BERKELEY – With the wide range of ups and downs that accompany a college football season, the Cal coaching staff preaches a level of consistency that will enable the Bears to weather storms and celebrate big victories all the same.

So, in the aftermath of a 12-10 victory over No. 15/13-ranked Washington that brought plenty more highs than lows, head coach Justin Wilcox told his players that nobody should be surprised because the Bears have always been capable of competing with any opponent they face.

That said, the feeling that comes with a signature win over a top-15 team can still inspire one heck of a celebration inside California Memorial Stadium.

A 37-yard interception return for a touchdown by Evan Weaver provided the eventual game-winning points and capped a brilliant defensive performance as the Cal football team earned its biggest win of the season to date as they knocked off the Huskies on an afternoon turned to night in Berkeley.

Cal (5-3, 2-3 Pac-12) held Washington to just 250 yards of total offense and Weaver was right in the middle of the action all evening, recording 11 tackles to go with his game-winning score. Cal forced two turnovers without allowing one of its own and limited Huskies quarterback Jake Browning to just 159 yards of passing. Offensively, Patrick Laird led the charge with 83 rushing yards.

Weaver's theatrics provided a jolt to the Cal faithful as the third quarter drew to a close. With Washington looking to backup quarterback Jake Haener to provide a spark, Weaver stepped in front of a third down pass on the Huskies 37-yard line and took off upfield. He cut outside and, once in reach of the goal line, extended his arm just far enough to tick the pylon and score his first career touchdown.

"I dropped back, he threw me the ball, I caught it and I just didn't want to fall down," Weaver said. "Maybe two or three more yards and I would've ran out of steam. They didn't get me this time."

The play put Cal ahead 12-7 with one second left in the quarter but the Bears' two-point attempt failed, leaving the margin at just five entering the fourth quarter. That's where the score stayed until the clock ran inside five minutes and a 26-yard field goal by Washington's Peyton Henry left Cal up 12-10 with 4:51 to play.

That was as close as Washington (6-3, 4-2) got because the Bears simply wouldn't give the ball back. Cal ran the final 4:51 off the clock thanks to an eight-play drive that spanned only 27 yards but picked up two critical first downs, the last of which came on a six-yard run by Laird.

"They're all big but (this win) is huge," Wilcox said. "It gives the guys validation and gives them confidence but we've got to build on it. That's what's most important. Everybody's really excited and it's a really great environment in the locker room, as you would expect, but I also don't think anyone's surprised. It's tough to win and our guys competed extremely hard and battled. I thought you saw a lot of toughness out there and grit and determination. We weren't perfect but we found a way to win the game and that's what's most I'm most proud of."

Offense proved hard to come by in the first half thanks in large part to quality defense from both teams. A 3-yard touchdown pass from Jake Browning to Ty Jones put Washington ahead 7-0 after two drives but the Bears cut into the lead by the end of the quarter thanks to a 23-yard field goal by Greg Thomas.

Thomas added a 35-yard field goal in the second quarter to leave the Bears down by just one at halftime but the high points of the first 30 minutes came mostly from a defense that limited Washington to its lowest first half point total of the season. Camryn Bynum made one such play, reeling in a pass from Browning and tapping his toe inbounds to secure an interception late in the first quarter.

Cal returns to action next week at Washington State with a 7:45 p.m. kickoff on the Palouse. TV information for the contest has not yet been announced. The Bears stay on the road the following week to take on USC before returning to California Memorial Stadium for the final two games of the regular season. That stretch begins Nov. 17 with the 121^st Big Game against Stanford and concludes Nov. 24 against Colorado.