Cal Football

Bears Close Regular Season With Victory At UCLA

By Cal Athletics

December 1, 2019

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LOS ANGELES – The Cal football team closed out the 2019 regular season on Saturday night with more evidence of the program's upward trajectory under head coach Justin Wilcox.

In what is becoming an increasingly growing list of accomplishments in the three seasons under Wilcox's stewardship, the Bears defeated UCLA 28-18 at the Rose Bowl on Saturday to give the program back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the 2008-09 seasons.

Cal, which became bowl-eligible with its win over Stanford last week in the Big Game, ended the regular season with a 7-5 record after compiling the same regular season record last year. The Bears will now wait until Dec. 8 to hear their bowl game fate.

"Getting seven wins, be in position to win a bowl game, and have a chance to play somebody really good at a great location is really exciting," Wilcox said.

Cal has also now won in Los Angeles in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1970-71 seasons. Saturday's win follows the Bears' victory last year at USC, which was their first at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 2003.

"To go 8-5 if we handle our business at a bowl game like we should would be the best record since I've been here," Cal safety Ashtyn Davis said. "Any time you can do that and leave the program better than you found it, that's all you can ask for."

Cal got it done Saturday with one of its more balanced offensive performances of the season and a playmaking defense that limited UCLA to 167 yards of offense in the second half, 70 of which came on the game's final drive as the Bruins attempted a frantic comeback. The possession ended when Cal safety Ashtyn Davis stopped Bruins running back Demetric Felton behind the line of scrimmage on fourth down from the Cal 2-yard line with 37 second remaining.

"To go 8-5 if we handle our business at a bowl game like we should would be the best record since I've been here. Any time you can do that and leave the program better than you found it, that's all you can ask for."

- Cal safety Ashtyn Davis

Cal running back Christopher Brown Jr. recorded his second career 100-yard rushing performance with 111 yards on 18 carries, while quarterback Chase Garbers was 17-for-29 for 230 yards and a touchdown, spreading the ball around to six different receivers.

"I thought our offense did a nice job," Wilcox said. "It took us a few to get going. Then we got into a rhythm and got some things going running the ball and throwing the ball."

Cal All-American candidate Evan Weaver registered nine tackles to give him 173 for the season - a new Cal record. Weaver now holds two of the program's top four single-season marks in program history. Fellow linebacker Cameron Goode had a pair of sacks and a pass break-up.

"Defensively, we did enough," Wilcox said. "Guys were competing. Overall, it's great to get a win. It's tough to win in this conference, and I'm proud of our team for finding a way to win."

Freshman wide receiver Makai Polk caught a 44-yard touchdown pass and Garbers scored on a 1-yard TD run. Brown Jr. scored on touchdown runs of 1 and 10 yards, giving him his first two-rushing touchdown game of his career.