College Sports

Arizona State beats No. 15 California 24-17

Posted September 28, 2019 7:00 am

By JOSH DUBOW

Arizona State's Aashari Crosswell, left, celebrates with Chase Lucas (24) after intercepting a pass intended for California's Jordan Duncan in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) The Associated Press

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) - Eno Benjamin scored his third touchdown of the game on a 3-yard run with 4:41 remaining to lead Arizona State to a 24-17 victory over No. 15 California on Friday night.

The Golden Bears (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) lost their perfect record and quarterback Chase Garbers to a right shoulder injury, spoiling their highest ranking in a decade. The loss also left the Pac-12 with no undefeated teams before the end of September.

The Sun Devils (4-1, 1-1) bounced back from a 34-31 loss to Colorado in the conference opener last week thanks to a strong performance by Benjamin. He had 29 carries for 100 yards, also scoring on an 11-yard run in the first quarter and a 4-yarder in the third quarter.

Jayden Daniels added 174 yards passing and 84 more on the ground as Arizona State earned its second road win this season against a ranked team, also beating Michigan State 10-7 two weeks ago.

Garbers threw a 16-yard TD pass to Trevon Clark in the first quarter before leaving with the shoulder injury late in the second quarter when he fell on his arm on a scramble.

Devon Modster replaced him and struggled to move the ball through the air. Cal scored a TD in the third quarter on a 12-play drive that stayed on the ground, capped by a 1-yard run by Christopher Brown Jr.

The Bears then took a 17-14 lead when Joseph Ogunbanjo recovered a fumble by Daniels at the Arizona State 30 and Cal gained no yards before getting a 47-yard field goal from Greg Thomas.

But the Sun Devils answered with a 15-play, 75-yard drive capped by Benjamin's third TD and then forced a turnover on downs when Modster threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-3 from the Cal 29.

Cristian Zendejas kicked a 43-yard field goal to make it 24-17 and Cal was unable to get a first down.

THE TAKEAWAY

Arizona State: The Sun Devils won despite squandering several scoring opportunities in the first half. Zendejas missed a 37-yard field goal after an effective drive and then a 50-yarder after a deflected punt gave Arizona State the ball at the Cal 37. Then late in the half, Curtis Hodges dropped a pass when he was left alone in the middle of the field on a third-and-3 from the Cal 43, leading to a punt.

California: The Bears struggled to generate anything in the passing game after Garbers got hurt, which doesn't bode well for the future. Modster finished 5 for 14 for 23 yards and threw an interception in the end zone to deny Cal a chance at a field goal at the end of the first half. Garbers was coming off his best game at Cal, throwing for 357 yards and four TDs in a win last week at Mississippi.

UP NEXT

Arizona State: Host Washington State Oct. 12.

California: Visit No. 13 Oregon next Saturday

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More AP college football: https://apnews.com/tag/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels passes against California in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) The Associated Press

Arizona State's Eno Benjamin, right, celebrates with Alex Losoya (56) after scoring a touchdown against California in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) The Associated Press

California quarterback Chase Garbers prepares to pass against Arizona State in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) The Associated Press

Arizona State's George Lea, left, tackles California quarterback Devon Modster (6) in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) The Associated Press

Arizona State's Aashari Crosswell (16) intercepts a pass intended for California's Jordan Duncan (2) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 27, 2019, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) The Associated Press

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