Author: moepea

I like lilacs, mist and cold air.

Bears Win And Celebrate: 38-35 Upset Win Over SMU Provides Respite From Somber Week

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Lose the Big Game in embarrassing fashion, fire the coach.

For the Cal Bears, the beginning of the week wasn’t the best, and their future remains cloudy.

But on a cool Saturday evening, hundreds roared on to the turf at Memorial Stadium to celebrate an unlikely win that materialized in a dramatic finish. That’s progress the entire university desperately needed.

“It’s a tremendous credit to these kids for staying together and doing it for the right reasons,” interim coach Nick Rolovich said after Cal’s 38-35 win over visiting SMU. “The staff, I mean, that’s hard on the staff, too, when you go through this.

“And for them to stay together and understand, we can go out and play this game for the seniors, and to win it like that in the fourth quarter, that’s something that none of us will forget. We’re very appreciative of the opportunity. Just an awesome, awesome deal for Cal football.”

Without the disposed Justin Wilcox, and Rolovich in his place, the Bears produced a spirited effort that gave them 24-7 and 31-14 leads as they took advantage of a Mustangs’ offense that uncharacteristically sputtered.

But when SMU mounted a response–three unanswered fourth quarter touchdowns–the Bears came up with a game-winnibg drive culminating with Kendrick Raphael’s two-yard run with 43 seconds remaining. A brief review confirmed that like Raphael’s body, the football also crossed the goal line.

SMU’s final push of six plays for 40 yards yielded a 52-yard, potential game-tying field goal attempt for Sam Keltner put it sailed right.

Cal’s Balanced Effort Keys Upset Of No. 18 UCLA, 80-72

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Trailing 8-0 and scoreless for nearly four minutes to start, the Cal Bears were in desperate need for some continuity against No. 18 UCLA on Tuesday night for the Empire Classic championship game at the Chase Center.

Unfortunately, continuity was hard to find for both teams, each looking for a big win but flailing against a familiar opponent.

Cal did what it could, piecing together some competent individual play that fit almost seamlessly and put the Bruins on their heels.

Chris Bell seized momentum first with a series of made threes on his way to a game-best 22 points. That burst gave Cal a 20-12 lead that minutes earlier seemed unlikely.

Bench players Rytis Petraitis, TT Carr and DeJuan Campbell, in his season debut, picked it up from Bell, and helped Cal survive UCLA’s best stretch of the evening leading to halftime. The trio combined for 14 points, almost all off aggressive play to the basket, and that helped keep Cal in reach, down 41-36 at the break.

Bell and leading scorer Dai Dai Ames controlled the second half with Ames scoring all of his 14 points as Cal pulled away for an 80-72 win that ended a streak of 12 Cal losses in 13 games to their former Pac-12 rival.

Afterwards, Cal’s announcers lauded reserve post Milos Ilic, Bell highlighted Justin Pippen (13 points), and Coach Mark Madsen pointed to Campbell. A love fest prompted by the first big win of the season?

You bet.

“Every single player stepped up,” Madsen said.

“We have a bunch of guys that make us dynamic on offense,” said Bell, who scored at least 21 points for the third time in his first seven games as a Bear after transferring from Syracuse.

The Bruins fell to 5-2 with a four-point loss to No. 2 Arizona as their only other blemish. But something greater seems amiss in Westwood as coach Mick Cronin again expressed his frustration with his team, which he feels isn’t competitive enough or defensive-oriented as he would prefer.

“Our team attitude was terrible. It’s been a problem for a month,” Cronin said. “It affects performance. You get in a ring against somebody that wants to fight, you give them confidence early, you’re in for a fight aside from the fact that we can’t make a free throw.”

The Bruins missed 10 of their 23 free throw attempts, shot just 41 percent from the floor, and allowed Cal 20 more points than their average of 60 allowed coming in.

Donovan Dent, thought to be UCLA’s brilliant pickup in the transfer portal from New Mexico, struggled again shooting 1 for 7 and committing seven turnovers. Cronin, already verbal regarding his teams’ performance, may have added a little extra for Dent, who in today’s game is also a highly-compensated “amateur” acquisition.

“Until we get some leadership on our team at the guard position, it would help, and not panic with the ball,” said Cronin, thinly veiled. “Things don’t go well, we try to go one on five, get our shot blocked, get our fourth foul, we go one on five and get six, seven turnovers.”

The Bears have a few days of Thanksgiving and recuperation before hosting Utah on Tuesday.

