California Golden Bears - Football - California Golden Bears Athletics

Nov. 8, 1997

Arizona State-California Game Notes

The Bears (3-6, 1-5) hosted Arizona State (7-2, 5-1) in the team's final home game of the 1997 season, losing 28-21. The two teams had split the last eight games dating back to 1987, but Arizona State has now won five of the last six games. Overall, the Sun Devils have a slight 11-8 lead in the series. ASU is coached by Bruce Snyder, who led the Bears to a 29-24-4 record from 1987 to '91, including wins in the 1990 Copper Bowl and the Citrus Bowl after the '91 season. He left Cal to accept an offer from Arizona State on Jan. 4, 1992.

Bobby Shaw became Cal's all-time leading receiver in the loss to ASU. (File Photo)

After 25 consecutive starting assignments, senior receiver Bobby Shaw entered his final game before a home crowd in Memorial Stadium and broke both Cal's career and single-season receiving marks in his last appearance. Shaw finished the day with six catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. He needed just two catches to surpass Brian Treggs' (1988-91) school-record 167 career receptions. He tied the record with 11:08 in the first quarter and broke the record with 11:32 in the second quarter on a 15-yard reception from Justin Vedder. Shaw now has 172 career receptions.

Shaw also entered the day needing just five catches to establish a new single-season reception mark set by Sean Dawkins (65) in 1992. He got his fifth catch of the day with 5:28 in the fourth quarter. Shaw's next reception, his 67th catch this season, was an nine-yard touchdown reception from Justin Vedder with 4:39 left in the game. Entering this game, Shaw only had one TD catch in his last four games after starting the season with seven TD catches in the first four games. Overall, Shaw has produced 26 touchdown catches in his 25 career starts.

Cal senior Brandon Whiting had a big game in his final contest at Memorial Stadium with four tackles and 1 1/2 sacks today. Whiting had a 1/2 sack with 8:28 in the second quarter to put him second on the Cal all-time sack list with 23, behind Regan Upshaw's 28 sacks from 1993-95. He now has 33 tackles for a loss which ranks him tied for seventh on the Cal career tackle for loss list.

Senior fullback Mark Vera setting a personal-best in receiving yardage with 52 yards on five receptions. Some other highlights for the Bears included Derrick Gardner's 72-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown with 14:15 in the third quarter. The fumble was caused by Andre Rhodes. Cal's Nick Harris had a 63-yard punt with 1:58 in the first quarter, the longest punt of his career. Harris is now averaging 43.0 yards per punt this season, which ranks in fourth-place in the single-season list.

Arizona State had some big performances today. The Sun Devils first score of the day with 7:31 left in the second quarter was set up by a Justin Vedder fumble, recovered by Che Britton on the Bears eight-yard line. Arizona State's next score was a 67-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Kealy to Creig Spann with 5:55 in the second quarter, the longest pass play of the season for the Sun Devils. ASU also had a strong defensive line as they had five sacks in the first half, three by Jeremy Staat, and finished the game with six sacks of Vedder. The Sun Devils shutout the Bears in the first quarter and have now shutout its opponents eight-of-nine games this season in the first quarter.

ASU wide receiver Lenzie Jackson, who finished the game with two catches for 15 yards, has now caught a pass in 22 straight games. Sun Devil tailback J.R. Redmond had a career-high two receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown.