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Cal tops Rutgers for its first and last win

By Tom Canavan, The Associated Press
Saturday November 24, 2001

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — California avoided its first winless season since 1897 and gave outgoing coach Tom Holmoe a going-away present by beating Rutgers 20-10 on Friday. 

Freshman Terrell Williams ran for a career-best 185 yards and a touchdown, and Kyle Boller threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to LaShaun Ward as the Golden Bears (1-10) ended a school-record 13-game losing streak. 

Mark Jensen added field goals of 22 and 37 yards as California won for the first time since beating Southern California 28-16 on Oct. 28, 2000. 

Holmoe, who announced his resignation Nov. 4, was doused with a bucket of some kind of liquid with 30 seconds left in the game. He then hugged a few players and coaches before walking off the field with only his 16th win in 55 games over five seasons at California. 

Ryan Cubit threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end L.J. Smith, and Ryan Sands kicked a 25-yard field goal for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights (2-9) ended coach Greg Schiano’s rookie season with a four-game losing streak. 

The game was originally scheduled for Sept. 15, but was rescheduled after the attacks on the World Trade Center. 

California, which came into the final game having allowed a school-record 421 points, limited Rutgers to 189 yards. Defensive end Tully Banta-Cain, who had four sacks all season, had four more Friday. 

The Golden Bears’ last winless season was in 1897 when they went 0-3-2. The 10 losses were the most in school history. 

California, which had only led once at the half this season, took a 17-3 lead to the locker room. 

Williams put the Golden Bears with a 37-yard touchdown run off right tackle with 5:55 left in the first quarter. Williams also started the two-play, 55-yard drive with an 18-yard run. 

The lead increased to 14-0 the next time California got the ball. Boller ended the six-play 58-yard drive hitting three consecutive passes, the last one a 40-yard post pattern to Ward on a fourth and 2 with 1:21 left in the first quarter. 

Boller finished 15-of-26 for 193 yards and an interception. 

Each team had one second-quarter drive that ended with a field goal. 

Cubit hit consecutive 24-yard passes to Delrico Fletcher and Aaron Martin to set up Sands’ 25-yard field goal with 9:04 left in the quarter. 

Ward caught a 33-yard pass and ran 15 yards on a reverse to set up Jensen’s 22-yard field goal with 3:40 left in the half. 

The Cubit-to-Smith TD pass in the third quarter got Rutgers to 17-10, but Cal iced the game with 6:48 to play when Jensen kicked a 37-yard field goal after a 21-yard punt by Rutgers’ Mike Barr.