Can We Help You? Cal Says “Yes” In Surprising 31-10 Big Game Loss To Stanford

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By Morris Phillips

STANFORD, CA–Stanford, limping through a rough season with a 3-7 record, desperately needed to find some confidence.

And Cal, with the ability to really mess with Stanford’s collective pysches, seemingly decided instead to soothe then aid their bitter rival.

Hard to understand? Yes, but the Big Game inherently comes with a few twists. Need someone to explain how Cal’s dominating start that saw them limit Stanford to 6 yards of offense in the first quarter, and 71 yards at halftime, also saw them trailing 14-10? Don’t ask coach Justin Wilcox for clarity.


“I wish I had a good answer for that,” Wilcox said when asked how 13 penalties doomed his team. “Whether it’s a little bit of nervous energy, I wish I could tell you. There’s no good reason, there’s no excuse for it.”

Stanford coach Frank Reich wasn’t mystified. Instead, he vividly recounted the gifts his team received in their moment of need.

“We were struggling on offense,” Reich said. “It’s one thing for the defense to keep you in the game while you’re struggling. It’s another thing for them to score two touchdowns and go in with a lead and you feel like you haven’t even made a first down. I just think that really kind of injected us with some confidence.”

No excuse for three fumbles, the first two resulting in scoop-and-score touchdowns for Stanford and their halftime lead. Cal’s scoreless second half, a sign that halftime demands and adjustments didn’t take hold, was another head scratcher.

Two weeks of preparation–after the Bears’ most impressive win of the season at Louisville–to unleash a disintegrating effort riddled by mistakes? Again, Wilcox was put under the microscope and forced to answer the biggest question.

“There should be high expectations… everybody’s got them,” Wilcox responded when pointedly asked if he’s still the guy to lead the program. “We have them. The players and the coaches have them. And I feel their pain. I understand. We work really hard at this… the coaches and the players do. It’s not an excuse to go out and play like that.”

Simply, the Cardinal couldn’t have gotten it done without Cal’s help. Throughout the season, Stanford’s offense has been more miss than hit with an uneven run game and a pass game that was handed to redshirt freshman quarterback Elijah Brown just two weeks ago. Their slow start was expected. But instead of Cal continuing to inflict damage, they called an ambulance loaded with their own turnovers and penalties. After that, Stanford merely needed to ingest their medicine and gracefully lift the Axe for the first time in six seasons.

No. 15 Virginia Makes Key Plays in 31-21 Win Over Cal

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Saturday in the ACC was a day of surprises and upheaval. Steady Virginia again stubbornly refused to be part of the drama.

Playing another tight, tense game, the No. 15 Cavaliers extended their win streak to seven by beating host Cal, 31-21 with a late fourth quarter finish. The win gave Virginia their longest win streak since 2007 and left Cal one win short of bowl eligibility with three games remaining.

“This is go time,” UVA coach Tony Elliott said. “This is where we got to be trying to to prime up and get rolling on all cylinders. It was important for them to get off to a fast start and put together some drives and score some points.”

Elliott’s group took a 10-0, first quarter lead, scoring on their first, two possessions and held on as Cal sliced their lead to a field goal on three occasions. Chandler Morris, who threw for 262 yards, and J’Mari Taylor with 105 yards rushing led Virginia offensively without committing any damaging mistakes.

Cal got outplayed up front on both sides of the ball, committed the game’s only two turnovers, and were unable to overcome an 80-57 disparity in the number of offensive plays each team ran.

“We were never able to capture that momentum,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “The play count gets out of whack. And ultimately that cost us the ballgame.”

Cade Uluave, Cal’s leading tackler and defensive leader departed early with a hand injury. His replacement, Aaron Hampton and defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina were exemplary in Uluave’s absence, but couldn’t force the visitors out of their comfort zone.

Cal’s offense again was too one-dimensional as the running game wilted and quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele simply couldn’t be flawless and lead the Bears from behind. With Cal trailing 24-21 in the game’s final minute, Sagapolutele threw his second interception, and it was returned 35 yards for a game-sealing touchdown by Kam Robinson.

“On defense it was the third downs, offense we had a couple we didn’t quite connect on,” Wilcox said. “Ultimately against a team like that, you have to make those and we didn’t do that.”

Kendrick Raphael had a frustrating afternoon as Cal’s leading rusher scored three touchdowns, but was held under 50 yards on the ground. Raphael’s high point was being on the receiving end of tight end Mason Mini’s 42-yard touchdown pass that cut Virginia’s lead to 17-14 after halftime.

