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Page 2B SPORTS East Oregonian Saturday, October 14, 2017 College Football Cougars dealt first loss with thumping by Golden Bears By JOSH DUBOW Associate Press AP Photo/D. Ross Cameron California’s Ross Bowers throws a pass against Wash- ington State during the first quarter of Friday’s game in Berkeley, Calif. BERKELEY, Calif. — Ross Bowers did an acro- batic flip into the end zone to cap a touchdown run for California and the Golden Bears used a dominant defensive performance to stun No. 8 Washington State 37-3 Friday night for their first win in 14 years against a top 10 team. Camryn Bynum had two of California’s five intercep- tions against Luke Falk, and the Bears (4-3, 1-3 Pac-12) used seven turnovers and nine sacks to top the Cougars (6-1, 3-1) for a signature win under first-year coach Justin Wilcox. Cal was just 1-52-1 against top 10 teams since 1978 with the only win coming over No. 3 Southern California in 2003 before breaking through against mistake-prone Washington State. Pac-12 Wash. St. California 3 37 The Bears used short fields on their first four scoring drives before Bowers delivered the highlight of the night with his touchdown run early in the fourth that left the crowd gasping in amazement. Bowers, whose mother used to be the gymnastics coach at Washington, scram- bled and then leaped off two feet from just outside the 2. He did a front flip over Justus Rogers and fell in the end zone following the 7-yard run that made it 27-3. The game was played in smoky conditions because of the wine country fires that had killed at least 35 people and destroyed at least 5,700 homes and businesses about 50 miles north of Cal’s campus. The tone for this game was set when Falk was intercepted on Washington State’s third play from scrimmage, setting up a field goal by Matt Anderson. The Cougars committed three turnovers in the first half, missed a field goal and had a 1-yard punt in the final minute of the half. That short punt set up a 45-yard TD drive for the Bears, who scored on the final play of the half when Bowers threw a 2-yard pass to Kyle Wells to make it 17-3. The touchdown came one play after a female fan ran on the field holding a pink, stuffed pig and had to be dragged off by security. THE TAKEAWAY Washington State: Falk entered the game with two interceptions in 262 passes before throwing five against the Bears. He had one on his first pass, one in the end zone, another in the red zone on a botched shovel pass and two more overall. It was a rough day all around for Falk, who was repeatedly battered by Cal’s rush and lost a fumble that was returned for a TD by Gerran Brown after the ninth sack of the game. California: The Bears were held to minus-14 yards rushing in the first half before wearing down the Cougars behind bruising Vic Enwere. Enwere carried the bulk of the rushing load with Patrick Laird out with an injury and finished with 102 yards on 22 carries as Cal dominated the game in the trenches. POLL IMPLICATIONS The Cougars, who entered the game with their highest ranking since 2003, will fall out of the top 10 next week. UP NEXT WA S H I N G T O N STATE: Host Colorado next Saturday. CALIFORNIA: Host Arizona next Saturday. Oregon State moves on without Andersen against Colorado By ANNE M. PETERSON Associated Press CORVALLIS — Oregon State interim coach Cory Hall says the Beavers will be playing for former head coach Gary Andersen when the team hosts Colorado on Saturday. Andersen and Oregon State unexpectedly parted ways Monday, and Hall will guide the Beavers for the rest of the season. It’s a tall task. The Beavers have just one win this season, over lower-di- vision Portland State, and they’re at the bottom of the Pac-12 North. “I’ve gone through a transition like this before but that doesn’t stop the oppo- nent,” Hall said. “So it’s going to be my job to keep them focused. And I have the energy. I’m energetic enough to keep those boys focused. “And we’re going to go out, we’re going to celebrate coach Andersen, we’re going to have fun and we’re going to compete.” The Beavers (1-5, 0-3) were coming off a particularly rough stretch, with losses to three straight ranked teams, Washington State, Washington and USC. Andersen and Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes decided Sunday night — the day after the 38-10 loss to the Trojans — to part ways. The news caught everyone by surprise, including Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre, who is Pac-12 Colorado Oregon St. Buffaloes Beavers (3-3) (1-5) • Sat., 1 p.m. (TV: Pac-12) • at Reser Stadium friends with Andersen. MacIntyre told reporters that he got a text from him that said, “I guess I won’t see you on Saturday.” The Buffaloes (3-3, 0-3), who finished atop the Pac-12 South last season, are also seeking a first conference victory. They are coming off a 45-42 loss to Arizona. Colorado allowed the Wildcats 413 rushing yards, including 327 from quar- terback Khalil Tate, an FBS record for a QB. Colorado’s defense has struggled in its three league games, with the Buffaloes giving up an average of 36.3 points and 482.7 yards. But defense is also the issue for the Beavers, who are allowing a league-worst 45 points a game. For total defense, the Beavers are second-to-last, giving up an average of 493.8 yards. Other things of note when Colorado visits Oregon State: LINDSAY SHINES: Despite Colorado’s recent struggles, tailback Phillip Lindsay is having a record-breaking season for the Buffaloes, becoming Colorado’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards