California puts away Stanford

Jahvid Best rushed for 201 yards and scored three touchdowns in the second half, and California kept archrival Stanford out of the postseason with a 37-16 victory Saturday in the 111th Big Game at Berkeley.

Kevin Riley threw three touchdown passes for the Golden Bears (7-4, 5-3), who scored 27 points after halftime to beat the Cardinal for the sixth time in seven meetings under Coach Jeff Tedford.

Cal emphatically reclaimed the Axe with a victory that carried an extra measure of sweetness because it ensured a seventh straight losing season for Stanford (5-7, 4-5), which fell apart defensively in the second half of its third straight loss.

Tailback Shane Vereen and tight end Cameron Morrah caught scoring passes from Riley, and Best got credit for another touchdown catch on a lateral from Verran Tucker.

Washington State 16, Washington 13 (2 OT) -- Nico Grasu’s 28-yard field goal on the final play of regulation forced overtime, then the kicker made one from 37 yards in the second overtime as the Cougars (2-10, 1-8) stunned the Huskies (0-11, 0-8) at Pullman to retain the Apple Cup.

Ryan Perkins kicked a 22-yard field goal for Washington to send the game to a second overtime but just a few minutes later was wide right on a 37-yard attempt.

After the Cougars went only five yards, Grasu calmly drilled the kick to give Washington State its second win of the year.

The stunned Huskies remained the only winless team in the country and need an upset of California on Dec. 6 to avoid the school’s first winless season since 1890.