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The Utes, trailing 28-23, had first and goal at the Cal nine-yard line with 2:00 left in regulation. From there, Utah had seven chances to punch it in the end zone to win the ballgame, but Cal’s defense, which had been giving up 42.5 points per game so far this year, came up with a huge goal line stand.
Utah’s final chance came from one-yard line with just three seconds remaining, but Zack Moss was stuffed and the Golden Bears hung on for a dramatic victory.
Utah ran nearly 100 plays from scrimmage and put up 442 total yards, but just couldn’t punch it in when it needed to.
Leading up to that big stand, Utah curiously ran the ball twice to try to run down a bit of clock before scoring. Those two runs totaled just two yards, and the clock ticked down inside 40 seconds.
From there, on third and goal from the seven, Utes quarterback Troy Williams was sacked, setting up a difficult fourth down play from 11 yards out. On fourth down, Williams looked toward Raelon Singleton in the end zone, but he was interfered with, giving the Utes a new set of downs with 14 seconds left.
On first and goal, Moss was stuffed. On second and goal, Williams had tight end Evan Moeai open, but threw high and the pass tipped off Moeai’s fingers and fell incomplete with just three seconds remaining.
This time, Utah went back to its ground attack that had put up 176 yards to that point, but Moss was again stuffed — this time by big defensive lineman James Looney to seal the upset.
It was Cal’s second stop deep in its own territory of the half, too. Trailing 21-17, Utah had a chance to go ahead late in the third quarter, but Moss was stuffed on a fourth-and-one from the Cal 10.
The win is Cal’s second home upset over a ranked opponent this season. The Bears knocked off then No. 11 Texas 50-43 in a shootout two weeks ago, but followed it up with a disappointing 51-41 loss at Arizona State.
The Golden Bears have a ton of talent, and are sure to wreak havoc throughout Pac-12 play, especially at home. Simply put, this is not a team you want to play. With Texas Tech transfer Davis Webb at quarterback and big play threats Chad Hansen and Demetris Robertson at receiver, the Golden Bears can strike at any moment.
In this one, Webb threw for 306 yards and four touchdown passes: two to Hansen (40 and 24 yards) and two to Robertson (39 and 56 yards), a true freshman. Sonny Dykes’ team is now 3-2 heading into Oregon State next weekend.
For Utah (4-1), this loss is a tough one, especially after last Friday’s big home win over USC. The Utes played with several key players out with injury, but need to win games like this if they want to win the Pac-12 South. The division is still wide open, but this game could be one the Utes look back on later in the year as one that got away.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!Follow @SamDCooper