Coach Kevin Sumlin had the perfect adjective to describe Arizona’s 24-17 victory over Cal on Saturday night.
“That was really a gutty performance,” Sumlin said.
It wasn’t pretty — unless you’re a fan of clutch defense.
The Wildcats’ defensive unit outscored its offense in the latest wacky chapter in this series.
A pair of defensive touchdowns in the second half helped the Cats overcome an out-of-sync offensive attack and defeat the Golden Bears in front of an announced crowd of 44,253 at Arizona Stadium.
“It’s football,” said receiver Tony Ellison, who scored Arizona’s lone offensive touchdown. “Sometimes the offense takes care of the defense. The defense took care of the offense tonight. We’re very grateful for that."
Arizona Wildcats running back J.J. Taylor (21) is tackled by California Golden Bears linebacker Malik Psalms (23) during the fourth quarter.
Sophomore safety Scottie Young Jr. put the game away with a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown with 3:13 remaining. It was Young’s second interception of the fourth quarter.
Young missed all of spring practice, a chunk of training camp and the 2018 opener because of a suspension. In one sudden sequence, he produced as many interceptions as Arizona had all year up to that point.
“I just go out there every day and work for my team,” Young said. “I put the past behind me. What can I do to help the team win?”
Arizona intercepted Cal first-time starting quarterback Brandon McIlwain three times in all. The Wildcats also forced him to fumble. They needed every one of them to offset an offense that struggled to find a rhythm after the first quarter.
Khalil Tate started at quarterback and led a pair of first-quarter scoring drives. Freshman Jamarye Joiner replaced him for the first series of the second period. Nothing the Wildcats tried worked; the offense did not score a point over the final three quarters and finished with 265 total yards.
After limping and struggling for much of the night, Tate pulled the ball and ran on the most important offensive snap of the game for Arizona.
Clinging to a three-point lead in the fourth quarter, Arizona faced third-and-9 from its 4-yard line. Tate faked a handoff to J.J. Taylor and raced around the right side for a 17-yard gain — Tate’s longest run in a strange season. For a brief moment, he looked like the Tate of 2017.
Arizona Wildcats running back J.J. Taylor (21) has some blocking help on a run during the first quarter Arizona Stadium. Taylor had 73 yards on 15 carries.
The Wildcats didn’t score on the drive, but they advanced past midfield and took time off the clock.
“Even though we didn’t score, Khalil pulling the ball and running … that flipped the field,” Sumlin said.
“It was something I had to do,” said Tate, who finished with 40 rushing yards on eight attempts. “It was something the defense showed. It was something that surprised them.”
The possession ended with Taylor losing a fumble. Moments later, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles tipped a McIlwain pass into the arms of Young for his first interception.
Arizona couldn’t turn the pick into points; Josh Pollack missed a 40-yard field-goal attempt off the left upright. But the defense again rose to the occasion. JB Brown sacked and stripped McIlwain. Dereck Boles recovered the ball.
The defense struggled on third down all night but stiffened on fourth, getting critical stops in the first and fourth quarters. The Wildcats also turned one of their takeaways into an improbable go-ahead touchdown.
With the score still 14-10 in the third quarter, Colin Schooler intercepted McIlwain on a deflected pass at the UA 16-yard line. Schooler returned the ball 39 yards before Cal’s Jeremiah Hawkins punched it out of his grasp.
The ball bounded forward. Arizona’s Azizi Hearn scooped it up at the Cal 34 and raced into the end zone.
“That was all planned,” Schooler joked. “That went from a good play to a bad play to a great play. I gotta have trust in my teammates to pick up the slack sometimes.”
“Words can’t describe it,” the UA’s JB Brown, bottom, said of his first sack, which caused a fourth-quarter fumble by Cal.
As he’s smothered by teammate PJ Johnson, top, the UA’s JB Brown roars after a quarterback sack forced a fumble.
It was the latest zany play in a series that’s been full of them. Cal’s last trip to Arizona Stadium, in 2014, ended with the “Hill Mary” touchdown. Last year’s matchup concluded with Schooler breaking up a two-point conversion attempt that would have won the game for Cal in double overtime.
The Wildcats improved to 3-3, 2-1 in the Pac-12. The Bears lost their second straight to fall to 3-2, 0-2.
The most dynamic quarterback on the field was McIlwain. The redshirt sophomore passed for 315 yards and ran for 107, topping the century mark for the second week in a row.
McIlwain ran for a pair of touchdowns — covering 25 and 23 yards — in the second quarter as the Bears turned a 10-0 deficit into a 14-10 halftime lead.
The game started about as well as Arizona could have hoped. With Tate looking spry, the Wildcats marched 75 yards in 11 plays on the opening possession. Tate finished the drive with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Ellison. Tate also ran twice for 16 yards.
The UA defense followed with a fourth-down stop. On fourth-and-2 from the UA 37, McIlwain ran to the right. Tony Fields II and Schooler stuffed him a yard short of the marker.
A classic Taylor 26-yard run — he started to the right and cut all the way back to the left — put the Wildcats in scoring range. A sack stalled the drive, and Arizona had to settle for a field goal.
Pollack nailed the kick from 46 yards. It was the fifth-year senior’s first field-goal try of the season. He replaced slumping sophomore Lucas Havrisik this week.
Extra points
- Fields and left tackle Layth Friekh started after being forced to leave last week’s game against USC because of injuries. Both exited in the second quarter Saturday but returned in the third.
- Anthony Pandy subbed for Fields. Pandy returned to the lineup after sitting out last week because of a suspension.
- Arizona’s Isaiah Hayes had to be helped off the field after being driven out of bounds on a punt return in the third quarter. The officials reviewed the play to determine if Cal’s Deon White had targeted Hayes. But referee Mark Duddy announced that “the contact was not significant.”
- “Stud” Kylan Wilborn got hurt in the first half and did not play in the second. Jalen Harris and Lee Anderson III filled in for Wilborn.
- Cornerback Jace Whittaker again dressed but did not play. Tim Hough started in his place and was called for two penalties in the first half. Hearn replaced him in the second half.
- Backup tight end Jamie Nunley did not play. He was spotted before the game with a boot on his left foot.
- Freshman defensive tackle Nahe Sulunga dressed for the first time but did not play.
