Oct. 7, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz. - Griffin Goodman, Arizona State's third starting quarterback this season, passed for 394 yards and three touchdowns as the Sun Devils beat California 30-10 on Saturday.
A senior whose only other start was in a 23-3 loss to Wake Forest in the 1999 Aloha Bowl, Goodman regained the job by default when Jeff Krohn developed mononucleosis, and Ryan Kealy blew out a knee in a 38-31 loss at UCLA last week.
Goodman has the strongest arm of the three, and the Sun Devils went in planning to throw deep.
Goodman's scoring passes went 50 yards to Todd Heap, 68 to Shaun McDondald and 50 to Donnie O'Neal. He also had a 54-yard completion to McDonald that set up Todd Pace's 7-yard TD run.
Mike Barth had a 35-yard field goal for Arizona State (4-1, 1-1 Pac-10).
The Golden Bears (1-4, 0-2) managed only a 27-yard field goal by Mark Jensen until Joseph Echema capped a short drive with a 1-yard plunge with 6:05 left in the game.
The Bears lost three fumbles, the lost after an 80-yard burst by Joe Igber to the 1-yard line. On the next play, Ryan Stanger coughed up the ball when hit by Terrell Suggs, and Nijrell Eason recovered for the Sun Devils.
Arizona State got out to its 45 before the drive stalled, and Cal got the ball back with time to score when John Klotsche blocked a punt.
Goodman's inexperience showed in an 11-of-28 performance, including an interception. But he averaged nearly 36 yards per completion - almost as many has his 42-yard total in the bowl game 10 months earlier.
Cal's Kyle Boller passed the Bears to a 24-23 upset of Arizona State last year in his first collegiate start. But he was only 12-of-27 for 127 yards in this game, and the Bears hurt themselves with 12 penalties, 10 in the first half when the Sun Devils opened a 16-3 lead.
The Sun Devils couldn't get going against Cal's tough defense until after the Bears gambled and misfired.
Facing third-and-7 on the Cal 44, the Bears tried a fake punt. Punter Nick Harris threw a 6-yard pass to Dewey Hale, but the throw was high, and Harris, a backup strong safety, last his balance when he leaped and landed a yard short.
One running play later, Goodman threw to Heap.
Jensen made it 7-3 with 11 seconds left in the first quarter, but Cal could get no closer. Barth answered for Arizona State 3:34 into the second, and Goodman found McDonald on a fly pattern for another TD with 1:30 left in the first half.
Pace and O'Neal scored in the third quarter, and Goodman came out early in the fourth.
By MEL REISNER
AP Sports Writer