with 4,989. He’s also vying to be the first at the school with 1,000 yards receiving and rushing in a single season. So far he’s got 3,043 yards rushing and 869 yards receiving. Lindsay had career highs against the Wildcats with 41 carries for 281 yards. But afterward he didn’t want to talk about the accomplish- ment: “At the end of the day we didn’t get the win.” COLLINS’ RISE: Oregon State’s Seth Collins caught five passes for a season-high 91 yards against the Trojans, the latest step in the junior’s incremental improvement this season. Collins missed the final two games of last season with an undisclosed illness that left him hospitalized for nearly two weeks. He first grabbed attention as a dynamic playmaker when he played at quarterback as a freshman. GOALS: At the halfway point of the season, the Buffaloes find themselves aiming for bowl eligibility. “I definitely think we’ll be in a bowl game. That’s what we need to do,” MacIntyre said. “That’s what we can hope we can do.” NALL RETURN: Beavers running back Ryan Nall, who missed last week’s game at USC because of an ankle injury, is listed as questionable against the Buffaloes. Nall leads Oregon State this season with 341 yards rushing and four touchdowns. “Ryan looks good,” Hall told reporters. “He’ll go, he’ll perform and he’ll be wrecking Nall.” Stanford hosts Oregon in coaching Penny, Aztecs eager to face Broncos play each other a lot of times Mtn. West reunion for Shaw, Taggart and I think we’ve played By JOSH DUBOW Associated Press STANFORD, Calif. — When Willie Taggart got the head coaching job at Oregon, one of the first calls he made was to Stanford coach David Shaw. The two had spent three years together as assistants under Jim Harbaugh for the Cardinal, forging a friendship that carries over into their first meeting as adversaries on Saturday night when No. 23 Stanford (4-2, 3-1 Pac-12) hosts the Ducks (4-2, 1-2). “Learned a lot of football from David Shaw while I was there and we kept in touch ever since,” Taggart said. “He’s been a good friend and someone I call on and especially when getting this job and talking more about the Pac-12. He’s one of the guys I can call on and get some help from.” The two bonded on that Stanford staff from 2007-09 that included many strong personalities and four assis- tants who went on to become FBS head coaches. Taggart left after 2009 to take over Western Kentucky. After three seasons there, Taggart spent four years at South Florida before returning to the Pac-12 this season with the task of turning around Oregon. Pac-12 Oregon Stanford Ducks Cardinal (4-2) (4-2) • Sat, 8 p.m. (TV: FS1) • at Stanford, California “He is himself,” Shaw said. “He’s not putting on an act to be someone else. Very early on we found that common ground that we had a similar personality.” Here are some other things to watch: SHORT-HANDED: The Cardinal will have to play the first half without two key defensive players. Defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and linebacker Peter Kalambayi were both ejected last week for targeting late in a win at Utah. The punishment carries over to the first half this week, dealing a big blow to Stanford’s front seven. “Harrison is playing at an All-American level,” Shaw said. “It will be tough to miss for a half. I know he will be fired up to join us for the second half.” DYNAMIC BACKS: This game features two of the top runners in the country. Stanford’s Bryce Love leads the nation with 1,240 yards rushing in six games with a staggering 10.55 yards per carry. Oregon’s Royce Freeman has been one of the best for four years. He has rushed for 4,800 yards in his career and is tied with LaMi- chael James for the most TDs (58) in school history. “He had a good oppor- tunity to play in the NFL. I’m not too happy that he passed that up,” Shaw said. “He’s physical, he can get the tough yards and has the ability to break long runs. We knew about him during the recruiting process. I was hoping he would come to us or somewhere far away.” SECOND START: Oregon freshman quarter- back Braxton Burmeister struggled in his first career start in place of the injured Justin Herbert. He completed 15 of 27 passes for 145 yards, two interceptions and one touchdown last week against Washington State and will have a tough task again when he faces Stanford’s stellar secondary led by ball- hawking safety Justin Reid, who is tied for the lead in the nation with five interceptions. “The more experience you have the better you get with it,” Taggart said. “I just think guys around him have to play better in order for Braxton to play up to his potential. He’s going to need guys around him to step up and give us more.” By BERNIE WILSON Associated Press SAN DIEGO — It’s been a long time since San Diego State has played a game this meaningful. Beating Stanford and Arizona State of the Pac-12 in consecutive weeks was a nice accomplishment. Beating Boise State on Saturday night would be much bigger for the No. 19 Aztecs, the two-time defending Mountain West Conference champions who would love to grab the Group of Five’s automatic bid to the New Year’s Six bowl games. The Aztecs (6-0, 2-0) of the West Division haven’t played Boise State (3-2, 1-0) of the Mountain Division since 2014. The Broncos didn’t make it to the confer- ence championship game when the Aztecs won it the last two years, so this will give SDSU a chance to see how it measures up against the conference’s most recog- nizable team. “We’re taking this game like it’s the championship game because it’s big for us,” SDSU star running