Final
Washington rolls to 42-10 romp over No. 19 Cal
Dec 6, 2009 - 4:33 AM By TIM BOOTH AP Sports WriterSEATTLE(AP) -- The low rumble started in the student section in the first half and increased in volume as the minutes ticked by. When the final moments arrived, the entire crowd was begging Jake Locker for one more appearance in Washington's purple and gold.
"One more year, one more year," the fans pleaded to the Huskies' star quarterback.
If this was Locker's farewell from college football, he made it a memorable one. If not, he announced himself as a Heisman front-runner for next season.
In one of the most efficient performances of his career, Locker threw for three touchdowns, ran for two more and Washington closed out its redemptive first season under Steve Sarkisian with a 42-10 domination of No. 19 California on Saturday night.
The five combined touchdowns were a career high for Locker, who shined as NFL executives looked on from the press box. Even Sarkisian joked that while not leading the cheers asking for one more season, he was, "part of them."
"Like I told you guys before, I'm just happy to get this win. I'm going to soak this all in for now and deal with all that stuff later," Locker said. "I wasn't lying to you guys the whole time; I hadn't even thought about (the future). It's not been something I've planned or made a timeline for myself. I haven't done anything about it."
Only a junior, Locker continues to be touted as a top NFL draft prospect if he leaves school early. Washington fans made it clear Saturday night they aren't ready to see him go.
He started with a 40-yard TD pass to Jermaine Kearse on Washington's first drive, then added touchdown runs of 19 and 2 yards in the second quarter as the Huskies jumped to a 21-3 lead and were never challenged. He tossed TD passes of 21 and 13 yards to Devin Aguilar in the third, and the Huskies (5-7, 4-5 Pac-10) made an impressive final statement against a bowl-bound Cal (8-4, 5-4) that looked uninterested on a cold night in Seattle.
"I think we might have been overlooking Washington a little bit," running back Shane Vereen said. "That's where we went wrong because they played really hard today and you got to give them all the credit. Every point, every stop that they got they earned."
The night capped the Huskies' bounceback first season under Sarkisian, a year removed from their 0-12 embarrassment that closed with a 48-7 rout at the hands of the Golden Bears in Tyrone Willingham's final game.
Now 2008 is an afterthought and there is optimism for Washington's future. How much optimism will depend heavily on Locker's decision.
"I thought it was funny and I know he heard it too," Kearse said of the chants.
Locker completed 19 of 23 passes for 248 yards, and rushed 14 times for 77 yards. Chris Polk added 94 yards rushing and a touchdown, Kearse had seven catches for 147 yards and a TD - all in the first half - and Aguilar grabbed five passes for 72 yards.
"I was concerned about the way we might respond this week and what we were playing for," Sarkisian said, with the Huskies coming off last Saturday's 30-0 win over Washington State. "The challenge was to hopefully send a message of where this program is headed and I think we responded amazingly."
The same couldn't be said of California. Two weeks after their Big Game upset of Stanford, the Bears were flat from the start and played lacking emotion or energy.
There was nothing for California to play for with a bowl berth already wrapped up and its postseason future determined by how the pecking order of the Pac-10's mid-tier bowl agreements play out. But the Bears looked more like the team that was outscored 72-6 by Oregon and USC to start conference play than the team that won five of six to get back into the Top 25.
After California took the opening kickoff and went 53 yards, Vince D'Amato missed a 42-yard field goal wide left. From there, it was all Washington.
The Huskies defense was equal of their star QB, knocking Cal quarterback Kevin Riley on his backside all night and keeping Vereen from matching the big numbers he posted in his first two starts.
Riley was sacked five times, including three times by senior Daniel Te'o-Neshehim, who became the Huskies' career leader in sacks with 30. Vereen, who carried 42 times for 193 yards and three touchdowns against Stanford, was held to 92 yards, most of it coming on a 50-yard dash in the first quarter.
Riley was 14 of 32 for 215 yards with a 22-yard TD pass to Nyan Boateng, but fumbled twice. In Cal's four losses this season it was outscored 145-30.
"The fortunate thing is we get to play again," coach Jeff Tedford said. "We don't have to end the season on that note. Go back and work hard and get prepared to the bowl and look forward to it whatever it is."
- NCAAF FINAL
1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
CALIFORNIA 3 0 7 0 10
WASHINGTON 7 14 14 7 42 FINAL
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: WASHINGTON - TD, JERMAINE KEARSE 40 YD PASS
FROM JAKE LOCKER (ERIK FOLK
KICK), 7:15. WASHINGTON 7-0
CALIFORNIA - FG, VINCE D'AMATO 29 YD, 9:13.
