No one expects the first game of a season to be pretty – and though Cal’s 51-31 win over Hawaii looked good on the scoreboard in Sydney, Australia, there will be plenty for Sonny Dykes and crew to work on before the trip to San Diego State on September 10.
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Senior quarterback Ikaika Woolsey passed for 234 yards and one touchdown for the Rainbow Warriors, who committed three turnovers while playing their first game under new coach and former Hawaii quarterback Nick Rolovich.
Already making a statement against Hawaii, Cal snagged the season’s first onside recovery, first penalty, first interception and first touchdown – a mixed bag of things to brag about heading into week two.
And speaking of numbers, Cal’s depth clearly wore down the Hawaii defense as the game went on.
Webb’s 14-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Melqui Stovall made it 41-17 with 8:18 left in the third quarter. The Bears took over at Hawaii’s 34 yardline and scored on the first play of the drive: A catch-and-run by Hansen pushed the lead to 27-14. Webb – who transferred to Cal from Texas Tech this offseason – wasn’t particularly sharp early, but he began to find his groove as the contest progressed.
“He came out to practice (Tuesday), watched practice, actually suited out and took a couple reps as the scout-team running back”, Cal coach Sonny Dykes told ESPN. It’s the seventh straight year that Hawaii, part of the Mountain West conference, has opened against a Pac-12 team, and Hawaii is 2-5 in that span.
The Bears, who have been in Sydney all week, will fly home Saturday and have two weeks to recuperate before visiting San Diego State on September 10. Webb added a 4-yard scoring run with seven seconds remaining to give Cal a 20-point halftime advantage.
HAWAII: It gets doesn’t get any easier as the Rainbow Warriors make their first visit to the Big House when they play MI in Ann Arbor in September 3.
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