back Rashaad Penny said. Penny said the Aztecs didn’t want each other wearing any blue or orange during the week. “No disrespect to them; they’re a great team and all. But we’ve been wanting Boise State San Diego St. Broncos Aztecs (3-2) (6-0) • Sat., 7:30 p.m. (CBSSN) • at San Diego, California them for so long. And now that we’re getting a shot to get them I think we have to take advantage of it. We have to come out hard and fast just to prove a point that we’re the leader of the Group of Five and we’re here to take the Mountain West as we did the last two years. It’s going to be exciting.” Here are some things to look for when the undefeated Aztecs host the Broncos: HISTORY: The Aztecs are looking to go 7-0 for the first time since 1975, when they won their first eight before losing their last three. SDSU is 20-2 in its last 22 games against MWC teams. RIVALRY?: This is the fifth meeting between the schools and the series is tied 2-2. While SDSU’s players are stoked to play the Broncos, coach Rocky Long isn’t getting caught up in the hype. “I don’t think the two schools have played each other enough to have devel- oped a rivalry to this point,” Long said. “I mean, to develop a rival, you have to each other four times total. That’s a long way from being a rivalry. I would say our rivals are Fresno State.” Bryan Harsin was in his first season as BSU’s coach when the Broncos rallied from a 20-0 second-quarter deficit to beat San Diego State 38-29 in Boise in 2014. “I think every week’s rivalry week for us,” Harsin said. “That’s just the mindset. You’re going to get every- body’s best. I hope we give our best every single time we play. San Diego State’s a good football team. When we go out there and do what we’re capable of doing, we’re a good football team.” PENNY: The senior is second nationally in rushing yards with 993 and third in rushing yards per game at 165.5. Penny had a high- light-reel play last Saturday night when he lowered his shoulder and slammed into UNLV’s Tim Hough, knocking the cornerback to the ground on his way to a 25-yard gain in a 41-10 win. Noting that Penny has more rushing yards by himself than nearly two-thirds of Division I teams, Harsin said: “We’ve got to wrap up, we’ve got to get two to three guys to him and you’ve got to be physical at the point of attack with him.” Rested Dodgers welcome weary Cubs in compelling NLCS rematch By GREG BEACHAM Associated Press LOS ANGELES — When the Chicago Cubs began their NL Division Series clincher in Washington on Thursday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers watched it on their stadium video boards during an upbeat team workout in Chavez Ravine. By the time Wade Davis got the final out in Chicago’s 277-minute victory , the Dodgers were long gone home. They all could have been fast asleep by the time the Cubs’ plane left Wash- ington on its 10-hour delayed trip across the country, only arriving midmorning Friday. Whether the rested, hungry Dodgers can use these advantages in any meaningful way against the possibly bedraggled World Series champions will be decided when they get together this weekend to play for the NL pennant again. “The Cubs are the defending world champs, so there’s a lot to be said for having been there and done that,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s virtually the same group.” The Cubs and Dodgers are back for a rematch of last season’s NL Championship Series when Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for Game 1 on NLCS - Game 1 Chicago Cubs Los Angeles Dodgers • Sat., 5:08 p.m. (TV: TBS) • at Dodger Stadium Saturday night, but these well-loved powerhouses’ circumstances are somewhat reversed. After the Cubs finished far ahead of the Dodgers in the regular-season standings last year to earn homefield advantage, Los Angeles won 18 more games than the Cubs this year. Chicago had to sweat through a marathon series against the Nationals to reach the NLCS — the same route taken by the Dodgers in 2016. And after four straight failures to win the pennant with high-priced NL West championship teams, the Dodgers have the confidence of a 104-win campaign heading into a chance to get back at the Cubs, who elimi- nated them in six games last October. As the whole world knows, Chicago ended its 108-year championship drought last fall. The Cubs are in their third straight NLCS, their reputation as lovable losers thoroughly buried. The Dodgers’ World Series drought is a paltry 28 years, but it looms large in LA. “It does help when you’re the winningest team for that current year, and we’ve showed how good we can be when we play our type of baseball,” Roberts said. “We’re a confident group, and understand that we still have a lot of work to do.” Los Angeles rolled into the NLCS with a sweep of Arizona , while the Cubs were stretched to the limit by the Nationals. Chicago manager Joe Maddon used seven pitchers in Game 5 of the NLDS, but the Cubs likely have the pitching depth to get through the weekend. “It’s very interesting once again,” Maddon said of the rematch. “(The Dodgers) are different, because they really overcame the inability to (hit) against lefties. They are better. They made some nice moves. ... They always have a good bullpen. They have Mr. Kershaw, obviously, and now they have (Yu) Darvish. Listen, we just went through Strasburg and Scherzer. I mean, that’s no day at the beach, either. When you get to this time of the year, you really have to be prepared to beat good pitching, which they have.” Here are more things to think about this weekend at Dodger Stadium:
