Jack Plummer kept the offense on schedule, freshman tailback Jaydn Ott hit big play after big play, and California outscored Arizona 28-7 in the second half on Saturday to take down the Wildcats, 49-31.

The Golden Bears moved to 3-1 on the season, starting off Pac-12 play with a win for the first time since 2019. It’s also the Bears’ best four-game start to a year since that 2019 group went 4-0 to start. Arizona dropped to 2-2 with the defeat.

Cal put up 599 yards of offense on the day, the second-best offensive outing the team has enjoyed under coach Justin Wilcox. Credit Ott for nearly half of those.

The true freshman running back from Chino, California took the second play from scrimmage 73 yards to the house. He had runs of 31, 12, 10, 12, 18, and 72 on the day; finishing with three scores and 274 on just 19 rushing attempts. The 72-yard scamper was another house call Ott made with 4:56 to play in the game, a run that put Cal up by 18 and all but ended things.

Arizona’s Tyler Loop knocked through a field goal with 40 seconds to play in the first half to put the Wildcats up 24-20. The UA had put up 329 yards of first-half offense, hadn’t turned the ball over, and was moving the ball seemingly at will through the air. With an average of 8.7 yards per play and no turnovers, the Wildcats were rolling.

The problem: so was Cal. The Bears’ offense averaged 8.9 yards a play in the first half.

It didn’t slow down in the second. Meanwhile, Arizona couldn’t hold onto the football and that proved the difference.

The Wildcats opened the second half with a four-play, 14-yard drive; a three-and-out; and then a five-play, 46-yard drive that ended with a fumble. Cal’s first three possessions featured three straight touchdowns. A 37-yard pass from Plummer to Jeremiah Hunter early in the fourth put the Bears up 42-24.

Arizona immediately responded with a six-play, 75-yard drive to get back within 11, but then it went punt/interception/interception to close out the game.

The Wildcats put up 536 yards of offense themselves, as Jayden de Laura completed 27 of his 45 pass attempts for 401 yards and two touchdowns. But he was also responsible for all three turnovers. Cal scored touchdowns directly off of the first two, as Ott put the bow on the win.

Cal hits the road next weekend to battle Washington State (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12). The Cougs just lost a heartbreaker to Oregon at home. Kickoff in that game is set for 2:30 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Network.

Arizona returns home to host Colorado (0-4, 0-1 Pac-12). That game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Network as well.