Week 14 - Saturday, Nov 29, 2014 - #4 BYU (11-0) @ Cal (4-7) - Berkeley, CA - 3:00 p.m. EST - Pac12Net

Another beautiful noon kickoff and all BYU has to do is win...win and they are almost surely “in” the final 4. Cal surprised some people when they opened the season beating NW on the road and racing out to a 4-1 start...however the Golden Bears have lost their last 6 games in either blowout (Oregon (N), Stanford, UCLA) or heartbreaking (UW, @ Or St, @ USC) fashion. The team has nothing to play for and could be very unmotivated, or, it could be very dangerous playing with nothing to lose (see BYU @ UNR to end 2013 season). A stupid Cal reporter prodding about SOS arguments asks Bronco pre-game how games like last week’s Sav State blowout prepare his teams for games vs BCS level competition and Bronco (very un-Bronco-like) states, “Not sure...go ask Auburn, they just played Samford to prep for Bama.”

Cal’s QB Goff has proved effective at times and there is no question that the Bears can put up points if allowed to. If there is any team that plays faster than BYU it is Cal and they come out relaxed and slinging the ball all over the field. After Johnson gets beat deep, their RB breaks a Bills tackle and scampers into the end zone. After only 5:20 seconds BYU is down 14-0 and it appears their dream season may be dead. Thankfully there is no quit in these Cougars. Bronco makes the adjustments on D and Cal doesn’t score again in the first half. BYU responds by mounting a scoring drive of their own that is almost derailed by a phantom holding call and a “personal foul” hit “after” the whistle. Gotta love the Pac-12 refs! Hill pushes through on a QB sneak to make it 14-7. Later in the second BYU goes for it on 4th and 3 from the Cal 24 but gets stuffed “short” on a very questionable spot on the JSwag run. Thankfully Kaufusi sacks Goff and forces a quick 3 and out and BYU marches back down the field to score a TD just before halftime to knot things up at 14. (JSwag 8 yard run.)

Every year there seems to be a game where BYU’s D is ill-prepared and/or the other team is just able to throw the ball on us at will (2012 Ore State, 2013 Houston)...this game appears to be that game in 2014. Johnson, who is playing with bruised ribs, gets beat again on a double move and Daniel is late on his rotation. Cal is in this game and believes they can win. The third quarter ends with BYU scoring a TD on a perfect pass by Hill to Leslie (33 yards), who has been very sure-handed all year...veteran throw and catch. Bronco said after the game, about his miracle grab in the back of the end zone, “that is why Leslie came here...to make THAT catch!”

BYU appears to catch their first break of the game and take the lead on a LONG TD run by Hill (65 yards) but a late flag flies and a “holding” call is made against Kearsley, well after the play was downfield. Anae is literally blowing up on the sideline and ESPN even starts throwing in the “pac-12 ref” comments. BYU is forced to punt and Cal manages to score one more time before the fourth, to take a 28-21 lead. In a very untimely fashion, JSwag has his first ever fumble lost, on a drive at the Cal 12 yard line, just when BYU thought they’d tie it up. Fua manages to pick of Goff after some serious heat by Kaufusi and returns it to the BYU 38. On the ensuing drive, Hill stiff arms a blitzing Cal safety like he’s a 12 year old pop warner player, avoids the pressure, rolls out and find Blackmon, who had escaped behind the D. The pass is slightly underthrown, but that doesn’t matter, Blackmon side-steps the pursuing defender and ties the game up on a great 44 yard TD pass. With 9 minutes left the teams exchange punts and then turnovers (Hill throws INT, Pikula forces fumble, Warner recovers.) With only 2:45 left Hill leads his team back out onto the field needing to drive 71 yards to score the go-ahead points.

Hill nails Kurtz on a slant, then they run Blackmon on the fly sweep for 12 yards. They test the secondary but Hill overthrows Mathews. Hill then gets another first down on a QB draw and JSwag gets BYU into Cal territory with a 5 yard run. Hill scrambles and throws it away, then BYU is called for a false start making it 3rd and long. Hill goes back to Kurtz for a tough, 13 yard completion for another first down. BYU has been running to the left side very well all game and JSwag picks up another 8 yards, getting to the second level. It appears the Golden Bears are wearing down. But the stadium is extremely loud and the ensuing snap is errant and Taysom runs back and falls on it...or so he thought. The officials do not blow their whistle and a Cal LB’er comes crashing in on top of Hill to “recover” the ball. The refs determine that Hill never actually “recovered” the ball, that it was still “live” and actually recovered by Cal. After a five minute review, the call stands. Incredible...it’s worse than “Bradley’s knee was down!” Greg Wrubell literally passed out after the announcement. With 1:39 left, Cal thinks they have time to go down and score so they run a quick out for a completion and then try to test the middle of the field on a post route. Problem is 6’7 Kaufusi is rushing the middle and sticks his giant paw up there and deflects it with his finger tip. Warner, who has been relatively quiet, but solid all year, swoops in and picks it off at the Cal 34. He shows his speed and athleticism and runs against the grain taking it to the house! Cal is unable to mount another scoring drive on the ensuing possession and BYU survives Berkeley 35-28.

Players of the Game - Hill 27/42, 289 yds 2 TD’s, 2 INT, 17 rushes 121 yds, 1 TD, Warner - 3 tackles, 1 PBU, 1 INT, 1 TD

BYU ends the season #3 in the AP poll and ranked #4 in the “committee rankings”, but the debate is raging. Nick Saban and Art Bryles have been most out-spoken about BYU's soft schedule and undeserving of CFP.