Players Support Wilcox's Decision To Go For Two

It's the age-old question in college football: Kick the extra point for the tie or go for two and the win?

Cal head coach Justin Wilcox chose the latter Saturday Night, ultimately paying the price in a 45-44 double-overtime loss to Arizona.

There will surely be second-guessing among fans - there always is - but Wilcox and his players stood by the decision.

"Based on what was happening, I felt like it was the best chance for us to win the game," Wilcox said. "We'd been doing good things offensively most of the night, other than the turnovers. I just felt like that was the best chance for us to win... I would do it again. You can dispute it, but I would do it again."

Added running back Vic Enwere: "I do like it. That says he has confidence in us. As a player you can respect that - a guy can look you in the eye and say, 'I believe in you.' That (means) a lot and I appreciate that."

"I'm glad he has confidence in us," said running back Patrick Laird, who carried a career-high 28 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns. "I appreciate it as an offensive player that we have a chance to win the game."

Wilcox hinted that he might have elected to kick the extra point if his defense was playing better. Arizona scored two touchdowns on a total of three plays in the two overtime periods. Zach Green ran for a 25-yard touchdown in the first overtime and Khalil Tate hit Bryce Wolma for a 22-yard score in the second OT.

"If it was a different style of game, it might have been a different decision," Wilcox acknowledged. "We didn't play well enough, especially on defense, to win the game today."

"I felt like (going for two) was the best decision for the team," added linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk, who notched a career-high 14 tackles, including two for loss. "We play to win, and that's what we did tonight. Unfortunately we came up short, but we're all for the decision."

As for the actual play, the Bears spread out five wide receivers, leaving Ross Bowers alone in the backfield. Against a four-man rush, Bowers fired over the middle to Jordan Duncan in the back of the end zone, but Arizona freshman linebacker Colin Schooler knocked it away.

"We had a little pump-and-go to our third receiver," said Bowers, who finished 29-of-49 for 301 yards, two touchdowns, a rushing touchdown, and two interceptions. "I thought I could maybe get around the edge and run, and at the last second I threw it. It was just unfortunate that they made more plays than we did. On that play, it kind of showed what the whole game was like."

"It wasn't the two-point play that decided the game," added Wilcox. "Obviously that's the one that stands out. It's the last play and there's a lot riding on it. But there were so many plays in the game, and we're not in that position if we can make them."

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Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate continued his torrid pace, rushing for 137 yards and a touchdown, and passing for 166 yards and two scores. Zach Green carried 20 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns, as the Wildcats rushed for 345 yards as a team, averaging 7.5 yards per carry.

"(Tate) is a really good player, really fast, really explosive," said Kunaszyk. "We missed a couple of plays on him and he made us pay for it. Credit to Arizona. Credit to him. They're a really good team and unfortunately we came up short."

"He's a really talented athlete," added Wilcox. "We struggled to get him on the ground. We didn't play with great leverage, especially in the first half. We missed some tackles. We missed some run fits. Against an explosive guy like that, you can't do that."

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So where do the Bears go from here? Two-thirds of the way through the season, Cal sits at 4-4, needing just two wins in their last four games to become bowl eligible. That process begins next Saturday at Colorado. But until then, this loss will sting.

"Our locker room is filled with guys who care," said Enwere. "And if you walk into that locker room right now, you would see about 150 guys who are torn because we care."