This Date in College Football Belt History – October 2

Casey — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:58:54 +0000

The 17^th ranked, 4-0 California Golden Bears of coach Keith Gilbertson welcomed to Berkley the 3-0 Oregon Ducks of coach Rich Brooks to battle for The Belt. California rallied from a 30-0 deficit with QB Dave Barr throwing for 368 yards with 3 touchdowns & a 2-point conversion with 1:17 to play for a 42-41 victory to retain The Belt. The teams combined for 1150 yards (Oregon 623 California 527) in the offensive slugfest. The Ducks scored on their first 5 possessions but a missed extra point by PK Tommy Thompson seemed to give the Golden Bears a spark. Oregon scored on touchdown passes from QB Danny O’Neil of 22 yards to WR Dameron Ricketts, 2 yards to WR Willy Tate, & 49 yards to WR Derrick Deadwiler in the 1^st quarter. In the 2^nd quarter, Tate caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from WR Cristin McLemore on an option pass before the missed conversion. California drove 54 yards with RB Lindsey Chapman scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run & the Golden Bears ended the first half down 30-7. As the 2^nd half started, Barr pitched to Chapman who took it 61 yards for a touchdown making the score 30-14. Oregon answered with an 81-yard drive with RB Sean Burwell scoring on a 13-yard run & the 2-point conversion to give the Ducks a 38-14 cushion. Barr then hit WR Damien Semien for a 46-yard touchdown pass but the failed 2-point conversion left the score at 38-20. California fans started believing the comeback was really possible when the Golden Bears blocked a Ducks’ punt with California’s All-Pac 10 S Eric Zomalt picking up the ball & running 19 yards for the touchdown making the score 38-27 with 6:55 still left in the 3^rd quarter. Both teams seemed to settle down & Thompson’s 21-yard field goal gave the Ducks a 41-27 lead with 5:11 left to play in the final period. The Golden Bears were not done; Barr’s 72-yard touchdown connection with Semien with 4:53 left made it Oregon 41 California 34. The Golden Bears got the ball back with 2:22 to play at their own 15-yard line. On 3^rd & 10, Barr hit WR Iheanyi Uwaezuoke for 18 yards & a new set of downs. Four more completions & a 1-yard run got the Golden Bears to the Oregon 26-yard line with 1:24 to play. Barr then hit Uwaezuoke down the left sideline for the touchdown at 1:17 to play. The Golden Bears tried for a 2-point conversion as Barr audibled to a fade pass for WR Mike Caldwell. In spite of defensive pass interference, Caldwell hauled in the conversion & California had an improbable 42-41 victory. Semien finished with 7 catches for 182 yards with his 2 touchdowns. For the Ducks, O’Neil threw for 313 yards with 3 touchdowns, RB Ricky Whittle rushed for 113 yards, Burwell added 101 yards rushing to his touchdown, & Deadwiler had 11 catches for 234 yards with his touchdown. California finished the season 9-4; ranked 25^th nationally while the Ducks finished 5-6. Oregon would play for The Belt again in 1995.

The College Football Belt

This Date in College Football Belt History – September 4

Casey — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:08:34 +0000

The UCLA Bruins of coach Terry Donahue opened the season against the California Golden Bears of coach Keith Gilbertson. California’s QB Dave Barr threw 3 touchdown passes but it was two failed 2-point conversion attempts by UCLA that spelled the difference in a 27-25 Golden Bear victory to claim The Belt. The win gave the Golden Bears The Belt for the second time & first since 1990. The Golden Bears got on the board after S Matt Clizbe returned a Bruins’ punt 33 yards to the UCLA 38-yard line &, 2 plays later, Barr found WR Mike Caldwell open for a 40-yard touchdown pass. On Clizbe’s next punt return he fumbled with UCLA’s S Travis Collier recovering at the California 24-yard line. The turnover set-up a 36-yard field goal by All-American PK Bjorn Merten but the Bruins still trailed 7-3. The Golden Bears then put together a 6-play, 63-yard drive with Barr connecting with Caldwell from 36 yards for a 14-3 advantage heading into the 2^nd quarter. Another field goal by Merten, this on from 30 yards, opened the 2^nd quarter but California countered with a 27-yard field goal from PK Doug Brien for a 17-6 lead. The Bruins finally got into the end zone on their next drive, an 8-play, 76-yard effort with RB Daron Washington scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run with just 2:26 left in the half. California was not done as they drove 76 yards in 2:14 with Barr hitting TE Brian Remington for a 6-yard touchdown giving the Golden Bears a 24-13 lead at intermission. The only points of the 3^rd quarter came with just 0:20 left when UCLA’s QB Wayne Cook threw to All-American WR J.J. Stokes for a 5-yard touchdown pass on a drive helped by an excessive celebration penalty against California when the defense thought they had stopped a third down play. The Bruins tried for a 2-point conversion after the touchdown but, in spite of a diving attempt, Stokes was unable to hold on to Cook’s pass & UCLA still trailed 24-19. Brien’s 23-yard field goal pushed the California lead back to 8 points at 27-19 with 5:48 left in the game but kept the Bruins with hopes of a tie. UCLA drove 80 yards in 7 plays with RB Skip Hicks breaking loose on his second carry as a collegian for a 40-yard touchdown run. Again, the Bruins tried for the 2-point conversion but Cook’s pass to Stokes this time was over his head & the Golden Bears led 27-25 with 3:05 to play. UCLA had a last chance with the ball at their own 17-yard line with 1:36 to play & no timeouts. The Bruins drove to the California 20-yard line before the Golden Bears’ All-Pac 10 S Eric Zomalt intercepted a Cook pass with just 0:15 left. Barr finished with 213 yards passing with 3 touchdowns while RB Lindsey Chapman added 160 yards rushing. For UCLA, Cook threw for 230 yards with a touchdown while Stokes had 7 catches for 106 yards with his touchdown. The Bruins finished the season 8-4; Pac 10 Co-Champs, ranked 18^th nationally while the Golden Bears finished 9-4 & ranked 25^th nationally. UCLA would play for The Belt again in 6 weeks.

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Pickin' Splinters » Mike Caldwell

This Date in College Football Belt History – October 2

This Date in College Football Belt History – September 4