WASHINGTON 7-3
2ND QUARTER: WASHINGTON - TD,
Dec 5 9:38 PM - NCAAF
CALIFORNIA 10
WASHINGTON 42 0:00 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Dec 5 9:38 PM
TD WASHINGTON CHRIS POLK 10 YD RUN (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 10, Washington 42 4th - 3:23Dec 5 9:28 PM
TD WASHINGTON CHRIS POLK 10 YD RUN (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 10, Washington 42 4th - 3:23Dec 5 9:28 PM- NCAAF
CALIFORNIA 10
WASHINGTON 42 3:23 LEFT, 4TH QTR
California(19) 10, Washington 42 4th - 3:23Dec 5 9:28 PM - NCAAF
CALIFORNIA 10
WASHINGTON 35 0:00 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Dec 5 9:01 PM
TD WASHINGTON DEVIN AGUILAR 13 YD PASS FROM JAKE LOCKER (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 10, Washington 35 3rd - 7:41Dec 5 8:43 PM
TD WASHINGTON DEVIN AGUILAR 13 YD PASS FROM JAKE LOCKER (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 10, Washington 35 3rd - 7:41Dec 5 8:43 PM
TD WASHINGTON DEVIN AGUILAR 13 YD PASS FROM JAKE LOCKER (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 10, Washington 35 3rd - 7:41Dec 5 8:43 PM- NCAAF
CALIFORNIA 10
WASHINGTON 35 7:41 LEFT, 3RD QTR
California(19) 10, Washington 35 3rd - 7:41Dec 5 8:43 PM
TD CALIFORNIA NYAN BOATENG 22 YD PASS FROM KEVIN RILEY (VINCE D'AMATO KICK)
California(19) 10, Washington 28 3rd - 10:09Dec 5 8:36 PM
TD CALIFORNIA NYAN BOATENG 22 YD PASS FROM KEVIN RILEY (VINCE D'AMATO KICK)
California(19) 10, Washington 28 3rd - 10:09Dec 5 8:36 PM
TD CALIFORNIA NYAN BOATENG 22 YD PASS FROM KEVIN RILEY (VINCE D'AMATO KICK)
California(19) 10, Washington 28 3rd - 10:09Dec 5 8:36 PM- NCAAF
CALIFORNIA 10
WASHINGTON 28 10:09 LEFT, 3RD QTR
California(19) 10, Washington 28 3rd - 10:09Dec 5 8:36 PM
TD WASHINGTON DEVIN AGUILAR 21 YD PASS FROM JAKE LOCKER (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 3, Washington 28 3rd - 12:41Dec 5 8:29 PM
TD WASHINGTON DEVIN AGUILAR 21 YD PASS FROM JAKE LOCKER (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 3, Washington 28 3rd - 12:41Dec 5 8:29 PM
TD WASHINGTON DEVIN AGUILAR 21 YD PASS FROM JAKE LOCKER (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 3, Washington 28 3rd - 12:41Dec 5 8:29 PM- NCAAF
CALIFORNIA 3
WASHINGTON 28 12:41 LEFT, 3RD QTR
California(19) 3, Washington 28 3rd - 12:41Dec 5 8:29 PM - NCAAF
CALIFORNIA 3
WASHINGTON 21 0:00 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Dec 5 8:02 PM
TD WASHINGTON JAKE LOCKER 2 YD RUN (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 3, Washington 21 2nd - 1:12Dec 5 7:47 PM
TD WASHINGTON JAKE LOCKER 2 YD RUN (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 3, Washington 21 2nd - 1:12Dec 5 7:47 PM- NCAAF
CALIFORNIA 3
WASHINGTON 21 1:12 LEFT, 2ND QTR
California(19) 3, Washington 21 2nd - 1:12Dec 5 7:47 PM
TD WASHINGTON JAKE LOCKER 19 YD RUN (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 3, Washington 14 2nd - 10:50Dec 5 7:25 PM
TD WASHINGTON JAKE LOCKER 19 YD RUN (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 3, Washington 14 2nd - 10:50Dec 5 7:25 PM- NCAAF
CALIFORNIA 3
WASHINGTON 14 10:50 LEFT, 2ND QTR
California(19) 3, Washington 14 2nd - 10:50Dec 5 7:25 PM - NCAAF
CALIFORNIA 3
WASHINGTON 7 0:00 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Dec 5 7:14 PM - NCAAF
CALIFORNIA 3
WASHINGTON 7 5:47 LEFT, 1ST QTR
California(19) 3, Washington 7 1st - 5:47Dec 5 7:02 PM
TD WASHINGTON JERMAINE KEARSE 40 YD PASS FROM JAKE LOCKER (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 0, Washington 7 1st - 7:45Dec 5 6:51 PM
TD WASHINGTON JERMAINE KEARSE 40 YD PASS FROM JAKE LOCKER (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 0, Washington 7 1st - 7:45Dec 5 6:51 PM
TD WASHINGTON JERMAINE KEARSE 40 YD PASS FROM JAKE LOCKER (ERIK FOLK KICK)
California(19) 0, Washington 7 1st - 7:45Dec 5 6:51 PM- NCAAF
CALIFORNIA 0
WASHINGTON 7 7:45 LEFT, 1ST QTR
California(19) 0, Washington 7 1st - 7:45Dec 5 6:51 PM
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