Cal Football: 3 takeaways from big win over Ole Miss in SEC country

3. Chase Garbers and the passing game carry offense

Chase Garbers was hardly perfect in the first half, but he was the catalyst for an otherwise-cold offense. Garbers went 13-of-19 in the first half, throwing for 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also threw a costly interception that the Rebels converted into a field goal, and there were opportunities missed on the field. But without Garbers, this game could have turned out very differently for Justin Wilcox’s crew.

Cal’s offense would not be anywhere near as productive without Garbers working his magic for the Golden Bears. The redshirt sophomore has been critical all season long, with Cal winning big when he is on fire and struggling when he is cold. His performances against Washington and North Texas left something to be desired, but on the road in SEC country he finally broke out in a more consistent way.

By the end of the game against Ole Miss, Garbers had racked up four touchdowns and 357 yards through the air. He completed nearly 66 percent of his passes, the highest completion rate Garbers has posted so far in 2019. On a day when Garbers had to be the flashpoint for the offense, he did just that to help Cal move to 4-0 on the season as one of the few remaining unbeaten teams in the Pac-12.