California 31, Idaho 17
By ERIC HE
Associated Press
BERKELEY, Calif. - Sam Jackson V scampered for a 27-yard touchdown to give California its first lead early in the second half as the Golden Bears rebounded from a sluggish start to beat Idaho 31-17, avoiding what would have been their first defeat to an FCS opponent.
Cal (2-1) fell behind 17-0 early but rallied with 31 straight points, dominating the second half behind a strong run game and a defense that pitched a shutout after halftime. Cal finished with 256 rushing yards to Idaho’s 108.
The Bears opened up their first double-digit lead late in the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Isaiah Ifanse, filling in for injured starter Jadyn Ott. Ifanse finished with 137 yards on 22 carries, and the score gave Cal a 28-17 lead heading into the fourth. A Vandals' fumble and recovery by Cal on the next Idaho possession gave the Bears some breathing room.
Jackson came off the bench in the Bears’ loss to Auburn last week and started. His touchdown put Cal up for good, after it seemed the Bears were in danger of a home upset. Idaho (2-1) was looking for its second straight win over an FBS opponent, coming off a resounding 33-6 win over Nevada last week.
Gevani McCoy, who was 24-for-42 passing for 248 yards, led the Vandals to a 17-0 start. After a field goal on its first drive, Idaho found the end zone late in the first quarter on a 19-yard run by Anthony Woods, who turned a broken play into a touchdown that put Idaho in front 10-0 after a quarter.
Idaho scored on its first drive of the second quarter, when McCoy scrambled up the middle on fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line.
Cal responded with 14 unanswered points before halftime on passing touchdowns on consecutive drives by Jackson. The quarterback threaded the needle to Jeremiah Hunter for a 20-yard touchdown pass, and then after the Bears defense forced a turnover on downs, Jackson found a wide-open Trond Grizzell for a 36-yard score. It was Grizzle’s first career touchdown catch.
Idaho entered the game winless against Cal in four tries and the game was the first was the first meeting between the schools since 1934.
THE TAKEAWAY
Idaho: The Vandals had their way with a Mountain West opponent last week in Nevada and controlled much of the first half against Cal. But the playmakers featured on a Pac-12 team – even one not expected to compete in a conference crown – were ultimately too much for Idaho.
California: The Bears seemed to fix their stagnant offense before halftime and continued to roll coming out of the locker room. They will, however, need to get off to a better start next week on the road against No. 8 Washington.
September 16, 2023
| Scoring Summary |
| First Quarter |
Idaho | Cal |
| Idaho |
FG |
8:41 |
Ricardo Chavez 25 yd FG |
3 |
0 |
| Idaho |
TD |
2:44 |
Anthony Woods 19 yd run (Ricardo Chavez kick) |
10 |
0 |
| Second Quarter |
Idaho | Cal |
| Idaho |
TD |
9:08 |
Gevani McCoy 2 yd run (Ricardo Chavez kick) |
17 |
0 |
| Cal |
TD |
5:38 |
Jeremiah Hunter 20 yd pass from Sam Jackson V (Michael Luckhurst kick) |
17 |
7 |
| Cal |
TD |
1:25 |
Trond Grizzell 36 yd pass from Sam Jackson V (Michael Luckhurst kick) |
17 |
14 |
| Third Quarter |
Idaho | Cal |
| Cal |
TD |
11:03 |
Sam Jackson V 27 yd run (Michael Luckhurst kick) |
17 |
21 |
| Cal |
TD |
2:53 |
Isaiah Ifanse 1 yd run (Michael Luckhurst kick) |
17 |
28 |
| Fourth Quarter |
Idaho | Cal |
| Cal |
FG |
10:37 |
Michael Luckhurst 39 yd FG |
17 |
31 |
| Team Stats |
| |
Idaho |
California |
| First downs |
22 |
23 |
| Rushing |
3 |
14 |
| Passing |
16 |
5 |
| Penalty |
3 |
4 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency |
6-15, 40% |
5-14, 36% |
| 4th down efficiency |
2-5, 40% |
2-3, 67% |
| Rushes-Yards |
26-108 |
43-256 |
| Passing Yards |
279 |
114 |
| Return Yards |
68 |
48 |
| Completions-Attempts-Int |
28-46-1 |
13-25-0 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost |
1--3 |
2--20 |
| Punts |
1 |
4 |
| Punts-Average |
57 |
36.8 |
| Fumbles Lost |
4-2 |
0-0 |
| Penalties - Yards |
9-82 |
6-50 |
| Time of Possession |
32:43 |
27:17 |
| Idaho Passing |
| Player |
Cmp |
Att |
Yds |
TDs |
Int |
| G. McCoy |
28 |
46 |
279 |
0 |
1 |
| California Passing |
| Player |
Cmp |
Att |
Yds |
TDs |
Int |
| S. Jackson V |
12 |
23 |
108 |
2 |
0 |
| B. Finley |
1 |
2 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
| Idaho Rushing |
| Player |
Carries |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| A. Woods |
11 |
56 |
5.1 |
1 |
| G. McCoy |
9 |
33 |
3.7 |
1 |
| J. Jackson |
2 |
14 |
7.0 |
0 |
| N. Romano |
2 |
7 |
3.5 |
0 |
| California Rushing |
| Player |
Carries |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| I. Ifanse |
22 |
137 |
6.2 |
1 |
| A. Stredick |
11 |
77 |
7.0 |
0 |
| S. Jackson V |
9 |
41 |
4.6 |
1 |
| T. Davis |
1 |
1 |
1.0 |
0 |
| Idaho Receiving |
| Player |
Rec |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| H. Hatten |
8 |
80 |
10.0 |
0 |
| T. Traynor |
6 |
71 |
11.8 |
0 |
| J. Jackson |
6 |
62 |
10.3 |
0 |
| J. Dwyer |
3 |
32 |
10.7 |
0 |
| T. Ivy Jr. |
2 |
17 |
8.5 |
0 |
| J. Cox |
1 |
10 |
10.0 |
0 |
| A. Woods |
2 |
7 |
3.5 |
0 |
| California Receiving |
| Player |
Rec |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| J. Hunter |
5 |
48 |
9.6 |
1 |
| T. Grizzell |
2 |
40 |
20.0 |
1 |
| I. Ifanse |
3 |
15 |
5.0 |
0 |
| T. Davis |
1 |
9 |
9.0 |
0 |
| A. Stredick |
1 |
2 |
2.0 |
0 |
| J. Endries |
1 |
0 |
0.0
|
0 |
| Idaho Interceptions |
| Player |
Int |
Yards |
| California Interceptions |
| Player |
Int |
Yards |
| N. Williams |
1 |
0 |
| Idaho Punting |
| Player |
Punts |
Yards |
Avg |
| R. Chavez |
1 |
57 |
57.0 |
| California Punting |
| Player |
Punts |
Yards |
Avg |
| L. Wilson |
4 |
147 |
36.8 |
| Idaho Punt Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| J. Jackson |
2 |
6 |
3.0 |
| California Punt Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| Idaho Kick Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| J. Jackson |
4 |
43 |
10.8 |
| N. Romano |
1 |
19 |
19.0 |
| California Kick Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| M. Mangum |
2 |
32 |
16.0 |
| M. Anderson |
1 |
16 |
16.0 |
| Idaho Missed FG |
| Player |
Length |
| California Missed FG |
| Player |
Length |
| M. Luckhurst |
42 |
