Christie Aguilar

If Cal running back Patrick Laird needed a wingman, wide receiver Vic Wharton III might not be a bad option. Midway through the second quarter during Cal vs. Oregon State, Wharton exemplified that while he is capable of being the showstopper, he can also be a pivotal behind-the-scenes man.

There is one term that holds a universal darkness in the sports world — injury. The scary, six-letter word that no one likes to speak of has undoubtedly affected Cal football in 2018.

When you have to look at a team’s punter as the highlight of the game, it is likely that something has gone wrong. Nonetheless, have a day, Steven Coutts — somebody had to.

The win encompassed the spirit of college football, but the quarterback who donned No. 12 on the front of his bright blue and gold jersey encompassed the spirit of what it means to be a Cal Bear.

Despite McIlwain’s turnovers and shaky ball security, he should be Cal’s guy. It’s too little, too late to give Ross Bowers a look, if he is indeed 100 percent ready to go.

Marred by four turnovers and a myriad of 12 penalties costing 100 yards, however, Cal’s shaky offense simply couldn’t support its defense that kept the game within reach all night.

Cal’s secondary, which played lights-out for the first three games of the season, met its toughest challenge of the season against Mitchell and Oregon’s skilled receiving core. While the Wildcats don’t have Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, Arizona’s offense is due for a big game.

When he isn’t on a football field lined up at wide receiver — formerly at the University of Michigan and now as a graduate transfer for Cal — Ways is using his life experiences to influence others. From large seminar settings to the locker room and everything in between.

The audience was back swimming in their own sweat at The Regency Ballroom. But once the beat dropped, they were ferociously thrown into the fantastically twisted, black-and-white-hued Denzel Curry wonderland.

Laird’s movement to get youth in the Bay Area and surrounding areas to find a passion for reading has earned him a spot on the Allstate & AFCA 2018 Good Works Team.