressive day completing 19 of 23 for 248 yards and three touchdowns through the air and another two on the ground, with 90 yards on 14 carries.

"I was chanting it, too," said Sarkisian of the fans' chant to Locker.  "He's got plenty of time to decide and we're going to do this thing the right way so that he feels great about what he decides to do."

"Locker put the ball where they could catch it and he made a lot of big plays with his legs," said Cal Head Coach Jeff Tedford. "He can do a lot of things on the football field and he's really improved.  He's very accurate throwing the football.  And he can pull it down and beat you with his legs.

"He's a big physical guy and they use him very well.  He's one of the most dangerous players in the conference."

The Bears' train wreck continued into the second half, with the Huskies marching 65 yards in five play to extend their lead to 28-3, with the touchdown coming on a beautiful 21-yard pass from Locker to Aguilar over safety Brett Johnson, who never turned or defended the pass on the play.

The Bears momentarily woke up, putting together one of their most effective drives of the year, marching 87 yards in just five plays, including Riley passes of 32 yards to tight end Skylar Curren, 38 yards to receiver Marvin Jones and a 22-yard scoring strike to receiver Nyan Boateng, as the Bears cut into the lead at 28-10 five minutes into the third quarter.

Their attempt to build momentum wouldn't last long, as the Bears' achilles heel crippled them again, with the Huskies fielding a short Giorgio Tavecchio kick at the 15 and returning it to mid-field.

Quickly capitalizing on another special teams gift, Locker drove the Huskies 51 yards in five plays, pushing their lead back to 25 with a 13-yard td pass to Aguilar and a 35-10 lead.

Apparently not ready to roll over quite yet, the Bears got a big 65-yard kick return from freshman Isi Sofele to start their drive on the Husky 18, but in a bit of poor officiating, Riley's fourth down would-be first down scramble was spotted nearly two feet short of where he went down and the Bears turned it over on downs at the Husky 9.

That was the last gasp for the Bears, as Washington went on to add another score and put an exclamation point on a thorough 42-10 trouncing of the Bears.

Aside from spurts of inspired play, Riley was off much of the day and was constantly harried by the Husky defense, who were coming off their first Apple Cup shutout in 45 years in their 35-0 victory over Washington State last week. 

"They just beat us," said Riley, who struggled to a 14 for 32 day, with five sacks and two fumbles.  "Offensively, the first two drives we got down there but we didn't get any touchdowns.  After that, they did a good job of distrupting our passing game with some pressures they brought.  I was missing throws.  Late in the game, we couldn't take care of the ball. 

"We didn't play well and they did."

Washington senior defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim was a terror all game long, collecting three sacks and finishing his Husky career with a record sack total of 30 in four years.

"He deserves it," said Sarkisian.  "If anyone on our football team or anyone in our conference deserves a record, it's Daniel.  There's not a guy who practices harder than him and there's not a guy more dedicated to the program than Daniel."

How do you analyze the strength of a team that wins four times on the road and hands perhaps the hottest team in the nation their only home loss in Stanford in their previous game yet gets dismantled by an improving yet still under-talented, 4-win Washington team by nearly five touchdowns the next week?  A team that starts 3-0 and loses back-to-back games by a total of 70 points in the next two games? 

Special teams were again a major handicap for the Bears defense, as the return teams gave up several big returns, often after short punts and kickoffs, leaving the Bear defense a short field to defend.

"Well, we're used to it,' said Cal defensive coordinator Bob Gregory.  "That's just kind of the way it's been.  But we've got to get better at it. There's no question it hurts you.  It's a tough deal.  But it doesn't matter in the end.  You've got to go out there and you've got to stop them.  It's your job."

"We got beat in all phases of the game," said Tedford.  "You have to give Washington credit.  They were ready to play and we weren't.

"They executed well on defense and on offense, they made a lot of big plays. 

"We prepared well and came in here with high expectations, but they beat us."

After the disappointing loss and dashed expectations of a higher profile bowl game, the Bears are left with the distinct prospect of the decidedly lower-profile Poinsettia Bowl as a consolation to their 8-win regular season. 

"Like I told the team, we're fortunate to be able to play again and not end the season on that note," said Tedford.  "We'll go back, work hard and prepare for the bowl and we'll look forward to it, wherever it is. 

"We're looking forward to a great experience and we're anxious for it."