SEATTLE, Wash. - Having listened to its share of doubt over the past few years, the Cal defense has spent the majority of the non-conference season establishing a reputation for being the kind of big-play unit that can positively impact a game.

That ability to change an outcome only grew stronger Saturday as Cal opened Pac-12 play in Washington and forced five turnovers en route to a gritty 30-24 win over the host Huskies. 

Jared Goff continued his run of prolific passing performances, completing 24-of-40 passes for 342 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Vic Enwere needed only a half to set a career-high in rushing and finished with 84 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. On the outside, Kenny Lawler and Darius Powe each had a big day as Lawler set season highs with seven receptions and 112 yards while also scoring once. Powe finished with 79 yards on a career-high six receptions.

Cal found itself in another tight game late when a field goal by Cameron Van Winkle got Washington within a touchdown, making it 30-24 Bears with 3:57 remaining. A sack by Cory Littleton forced the Bears to punt, and Washington regained possession on its own 28 with 2:51 left.

But with its back to the wall, Cal's defense responded. Two good plays forced Washington into third and long and, when quarterback Jake Browning tried to force a pass to the boundary, Damariay Drew stood in the way, grabbing Cal's second interception and fifth turnover of the day to give the ball back to the Bears. The Huskies threatened to get the ball back but Goff finished the game himself, caroming off a would-be tackler on fourth down and lunging forward to get the first down and give Cal its first 4-0 start since 2007.

The defensive statistics were certainly impressive for the Bears. Washington (2-2) gained just 259 yards of offense and Cal dominated time of possession to the tune of 39:49 to 20:11. Five sacks and six tackles for loss backed up the impressive turnover display.

"They're playing hard, they know what to do and they're doing it with tremendous pride and effort," Cal head coach Sonny Dykes said. "I'm really proud of them. They really stepped up big for us."

Defense proved a relative strong suit on both sides for much of the first half Saturday, but while Washington was doing its best to defend a Cal offense that was constantly threatening to score, the Bears were busy putting themselves in position to keep the pressure on. Cal got the scoring started thanks to a 32-yard field goal by Matt Anderson but Washington responded with its strongest drive of the half as Dwayne Washington carried five times for 71 yards and punched it in from 14 yards out to give the Huskies a 7-3 lead.

That's where the first half highlight reel ended for the Huskies. Cal launched an emphatic 11-play, 79-yard drive to re-take the lead and forged ahead when Enwere bounced off a blocker and three Washington defenders to pinball into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown.

After the Bears stalled on the Washington 1-yard line, Browning tried to get out of trouble by going deep and Darius White was waiting, leaping high above the receiver to land the interception and give the Bears possession. Anderson followed with a career-long 41-yard field goal to make it 13-7 with just over six minutes left in the half.

Another takeaway set the stage for Cal to add on. This time it was Darius Allensworth making the big play, poking the ball out of Isaiah Renfro's hands for a fumble that Hardy Nickerson landed on for a turnover. It took only seven plays for the Bears to turn that into points, and Goff threaded a pass to Bryce Treggs for a 28-yard score that made the score 20-7 at intermission.

"I think we did the same things we've been doing all year," said defensive end Kyle Kragen, who finished with 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and a pass break-up. "Good rush lanes, good techniques and things just happened to fall for us more today than previously."

The defensive theme continued right out of halftime. Jake Kearney landed Cal's fourth sack of the game to force a three-and-out on Washington's first drive, and Goff connected with Lawler for a 52-yard pass and dash to take the ball to the Huskies' 10. Three plays later, Goff stepped up in the pocket, found Lawler wide open on a crossing pattern and the junior from Pomona, Calif. strode into the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown to put the Bears up 27-7. The score was historically significant, as Goff tied Kyle Boller for most passing touchdowns in Cal history with 64.

Washington began to pick up the pace offensively on its next drive, moving 65 yards in 10 plays and scoring on a 2-yard fly sweep by Chico McClatcher. The Huskies kept the momentum going on Cal's next drive when, with the Bears driving, Sidney Jones scooped up a fumble by Enwere and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown that left Washington down just 27-21 with 2:19 left in the third.

But, when Cal needed a big play, the defense was there to provide it. With the Huskies driving, Marcus Manley punched the ball out of Dwayne Washington's hands and White recovered, giving the Bears their fourth takeaway and possession with 10:53 left to play. Anderson followed with his career-best third field goal of the day, this one from 37 yards out, to push the lead to 30-21 with 5:34 remaining.

"If they continue to do that, we're going to be tough to beat," Goff said of his defense. "I couldn't be prouder of them. The progress they've made in the offseason through now and making big plays when it matters, it's just so big for our team."

Cal returns to Kabam Field at Memorial Stadium on Saturday when the Bears host Washington State at 1 p.m. in a game that will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks. After the visit from the Cougars, Cal hits the road for two in a row, beginning with a trip to Utah on Oct. 10 and ending a with a Thursday night showdown in the Rose Bowl against UCLA on ESPN.