Cal’s Cardiac Kids Stay in Character : Copper Bowl: This time, the Bears avoid a fourth-quarter disaster and beat Wyoming, 17-15.

In going for its first bowl success in 53 years, California had hoped to rekindle a tradition of punishing, winning football.

However, while squeaking out a 17-15 victory over Wyoming Monday in the second annual Copper Bowl, the Golden Bears did more to reinforce the image of this season’s “Cardiac Kids”--a team that allowed opponents to make remarkable comebacks--than to raise the ghost of, say, the Cal team that dominated Alabama to win the 1938 Rose Bowl.

Cal held a 17-9 lead with 49 seconds to play when, as if on cue, Wyoming’s Robert Rivers scored on a 70-yard punt return.

Asked if the loss to Stanford in the final game of the season flashed through his mind as Rivers flashed by, Cal Coach Bruce Snyder deadpanned: “About four or five games flashed through my mind. I don’t know how in the hell we keep doing this.”

Even though Wyoming’s two-point conversion attempt failed, Cal players said they were all thinking “Big Game.”

In that game, on Nov. 17, Stanford, kicking off from the 50 because of a penalty called when Cal and its fans celebrated victory prematurely, recovered its onside kick, and then, with the help of a roughing-the-passer penalty, kicked a field goal to win, 27-25.

“That’s our history, that’s what makes Cal a great school,” defensive tackle Joel Dickson said. “I think we do this to make it exciting.”

Dickson’s sack of Wyoming quarterback Tom Corontzos on the conversion try ended the Cowboys’ chance of winning.

“We had to prove something,” Dickson said. “Everyone (at the start of the season) was saying we were going to go 1-10 or 0-11.”

Cal (7-4-1) proved it has an impressive defense, and Wyoming (9-4) proved that Corontzos can be rattled. The Bears blitzed and stunted and generally harrassed Corontzos into hurried passes. He completed 20 of 39 throws for 226 yards with two interceptions.

The game was sloppy and highlighted by numerous dropped passes, five fumbles and three interceptions.

Much of the game was spent with the teams moving slowly around midfield, their in-the-trenches style gradually tearing huge chunks out of the orange-and-turquoise Copper Bowl logo. Even at game’s end, the end zones, where few had been, retained their putting-green quality.

Nor was Arizona Stadium mussed by the trash that huge crowds may generate. With all the talk of boycotts relating to the Martin Luther King holiday controversy, the only boycott apparent Monday was by fans. The announced crowd was 36,340, but it appeared smaller in the 56,000-seat stadium and it sounded even smaller.

Neither team made much noise on the field, either. Cal appeared to be starting something on its second possession when Mike Pawlawski passed to Greg Zomalt for a 16-yard gain. Anthony Wallace carried for nine yards on the next play, but Wyoming freshman cornerback Efrem Haymore leaped to intercept a pass by Pawlawksi on his six-yard line.

For the game, Cal converted six of 17 third downs, Wyoming four of 16.

That the first quarter ended with no score should not have come as a surprise. Wyoming has scored three points in the first quarter of its last six games.

The teams woke up in the second quarter. Cal moved quickly with its first sustained drive for 38 yards. Pawlawski engineered the scoring drive, which lasted all of three plays.

Tailback Russell White gained one yard on the first play, then Pawlawski connected with tight end Brent Woodall on a 12-yard pass play. On the scoring play, wide receiver Brian Treggs faked Cowboy cornerback Paul Wallace on an out pattern and was wide open when Pawlawski’s pass reached him at the Wyoming three-yard line. Treggs ran untouched for the touchdown.

Wyoming sputtered to life when it lined up for yet another punt. Sean Fleming faked the punt and took off up the middle for a 30-yard gain, the longest play of the half.

That gave the Cowboys their best field position yet with a first down at the Cal 30. Wyoming could get no closer.

Wyoming did score in the half, on a 26-yard field goal by Fleming.

His counterpart for Cal, Keen, started the scoring in the second half. His 46-yard field goal at 10:04 of the third quarter gave Cal a 10-3 lead.

Two possessions later, Wyoming drove to Cal’s 48 before Corontzos was hit while throwing and Cal’s Chris Cannon intercepted at his six-yard line.

The same thing happened on Wyoming’s next possession. The Cowboys got as far as the Cal 22 when Michael Davis intercepted at his 14 and returned the ball 35 yards.

Cal scored in the fourth quarter on a four-yard run by Zomalt. Keen’s extra point extended the Bears’ lead to 17-3.

Running back Jay Daffer scored from 11 yards out to bring the Cowboys within eight. Corontzos’ pass to Greg Brown on the two-point attempt was incomplete.

Rivers’ late-game run completed the scoring.