Simply the Best: No. 8 Cal’s Jahvid Best rushes for 5 TDs in 35-21 win at Minnesota

Best’s 5 TDs carry Cal past Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS — Jahvid Best wouldn’t allow California’s road curse to continue.

Best rushed for 131 yards and a school-record five touchdowns to lift the eighth-ranked Golden Bears to a 35-21 victory over scrappy Minnesota on Saturday.

Kevin Riley overcame a shaky start to finish with 252 yards for Cal (3-0), which had lost eight of its last nine on the road, including four in a row to end last season.

Eric Decker caught eight passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns and threw another TD for the Golden Gophers (2-1), who gave Cal everything it could handle in their shiny new stadium.

But Adam Weber threw a costly interception late in the game and Best had too much speed for the Gophers, who were in search of their first victory over a top-10 team at home since beating No. 1 Michigan in 1977.

Cal rolled into this game after two easy victories over Maryland and Eastern Washington, racking up more than 50 points and 500 yards in each of them, and this one had the appearance of another blowout early.

On Cal’s opening drive, Best burst through the middle, cut right and then leaped from the 3-yard line over cornerback Ryan Collado and into the end zone to cap an electric 33-yard run.

On its next possession, Best ripped off a 25-yard run on the first play. That set up a play-action fake, and Riley hit Verran Tucker for a 59-yard completion to the Minnesota 2. Best was in the end zone a few seconds later, and Cal led 14-0 before the game was 8 minutes old.

With the offense reeling, Decker absorbed a brutal hit from Cal safety Sean Cattouse, but somehow held on to the ball for a 26-yard score to make it 14-7.

The hit opened a gash on Decker’s chin, and blood poured onto his gold jersey as he rolled on the turf in pain. The gritty receiver stayed in the game and would make things interesting before halftime, hauling in his second TD of the game, this one a 12-yarder to pull Minnesota to 21-14 at the break.

It was also his 199th career reception, which broke Ron Johnson’s school record.

He wasn’t done there.

Decker took a pitch to the left side and the Minnesota Twins draft pick fired a strike to MarQueis Gray to tie the game at 21 at the end of the third quarter.

After rushing for 114 yards and three scores in the first half, Best had just three carries for 4 yards when Cal took the ball midway through the fourth quarter with the game tied.

Riley was sluggish much of the game, but he converted a crucial third-and-16 with a 35-yard completion to Jeremy Ross, then hit him again for 31 yards to the Minnesota 1.

Best outran the Gopher defense to the corner for a 2-yard score, and the Cal defense came up with a big play when it needed it most.

Defensive end Eddie Young pressured Weber on the first play of the next drive, forcing a hasty pass that was intercepted by Mike Mohamed.

Best capped his historic day with another 2-yard sprint to the corner, giving Cal some momentum heading into a tough stretch that includes games at Oregon, against USC and at UCLA in the next four weeks.