Unable to Capitalize on Turnovers, Bears Lose Defensive Battle to Auburn

MEMORIAL STADIUM -The long-awaited, nationally televised showdown finally arrived tonight as the Bears hosted SEC foe Auburn for the first time in a defensive slugfest but in an eminently winnable game, the Bears came up short, falling 14-10 to the Tigers on the strength of a late fourth quarter TD in their come from behind win.

The defense played masterfully most of the game, generating four turnovers on three forced fumbles recovered and an interception but the offense maddeningly failed to capitalize on most all of the miscues through a combination of horrific special teams and a bafflingly conservative gameplan that failed to generate much offense through the run game most of the game.

So dominant was the Bears’ defense that until Auburn’s final scoring drive that began with 11:28 left in the game, the Tigers’ offense had managed just a paltry 7 first downs. yet the defensive masterpiece was all for naught in the disappointing defeat for the Bears.

“How many opportunities do you want?” said Cal head coach Justin Wilcox. “You’ve got a quality team coming into town. We’ve got to take advantage of more than we did. 

“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. I don’t feel sorry for us. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Yeah, it sucks. We had plenty of chances to win. That’s on us. So when we come back in the building on Monday, there’s got to be an urgency to improve.”

The Bears started off quickly, winning the toss and opting to kick off. Three plays later, soph MLB Kaleb Elarms-Orr forced a Payton Thorne fumble that drifted right into Cal MLB Jackson Sirmon’s waiting arms. The sixth-year senior scooped the ball out of the air and rumbled 35 yards for what looked to be his second career touchdown but the TD was taken off the board by a blown official’s call, incorrectly whistling the play dead, which could not be overturned.

The Bears were able to put some points on the board to make Auburn pay but they had to settle for a field goal after a 10-yard Monroe Young fumble loss derailed their momentum. The 39-yard Luckhurst kick put the Bears on the board first at 3-0 5:18 into the game.

A holding penalty on the ensuing kick return followed by a third down Ricky Correia sack pinned the Tigers at their half-yard line. A rushed 32-yard Oscar Chapman punt gave the Bears more favorable field position at the Auburn 33 but a holding call derailed their ensuing drive. Soph kicker Michael Luckhurst continued to struggle this season, missing his 42-yard attempt wide right - his third missed field goal of the young season.

Next, it was Auburn's turn to create some momentum of their own. After the Bears forced a punt on Auburn’s fourth straight possession, running back Isaiah Ifanse was stripped by Auburn safety Donovan Kaufman at the Cal 18. The Tigers wasted little time taking advantage of the miscue, hitting receiver Jay Fair on a 13-yard TD pass up the middle two plays later to take a 7-3 lead with 11:50 left in the half.

After forcing a punt in the next possession, Auburn took over at their 39 after a 12-yard Keonte Scott punt return. Following a Damari Alston 13-yard scamper, Cal safety Craig Woodson knocked the ball loose and recovered by safety Patrick McMorris at the Cal 35.

Finally, the Bears somnambulant 3 yards and a cloud of dust, run up the gut offense woke up as the Bears went on the move. On the third play of the drive QB Sam Jackson took his first snap of the day, hitting receiver Jeremiah Hunter for a 22-yard completion to the Auburn 32. After a 4-yard Jackson keeper, Ott scampered 13 yards off tackle to the Tigers 14. Wasting no time, Ott blasted up the middle for a 14-yard TD on the next play with 4:47 left in the half, giving the Bears a 10-7 lead after the Luckhurst conversion.

After trading punts, the Bears’ defense struck again with cornerback Nohl Williams hauling in an errant Thorne pass at the Auburn 34 with 1:03 left in the half but yet again, they were unable to capitalize on the Tigers’ largesse. Unable to pick up any yards on their possession, they appeared to extend their lead to 6 with a 51-yard Luckhurst field goal but a holding penalty took the points of the board in yet another in a series of special teams miscues to start the season. A hail Mary attempt by Jackson on the final play of the half was intercepted in the end zone to end the half.

The third quarter was a defensive slugfest, with neither team managing a score. The closest either team came to putting points on the board was another Luckhurst miss, this one from 42.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Bears attempted to extend their lead, driving from their 33 to the Auburn 16 only to see Jackson sacked for an 11-yard loss followed by yet another missed Luckhurst kick, this one from 44 as the Bears clung to their 10-7 lead.

Following the failed possession, the Tigers finally went on their first sustained drive of the night, marching 69 yards in 10 plays, culminating in a Thorne 5-yard TD pass to WR Rivaldo Fairweather in tight coverage to give Auburn the 14-10 lead they’d never relinquish.

The Bears’ defense gave the team one more chance to secure victory in the hard-fought battle after McMorris forced a fumble by running back Jarquez Hunter that was recovered by Correia at the Auburn 38 but after driving to the Auburn 15 on an 11-yard Trond Grizzell reception and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the play, the Bears put themselves in a bind with a holding call that put them in 1^st and 20 on the Auburn 25. A 1-yard Ashton Stredick run followed by two Jackson incompletions and an interception in the end zone all but ended the Bears’ chance at pulling off the win in their home opener as the Tigers ran out the clock to finish the game.

“Listen, it’s hard to win college football games when you have two good football teams and Cal has a good one I think you’ll see as the year goes on,” said Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze after Auburn’s narrow win.

Linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr paced the Bears with 13 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup on the day. Safety Craig Woodson had nine tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in a strong defensive performance. On offense, Finley went 7-for-11 for 34 yards and Jackson went just 14-for-27 for 126 yards and two interceptions. Running back Jaydn Ott had 78 yards on 20 carries with one TD before leaving the game on a fourth quarter injury sustained when hurdling a defender and having his legs swept out from under him, landing hard. He was walking without aid after exiting the medical tent later in the game. Hunter led the receivers with 5 receptions for just 35 yards in the defeat.

The loss drops the Bears to 1-1 heading into next weekend’s home contest against Idaho.

While there’s no shame in losing to a quality opponent like Auburn, a long, hard look in the mirror at tonight’s bafflingly conservative playcalling would appear to be in order for head coach Justin Wilcox and his staff after the disappointing defeat.