Cal’s Goff leads comeback win over Arizona State

It’s a memory that resonates even more now with Graham as Arizona State prepares to play California for the first time since then.

Jared Goff had yet another incredible performance under the lights, completing 30 of 51 passes for a school-record 542 yards and five touchdowns while also becoming the ninth Pac-12 quarterback to eclipse 4,000 yards in a single season.

Senior wide receiver Bryce Treggs had perhaps the best game of his career, catching five passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. The Sun Devils became bowl eligible with last week’s 52-37 win over Arizona in the Territorial Cup, while Cal was run over by Heisman Trophy hopeful Christian McCaffrey in a 35-22 loss to rival Stanford.

Cal used a last-second field goal to burn ASU.

California place kicker Matt Anderson (9) is lifted by teammates after kicking the game-winning field goal against Arizona State during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Berkeley, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015. “I thought this was really the flawless way to end the season because what these guys had to do was they had to have was guts”. Guts is a hard thing to have, a lot of people don’t have it, and they showed that they had it tonight.

With under three minutes to go, ASU saved the best drive of the second half for late in the game, moving 76 yards in nine plays as Mike Bercovici found Raymond Epps for a 4-yard touchdown despite a broken screen play.

Everyone had a hand in the Bears’ biggest comeback victory since the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl against Air Force. This time, he found Darius Powe along the left sideline and his senior receiver did the rest, bolting free for a 49-yard touchdown to put Cal ahead by four.

Sophomore running back Tre Watson had another productive game, rushing for 92 yards and a touchdown, including 80 yards in the second half.

Bears got within 2 after the Harris TD, but ASU would continue to score (and milk time off the clock).

Bercovici threw three first-half touchdown passes to Devin Lucien as the Sun Devils seemingly took control.

In the final drive, Cal’s star quarterback would lead his team 44 yards, and set up Matt Anderson with a 26-yard chip shot as time expired to put away the Sun Devils.

Treggs, who entered the game with the highest per-catch average among all Pac-12 receiving leaders, now has 41 catches for 813 yards – an average of 19.8 yards per reception.

Two teams trending in opposite directions meet Saturday as Arizona State visits California, which has dropped five of six following a 5-0 start. ASU passed on three consecutive plays and was forced to settle for another Gonzalez field goal to boost the lead to 13 points.

The back and forth continued, with Goff lofting a pass into one-on-one coverage that Harris pulled down for a 9-yard touchdown pass to make it 33-31 ASU with 1:31 left in the third quarter.

Asked if the Bears deserved a bid in the January 2 Cactus Bowl in Phoenix over the hometown Sun Devils, the giddy coach offered, “I mean, we beat ’em”. That team in there is (full of) high character guys that really don’t quit and don’t stop. “I don’t know recently how many Cal teams have finished with eight wins but that would be a huge thing for us”. “I just have complete trust in the snap, the hold, all the blockers…”