Utah running back Devontae Booker rushed for 222 yards and Cal quarterback Jared Goff threw five interceptions Saturday as the Utes (5-0) won a battle of Pac-12 unbeatens, 30-24.
Goff, a junior who is considered one of the top quarterback prospects in the college game, turned in by far his worst performance of the season with scouts from the Miami Dolphins and New York Jetscredentialed for the game. He completed 25 of 47 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns, including a perfectly thrown 35-yard scoring pass to Trevor Davis in the first quarter. But Goff's mistakes had much more to do with the outcome, throwing four interceptions in the first half to trail 24-17 at the break. His fifth, with a little less than eight minutes remaining, was perhaps his most ill-advised throw of the night. It was picked off by Dominique Hatfield at the Utah 18-yard line. Utah's Boobie Hobbs broke up a fourth-down throw in the final minute to put the game away.
"We turned the ball over I believe six times and still had a shot to beat the No. 5 team in the country, it's a tough loss," Goff said, per Cal's official Twitter feed.
Goff more than doubled his interception total for the season, now with nine.
Booker broke a spectacular 40-yard touchdown run in the first half, escaping traffic at the line of scrimmage and toeing the sideline at the end of the run. He broke tackles all night and was also a factor as a receiver, catching four passes for 45 yards. Booker, a senior, will be among the top rushers available in the 2016 NFL Draft.
With the win, Utah is the only undefeated team left in the Pac-12, though one other team, Stanford, has yet to incur a conference loss.
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