Mission Prep alum Patrick Laird enjoys career day in Cal victory

Former Mission Prep standout Patrick Laird filed another impressive chapter in a junior season full of memorable moments for the Cal football team Saturday afternoon in Berkeley.

The 6-foot, 200-pound running back from Arroyo Grande rushed for 214 yards on 33 carries — both career highs — and scored a touchdown during the Golden Bears’ 37-23 win against Oregon State.

Laird became the first Cal player to rush for more than 200 yards in a game since former All-American Jahvid Best ran for 311 against Washington in 2008.

“It was exciting. It was a whole offensive effort,” Laird told the Pac-12 Network. “The guys up front blocked really well tonight, we got a lot push and the receivers made a lot of plays so they couldn’t stack the box on us even though we were running the ball a lot.”

Laird surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark in the second quarter, his third such game this season. He also caught six passes for 19 yards and has now tallied at least five receptions in five games this year.

The Golden Bears improved to 5-5 overall and 2-5 against Pac-12 opponents with two games remaining in the regular season. Cal will play its final two games at Stanford on Nov. 18 and at UCLA on Nov. 24.

That means Laird will have two more opportunities to go over 1,000 yards for the season. After Saturday’s performance, Laird has rushed for 796 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 5.7 yards per attempt. He’s also caught 36 passes, third most on the team, for another 235 yards and one touchdown.

“I don’t worry about the stats too much,” Laird said, “but when I have a sense that we’re moving the ball down the field, that’s really what I care about.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2017 at 8:42 PM with the headline "Mission Prep alum Patrick Laird enjoys career day in Cal victory."