SAN DIEGO - Nobody bowls over Utah.

Nobody.

The No. 23 Utes extended their postseason unbeaten streak to nine straight games -the longest in the nation- by holding off California 37-27 in the Poinsettia Bowl Wednesday night.

Freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn threw three touchdown passes, kicker Joe Phillips added three field goals and the Utah defense - after being rocked early - stymied the Golden Bears offense to cap its season with a win over a Pac-10 team and finish 10-3

The Utes, three-point underdogs against the Bears, scored 27 unanswered points after trailing by two touchdowns early at Qualcomm Stadium.

The Bears (8-5) scored with just 39 seconds left in the third quarter - a 1-yard dash by running back Shane Vereen - to make it a six-point game and set up an interesting final period.

But the Utes struck quickly in the fourth, capping a six-play drive with Phillips' third field goal of the night, this one 25-yarder with 13:05 left in the game. Linebacker Stevenson Sylvester then returned Cal quarterback Kevin Riley's errant pass 27 yards for a touchdown with 5:27 remaining to make it 37-21.

Wynn's three touchdown passes - a pair to backup tight end Kendrick Moeai and another to receiver Jereme Brooks - were the exclamation on the freshman's best game of the season.

. The Utes trailed the Bears 14-7 after the first quarter.

Cal scored on their second possession of the game when running back Shane Vereen cut back left -to-right for a 25-yard touchdown.

One play later, Cal made it a two-touchdown game when Bears linebacker Eddie Young picked off Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn in the right flat and took it back 30 yards for the score to make it 14-0.

Teetering, Utah got a huge boost from Shaky Smithson, who returned the ensuing kickoff 61 yards down the left side. That set up an eight-play drive that was capped by Wynn's 6-yard TD pass to tight end Moeai to make it 14-7.

Utah then went uptempo. Using a no-huddle attack, the Utes pieced together an nine-play drive that was capped by Phillps' field goal with 9:31left in the half.

Wynn then directed another eight-play march that he finished with his second scoring pass to Moeai, this one a 15-yarder over the middle.

Wynn found Brooks all alone in the end zone just one possession later, connecting for a 25-yard TD pass with 43 seconds left in the half.

Phillips kicked his second goal late in the third quarter, after Utah linebacker Mike Wright recovered a fumble by Cal quarterback Kevin Riley deep in Bears territory.