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With 20 minutes gone in the first half on Saturday, the Chico State rugby team had to be pretty happy. They had conceded just one try to the 10-time defending national champion Cal squad to just one score, and had made two forays deep into Bear territory on Witter Field. Then the roof caved in. 

Cal eight-man Shaun Paga got into the Cal backline on a second-phase play, took a pass from flyhalf Matt Sherman and broke two tackles on his way to a 40-yard try. That score opened the floodgates for the Bears. They scored four more tries in the half, then piled on nine more in the second half against the tiring Wildcats, including six in the final 20 minutes of the match. 

Paga led the Bears with four tries on the day, including the team’s first two scores and the last one, and was a force to be reckoned with all day. He spent a lot of time in the backline, as the Cal forwards had very little trouble keeping possession with just two or three forwards in rucks and mauls. 

The Bear forwards also dominated the set pieces, repeatedly stealing Wildcat lineouts and scrums. 

Outside center John Buchholz scored 37 points for Cal, including three tries and 11 conversions, and wing Eric Andersen and inside center Michael Bonetto each scored two tries. 

Chico State lost to Cal 35-7 last year in Berkeley. This year’s game was scheduled for Chico, but poor field conditions forced the Wildcats to travel to Berkeley. 

The Bears are now 2-0 on the season, while Chico State drops to 0-1.