SAN DIEGO – Cal, which was so efficient in its final four games of the regular season, coughed up five turnovers Wednesday night and didn't really give itself a chance in a 21-10 loss to Texas in the Holiday Bowl.

The Bears' defense stuffed the Longhorns for much of the first half, but the giveaways were too much to overcome at Qualcomm Stadium.

"We had our chances and gave the ball away," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said.

Down 14-10, Cal seemed poised to take the lead late in the third quarter. The Bears (7-6) pinned the Longhorns (8-5) at their own 10-yard line after a punt and unnecessary roughness penalty against Texas. Trevor Guyton then sacked David Ash to the 1-yard line, and two plays later, Texas was forced to punt.

Marvin Jones took the kick at the Texas 43 and returned it 16 yards to the 27.

Then everything fell apart for the Bears.

An incomplete pass and a two-yard loss on a running play, coupled with a personal foul penalty on tight end Anthony Miller, shoved the Bears back to the 44. On third and 27, quarterback Zach Maynard was sacked and fumbled, with Chris Whaley recovering for the Longhorns at the Cal 44.

Three offensive plays, and the Bears lost 29 yards and possession.

Three Texas plays later, it was 21-10.

Wideout Marquise Goodwin dashed 37 yards to the 7, and on the first snap of the fourth quarter, 5-foot-11, 252-pound Cody Johnson powered in from four yards.

Cal, which turned the ball over just twice while winning three of its final four games, didn't threaten again.

In their return to the postseason after failing to qualify for a bowl in 2010, the Bears led 3-0 when Giorgio Tavecchio kicked a 47-yard field goal to cap their first possession.

But the Bears showed only sporadic offensive spark the rest of the night. Stymied on their final six possessions of the first half, the Bears took the third-quarter kickoff, then marched 69 yards in 11 plays to take a 10-7 lead.

Two turnovers by Maynard (interception and fumble), a fumble by tailback Isi Sofele and, finally, Maynard's fumble after the sack doomed the Bears.

Jones, who had a career-high eight catches in his final game, fumbled with 3:24 left and the outcome decided.

"They did a good job of stripping it. They got it out today," Tedford said. "They got their hands on the ball, their hats on the ball and stripped it."

Maynard was sacked six times. Texas, which had lost three of its final four games, did not turn the ball over.

"We kept getting caught in second and long, third and long," Maynard said. "It's hard to build a decent pass game and run game. … It's hard to overcome those turnovers. It's hard to build momentum."

Cal is 0-5 all-time against Texas dating to 1959.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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