On a weekend when most of the higher seeds in the D1A playoffs won big, Cal did not disappoint, taking care of #14 seed Grand Canyon 85-14 Saturday at Witter Rugby Field.

Cal wing Sam Cusano scored three tries in the effort as a very speedy, skilled Golden Bears team outpaced an up-and-coming GCU squad. This was GCU's first season in D1A, and making the playoffs at all was something of a victory. But the 'Lopes did show some flashes, with freshman sensation Dom Iacovino scoring a try early in the second half, and the always dangerous Darien Pickett getting a try in the first half.

For Cal, 11 Golden Bears scored 13 tries, while fullback Elliot Webb was 6-9 on conversions, and Jamie Howells was 4-4.  

"Our goal was to make the playoffs and anything after that was a bonus," said GCU head coach Cameron Wyper. "You can't take anything away from Cal though. In my opinion, they're the best team in the nation when they put it together. They've got an outstanding coach staff, they've got player depth and a tremendous facility. It's great for our guys to be out here and play against the premier college team and keep showing some heart."
 
Cal head coach Jack Clark was complimentary of his opponent, saying: "Congratulations to Grand Canyon on a fine season. We wish them the very best in future seasons. They seem to be doing everything right."

For Cal, this was an opportunity to piece together a strong defensive effort, and to reduce the error and penalty rate that hurt the Bears so much against Saint Mary's. With that accomplished, the Bears look to host the US Naval Academy in the D1A quarterfinals next week in Berkeley. 

Cal 85
Tries: Cusano 3, Robles, Kurihara, Spradling, Roeske, Mirhashem, Purdey, Dunn, Bader, Andrade
Convs: Webb 6, Howells 4

GCU 14
Tries: Pickett, Iacovino
Convs: Curle 2