This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Dominique Hatfield and three other Utah defenders will always be able to say they picked off passes from the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL draft. So will former BYU safety Skye PoVey.
The Los Angeles Rams took California quarterback Jared Goff with the first selection Thursday, after he elevated the Bears' program in his three seasons in Berkeley — even with losses to BYU and Utah.
After the Utes' 30-24 victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium last October, I told people Goff was the best college quarterback I'd ever watched in person. And yes, I noticed those five interceptions. His talent was evident, even though the Utes forced him into some poor decisions and made some nice plays in the secondary.
Hatfield intercepted two passes, including one with Cal driving in the fourth quarter. Gionni Paul, Justin Thomas and Marcus Williams picked off one pass each and Boobie Hobbs broke up a pass over the middle on a fourth-and-5 play from the Utah 21-yard line with 26 seconds remaining.
Devontae Booker rushed for 222 yards for Utah in the only meeting between school during Goff's three years at Cal, thanks to the Pac-12's scheduling rotation. The victory made the Utes 5-0, while Cal fell to 5-1 after a highly anticipated matchup that brought ESPN's "GameDay" crew to the Utah campus.
Leading up to the draft, several clips of that game — notably, some of those five interceptions — were featured in analyst Jon Gruden's session with Goff during the "Gruden's QB Camp" series. Goff blamed himself for forcing some throws in the face of Utah's pass rush.
Goff completed 25 of 47 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns against Utah. In the final game of his sophomore season, a 42-35 loss to BYU in Berkeley, he went 38 of 60 for for 393 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception (by PoVey). BYU's Christian Stewart outplayed Goff with 433 passing yards and five touchdowns.
As would happen against Utah the following season, Goff led the Bears down the field in the last minute of the game, only to fall short. He threw four straight incompletions from the BYU 14-yard line in a loss that kept the Bears from becoming bowl-eligible.
Cal responded with an 8-5 season in 2015, as Goff made himself attractive to the NFL. Some questions exist about him, having played in a spread offense, but Cal coach Sonny Dykes endorses his size and arm strength as worthy of a high draft slot. "I have confidence in Jared, because he checks all the boxes," Dykes said this week, during the Pac-12 coaches' spring media teleconference.
Twitter: @tribkurt