BERKELEY – When Justin Wilcox returned to Berkeley before the 2017 season to take the reins as Cal's new head coach, he brought a well-earned reputation as a coach who hung his hat on the impact a quality defense could have on the long-term success of a football program.

The same belief that accompanied Wilcox in January as a guiding principle for a new direction manifested itself in the most tangible way possible on a cold October night in Strawberry Canyon as Wilcox's Bears rode an incredible defensive performance to an unforgettable 37-3 victory over No. 8/9-ranked Washington State at California Memorial Stadium.

Friday's win came with plenty of historical landmarks. The victory over the Cougars is Cal's first over a top-10 team since a triple-overtime win over USC in 2003 and the Bears' second over a top-10 foe since 1978.  

Cal (4-3, 1-3 Pac-12) also left what should be a long-lasting mark in several crucial categories. The Bears sacked heralded Washington State quarterback Luke Falk nine times, led by 2.5 sacks from linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk, forced seven turnovers, had 12 tackles for loss and held a Cougars offense that came to Berkeley averaging 39.7 points and 474.4 yards of total offense to a scant three points and 328 yards.

"I'm really proud of everybody in our program," Wilcox said. "The players especially, not only the guys that played but every scout team guy that helps us prepare, the coaches for preparing the guys and everybody else that's involved. It's a really big win, obviously, and we've got to build on it. We've got to continue to grow. It's obviously a great feeling in the locker room and we've got to use it as fuel."

Defense was the name of the game from the very beginning of Friday night's contest. And, while Washington State (6-1, 3-1) might have earned an early edge when it came to yardage, it was Cal that utilized the big play to take the lead.

Cornerback Camryn Bynum set the stage for the first points of the evening, intercepting Falk on the first drive of the night to give Cal the ball on its own 20. After the Bears got as close as the Cougars' 5-yard line, Matt Anderson converted from 26 yards out to make it 3-0 Cal.

Cal extended its lead to 10-0 on a 6-yard touchdown run by Vic Enwere later in the first quarter. After a field goal gave Washington State its first points, the Bears claimed the momentum heading to intermission with a key roll of the dice that came up golden.

Facing one final play from the 2-yard line, the Bears eschewed a field goal attempt and instead found the end zone with a playaction pass from Bowers to Kyle Wells that resulted in Wells' first career reception as well as his first touchdown and a 17-3 Cal lead as time expired.

The defensive intensity didn't wane in the second half. The Bears intercepted Falk twice more in the third period and added points on a 48-yard field goal by Anderson. Once into the fourth quarter, quarterback Ross Bowers added his own highlight-worthy stamp to an already impressive night, wowing the crowd as he flipped over a Washington State defender into the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown run.

Just for good measure, Cal added to its defensive highlight reel in the fourth quarter as well. A 26-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Gerran Brown provided the night's final points and a pass tipped by multiple defenders landed in the hands of Quentin Tartabull for the night's final takeaway with 3:37 left to play.

"We have a terrific scheme and terrific guys in the scheme as a defensive unit," Kunaszyk said. "It's been rough the last couple weeks and a big emphasis this week was just getting back to playing our game, playing with some swagger out there, playing fast and not worrying about making mistakes. I think we did a really good job with that tonight. We're going to have to look back at the film. I know that I didn't play a perfect game and I know that there's room to grow. When you hold a team like that to three points and there's room to grow, that's a really good sign."

Bowers was both efficient and effective in helping to turn his defense's efforts into points, completing 21 of 38 passes for 259 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Vic Enwere led the Cal ground attack, rushing 22 times for 102 yards and one touchdown. And, while the Bears were busy taking the ball away from the Cougars, they never gave it back and finished with no turnovers for the first time in 2017. 

"It's a simple formula; it's just hard to do," Bowers said. "The preparation during the week, taking the right steps, working smart and really just focusing on doing our job. That's really what we put a premium on and it showed off this week."

Cal returns to action next Saturday when it hosts Arizona in the Bears' annual Homecoming game at 5 p.m. A road trip to Colorado follows, and Cal hosts Oregon State on Nov. 4 in the final home game of the 2017 season.