University of Oregon
2-5 , 0-4
California
4-3 , 2-2
Ducks Drop Thriller At California In Double OT
10/22/16 | Football
Justin Herbert throws six touchdown passes but is picked off in the second overtime as Oregon's rally falls short.
How It Happened: Freshman quarterback Justin Herbert, making his first career start on the road, threw his fifth touchdown pass of regulation to tie the game at 42-42 with 3:15 to play. Cal drove into position for a field-goal attempt as time expired, but UO coach Mark Helfrich used his last two timeouts to ice the kicker, and the attempt was wide left.
Herbert opened overtime with his sixth touchdown pass, to a fifth different receiver, Jalen Brown. The Golden Bears answered to force a second overtime, but Cal gave Oregon an opening by settling for a field goal at the end of a penalty filled possession. The game ended in heartbreaking fashion, however, with Herbert throwing his second career interception.
Early on, the Golden Bears kept up their end of the bargain in the high-scoring duel that was anticipated, while the Ducks (2-5, 0-4 Pac-12) couldn't find any early traction. Oregon punted on its first four possessions, while California (4-3, 2-2) followed a punt on its opening drive by scoring on the next six.
The Golden Bears kept the Ducks off-balance with a mix of run and pass, taking a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter on the third TD pass of the game by Davis Webb. Oregon finally answered, with a six-play, 69-yard drive in 1:38 that culminated in a 27-yard Herbert touchdown pass to Pharaoh Brown. Cal responded with a field goal, and though Tony Brooks-James scored his seventh rushing TD to make it 24-14, Davis tacked on his fourth touchdown pass just before halftime.
California drove to a field goal to open the third quarter, for a 34-14 lead. Herbert's second touchdown pass of the night, to Evan Baylis, got the Ducks back within 34-21. That sparked a run of 21 straight points for Oregon, with Herbert adding TD passes to Johnny Mundt and Charles Nelson that gave the Ducks the lead, 35-34.
California drove to Webb's fifth TD pass — and a two-point conversion — that made it 42-35 with 9:50 to play. The Ducks capitalized on a couple of Cal penalties to drive into enemy territory, but a holding call moved Oregon back to midfield and eventually the Ducks were forced to punt. A defensive stop gave them another chance, however, and Herbert drove them to the game-tying score.
Who Stood Out: Herbert completed 22-of-40 passes for 258 yards and six touchdowns, with nine rushes for 56 yards. Nelson caught seven passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns, including the one that forced overtime. Brooks-James rushed 15 times for 109 yards, stepping up on a night the Cal defense managed to contain Royce Freeman. Defensively, Troy Dye led the Ducks with 14 tackles, fellow true freshman Brenden Schooler added 11 and Jimmie Swain also had 11. Not to be overlooked was punter Ian Wheeler, who averaged 40.7 yards on his six attempts.
What It Means: The Ducks have lost five games in a season for the first time since 2006, and lost five straight for the first time since 1996. The head coach those seasons was Mike Bellotti, who was on the ESPN crew calling Friday's game.
Quotable:
Tony Brooks-James, sophomore running back
"You could see on the field, no one quit. Everyone gave everything they had."
Justin Herbert, freshman quarterback
"I think there was a lot of progress from last week. It's a step in the right direction, but definitely not the way we wanted it to end."
Brenden Schooler, freshman safety
"We rallied together in the second half and played like true brothers. I'm more than proud of what we did, coming back."
Up Next: The Ducks return home to host Arizona State on Saturday (2 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
Team Stats
ORE 0, CAL 7
CAL - Robertson, Deme 10 yd pass from Webb, Davis (Anderson, Matt kick) 13 plays, 71 yards, TOP 4:26
ORE 0, CAL 14
CAL - Hudson, Raymond 5 yd pass from Webb, Davis (Anderson, Matt kick) 7 plays, 76 yards, TOP 2:18
ORE 0, CAL 21
CAL - Wharton III, Vi 13 yd pass from Webb, Davis (Anderson, Matt kick) 10 plays, 51 yards, TOP 3:58
ORE 7, CAL 21
ORE - Brown, Pharaoh 27 yd pass from Herbert, Justin (Schneider, A. kick) 6 plays, 69 yards, TOP 1:38
ORE 7, CAL 24
CAL - Anderson, Matt 37 yd field goal 14 plays, 46 yards, TOP 3:58
ORE 14, CAL 24
ORE - Brooks-James 1 yd run (Schneider, A. kick), 8 plays, 71 yards, TOP 1:53
ORE 14, CAL 31
CAL - Watson, Tre 14 yd pass from Webb, Davis (Anderson, Matt kick) 10 plays, 76 yards, TOP 2:47
ORE 14, CAL 34
CAL - Anderson, Matt 22 yd field goal 15 plays, 70 yards, TOP 4:03
ORE 21, CAL 34
ORE - Baylis, Evan 1 yd pass from Herbert, Justin (Schneider, A. kick) 5 plays, 40 yards, TOP 1:35
ORE 28, CAL 34
ORE - Mundt, Johnny 12 yd pass from Herbert, Justin (Schneider, A. kick) 5 plays, 57 yards, TOP 1:13
ORE 35, CAL 34
ORE - Nelson, Charles 6 yd pass from Herbert, Justin (Schneider, A. kick) 11 plays, 44 yards, TOP 2:39
ORE 35, CAL 42
CAL - Watson, Tre 14 yd pass from Webb, Davis (Hinnant, J.D. pass) 11 plays, 77 yards, TOP 3:28
ORE 42, CAL 42
ORE - Nelson, Charles 42 yd pass from Herbert, Justin (Schneider, A. kick) 3 plays, 56 yards, TOP 0:36
ORE 49, CAL 42
ORE - Brown, Jalen 20 yd pass from Herbert, Justin (Schneider, A. kick) 2 plays, 25 yards, TOP 0:00
ORE 49, CAL 49
CAL - Webb, Davis 1 yd run (Anderson, Matt kick), 5 plays, 25 yards, TOP 0:00
ORE 49, CAL 52
CAL - Anderson, Matt 28 yd field goal 8 plays, 14 yards, TOP 0:00
