Sept. 29, 2012
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) -
Taylor Kelly threw three touchdown passes to help Arizona State send California to a 1-4 start with a 27-17 victory on Saturday.
Kelly connected with Kevin Ozier twice and Darwin Rogers once, and Arizona State (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) used seven sacks to improve its impressive start under first-year coach Todd Graham.
The Sun Devils, who lead the Pac-12 in scoring and total defense, harassed Zach Maynard all afternoon, proving they can be just effective against a starting quarterback after feasting on backups the previous three weeks.
Will Sutton and Junior Onyeali spent much of the day in Cal's backfield, giving Maynard little time to throw.
Maynard finished 9 for 28 for 126 yards with a touchdown. Isi Sofele rushed for 105 yards and scored his second touchdown of the season.
Cal's standout wide receiver Keenan Allen hauled in four catches for 79 yards and a touchdown, including a season-best 44-yard reception. Allen moved up to seventh in career receiving yards at Cal, now with 2,221. He surpassed Na'il Benjamin and Wesley Walker today.
Cal also was hurt by 12 penalties for 119 yards.
Kelly completed 26 of 45 passes for 292 yards, but Arizona State was unable to pull away. The Sun Devils settled for field goal attempts on five drives deep into Cal territory. Alex Garoutte made only two of them, hitting the upright on a 39-yard try in the third quarter and having a 37-yarder blocked by Nick Forbes early in the fourth to keep the lead at 20-10.
Cal responded with an 80-yard scoring drive that featured a career-best 44-yard run by C.J. Anderson and a 10-yard TD pass from Maynard to Allen, to make it 20-17.
Kelly coolly led Arizona State on 74-yard drive, completing 4 of 5 passes for 45 yards, capped by a 22-yarder to Ozier to make it 27-17 with 6:17 to play.
Cal went three-and-out on its next possession before punting and then through three incomplete passes and took a sack in its final drive inside the last two minutes of the game.
Cal's first quarter touchdown took only 1:01 off the clock and covered 76 yards in three plays, starting with a 44-yard pass from Maynard to Allen. After an 8-yard pass play to Bryce Treggs, Sofele scampered 24 yards up the middle to tie the game at 7-7.
The Sun Devils scored early in the first quarter on Rogers' first catch of the season, a 1-yarder from Kelly. Garoutte made a 28-yard field goal later in the quarter before the Sun Devils capitalized on a fumble by Sofele late in the first half to score on Kelly's 9-yard pass to Ozier with 53 seconds remaining.