The Bears visit Louisville next Saturday with the Cardinal in the thick of the conference’s championship game chase after the ACC’s two teams with Top Ten rankings, Georgia Tech and Miami, fell in upsets. The Bears have lost two straight after starting the season 5-2.

Austin’s Game-Saving Strip Allows Cal To Outlast North Carolina in 21-18 Win

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–This was a football game where the Cal Bears could overcome a bunch of damaging mistakes with one, brilliant, timely play.  Brent Austin made that play, and Cal survived, beating North Carolina 21-18 on Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

With less than 4 minutes remaining, and UNC’s Nathan Leacock steaming toward the end zone with the go-ahead touchdown, Austin stripped Leacock at the one-yard line, and recovered the ball in the end zone for a turnover. The Bears then drained the remaining clock of all but six seconds to secure the win.

That’s as good an individual play as we’ve had this season,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “It was an unbelievable play.”

Wilcox didn’t like as much as he did like from his team as they lead throughout but suffered from too many dropped passes, and not enough physicality to counter the Tar Heels’ run game. But the Bears (5-2, 2-1 in the ACC) pulled through to remain in the chase for the conference title with a trip to Virginia Tech up next.

“The execution has to be much, much better, but we found a way to win,” Wilcox admitted.

Outside of Austin’s heroics, Jacob De Jesus was the team’s star with 13 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown that gave Cal a 14-7, first quarter lead. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw for 209 yards and kept Cal from committing any turnovers. Kendrick Raphael provided substance in the run game with 81 yards rushing and Cal’s third and final touchdown of the game.

The key? Sagapolutele, afforded a lead, played patiently, and didn’t get frustrated as his receivers dropped many of his 18 incompletions

“I’m just grateful for our coaches and staff for believing in me and trusting me, and putting me in places to make a play,” said De Jesus, who also had to pick himself up after a couple of untimely drops.

“Jacob did an excellent job for us,” Wilcox said. “He’s always going to show up.”

The embattled Tar Heels did little to ease the magnifying glass on themselves and Coach Bill Belichick with two turnovers and an offense that whiffed on its first three possessions. Cal forced six UNC punts and played much of the second half with a two-score lead.

“You can’t turn the ball over and win,” Belichick said. “It’s just too hard. We’ve got to eliminate some of those kind of mistakes.”

Cal is one win from six wins and bowl eligibility. Also, they can avoid a losing conference record for the first time since 2009 with three more wins.

“Bad Football:” Coach Wilcox Doesn’t Mince Words After Cal Gets Blitzed By Duke In A 45-21 Loss

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Depending on your perspective, ACC Football After Dark has never looked so bad, or if you tuned in after 11:30pm in Durham, North Carolina, has it looked so good.

If you missed the first quarter and change of the 7:30pm kickoff local time, you missed Cal’s confident start offensively in which they threw up a trio of touchdowns post haste. Jeron Keawe Sagapolutele started 9 for 9 passing with a touchdown pass, and looked like he had passed his first mid-term exams with such aplomb that he was immediately declared a sophomore.

Then, up 21-7 on favored Duke, the Cal Bears self-destructed.

Sagapolutele would finish the game with completions on 11 of his final 22 pass attempts, including three damaging interceptions. Having seen enough, Coach Justin Wilcox lifted his freshman quarterback for backup Devin Brown, who threw an interception on his only pass of the evening.

Meanwhile, Duke caught fire, scoring 24 points in the second quarter alone, and 38 unanswered points in total. The biggest contributor to Duke’s surge, according to Wilcox, was Cal’s sluggish, inattentive play defensively.

“Bad football. Bad football. Guys getting lined up late,” Wilcox said.

Simply, once Duke and quarterback Darian Mensah hit their stride, they strutted. The Blue Devils scored three touchdowns in less than seven minutes and took a 31-21 lead at the half.

When Cal’s defense stiffened in the third quarter, their offense wilted with punts on three, consecutive possessions before Duke piled it on with two, fourth quarter touchdowns. Sagapolutele looked rushed, and made bad decisions because of the pressure, which resulted in interceptions bookending the three fruitless possessions. Six Duke sacks didn’t help, nor did a running game that produced just 41 yards.

“Bad protection technique from Cal’s pass protectors,” Wilcox conceded. “We have to do a better job protecting.”

Two other big statistical numbers stood out in what is now the game in which Cal allowed the most points to an unranked team in Wilcox’s nine seasons as head coach: the Blue Devils registered 13 tackles for a loss of yardage, while their offense compiled 11 pass plays of at least 15 yards gained.

“We’re finally looking like the team I was hoping we would be and my excitement is thru the roof,” coach Manny Diaz said of his Duke team that improved to 4-2 with a 3-0 record in ACC play.

