Jaydn Ott arrives at the 126th Big Game hoping to add to one of the great sophomore seasons ever by a Cal running back.
Ott cracked the 1,000-yard barrier last week against Washington State, rushing for 167 yards in the Bears’ 42-39 victory. That gives him 1,016 yards for the season — just the fifth Golden Bears sophomore to reach 1,000.
Here are the top-10 rushing yards performances by a Cal sophomore:
Ott big game last week moved him ahead of Russell White and John Olszewski, both of whom contributed to seasons that ended with bowl bids.
The Bears needs wins today and next Saturday at UCLA to secure bowl eligibility.
White, who had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Miami that season the first time touched the ball in a game at Memorial Stadium, helped Cal get to the Copper Bowl, where the Bears beat Wyoming 17-15 to finish 7-4-1.
Olszewski was the workhorse on Pappy Waldorf’s final Rose Bowl team, a squad that was 9-0 before tying Stanford 7-7 in the Big Game and losing to Michigan 14-6 in Pasadena.
Ahead of him on the sophomore list are Jahvid Best and Marshawn Lynch.
Best had one of the greatest seasons in Cal history in 2008 when he ran for 311 yards against Washington and helped the Bears beat Miami in the Emerald Bowl to complete a 9-4 campaign.
Lynch was part of a 1-2 sophomore punch that generated an 8-2 record, capped by a win over BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl. Classmate Justin Forestt, who missed reaching 1,000 by a single yard, had three games of at least 150 yards, including 235 vs. New Mexico State.
Lynch gained steam late in the season, totaling 753 yards over the final five games.
If Ott maintains his per-game average of just under 113 rushing yards and the Bears wind up in a bowl, Ott would finish the season with 1,355 yards. That would strength Cal’s campaign pushing him for All-America honors.
Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital praised Ott for his growth as a sophomore.
“He’s taken on being the guy, understanding he’s going to have to play a lot more, take a lot more hits this year and have a toughness and an attitude,” Spavital said. “He’s progressively gotten better, being able to hit those home run shots like he did last year but also fighting for those tough yards.”
Ott’s two-year career rushing total of 1,913 yards is the most by any Cal player through his first 21 games.
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