Physical Cal Surprises Visiting Minnesota In A 27-14 Win That Takes Them To 3-0

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Down 14-10 to Minnesota early in the third quarter, the youthful Cal Bears had their first moment of needing belief and a display of confidence.

The test was answered with a 10-play drive that concluded with Mason Mini’s 9-yard catch and run in which he successfully beat a quartet of Gophers defenders to get into the end zone.

For embattled coach Justin Wilcox, the coach was gifted wrapped a drive and a play that encapsulated what he loved of his team’s play on Saturday night in a 27-14 win that takes them to 3-0 on the season.

“I loved the fight the guys showed,” Wilcox said. “That was a physical game.”

Wilcox went on to praise his freshman quarterback Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele, his special teams, and kicker Abram Murray, who converted a 45-yard field goals to give Cal a 10-7 lead at halftime. With each player, assistant coach or position group Wilcox praised, his excitement was evident. Starting 3-0 and for the first time beating a credible opponent was big, and Wilcox obviously felt the vindication.

With an unprecedented 55 new faces on the Cal roster, someone among them had to seize leadership, and the Bears have that in Sagapolutele, who shook off some early missed throws to finish with 279 yards passing, three touchdowns and no interceptions. After Cal trailed briefly, Sagapolutele came up with two of those touchdown passes in Cal’s 17-0 finish that was fueled by two, damaging Minnesota turnovers.

Defensively, Cal frustrated the Gophers’ Drake Lindsey, who threw for just 205 yards along with an interception. The Gophers clearly missed leading rusher Darius Taylor, who missed the game due to injury, in a run game that rushed for 130 yards, but needed 37 carries to get there. Cade Uluave, Cal’s leading tackler, was unavailable for the first due to a suspension for targeting in the Texas Southern game. But he made his presence felt in the second half with nine tackles.

The Bears travel to San Diego State next weekend to face the Aztecs in their final non-conference game before opening ACC play the following week at Boston College.

Cal Finds Its Way On The Fly: Bears Start Slow in 35-3 Win Over Texas Southern

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–New faces, initial impressions, new surroundings… in this case, after an off-season of unprecedented upheaval, there was more of those elements on the home sideline than there were on the Texas Southern side.

Unusual? In a meeting of a FCS program traveling for a payday and a Power 4 program like Cal, almost unprecedented.

Accordingly, Cal started slow, managing just a 3-0 lead into the final 90 seconds before halftime. Slow wasn’t unsure as the Bears defense proved unyielding from the start. But not until quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele scored the game’s initial touchdown with 1:19 remaining before the break did the tension on the scoreboard relent.

“We had the energy going and some good defensive calls,” TSU coach Cris Dishman said. “We had some good drives going offensive, sustained some drives. So we keep them deep. We lost the field position. Football is mainly about field position. After we lost the field position, we couldn’t get it back.”

Cal’s defense maintained the pressure throughout and Sagapolutele’s touchdown triggered a 32-point explosion across five, consecutive possessions and the Bears pulled away to win 35-3.

Sagapolutele, who was a freshman sensation in Cal’s 34-15, season-opening win over Oregon State was less than that in completing 26 of 37 for 259 yards and one interception against the Tigers. Specifically, with Dishman’s acumen in a decade-plus NFL career as a cornerback, the visiting Tigers all but eliminated the deep outs that plagued Oregon State. Against TSU, Sagapolutele’s longest reception was 27 yards, forcing him to remain patient and work inside.

With a receiving crew with limited experience and even less star potential, Cal made it work. Mark Hamper, Jacob De Jesus and Mason Mini each had five catches and the offense clicked in the second half.

Kendrick Raphael was the only Bear to have a statistical history in Memorial Stadium, an illustration of a green offense that returns just one starter (OG Sioape Vatikani) along with rotation receiver Trond Grizzell. Raphael gained 10 yards in 6 carries last season as an NC State reserve back, but quickly made himself at home on Saturday.

Raphael pounded away in the run game, amassing 131 yards on 18 carries and his touchdown extended Cal’s lead to 18-0 in the third quarter.

Defensively, the Cal front led the way with constant pressure that kept TSU quarterback KJ Cooper off-schedule. Redshirt freshman Luke Ferrelli (11 tackles) and Cade Uluave kept Cal nearly perfect with no missed tackles.

Approximately 50 players departed Cal in the off-season, along with several assistant coaches. Impatient alumni complained loudly about ninth-year head coach Justin Wilcox. And the replacements almost entirely came from lesser programs where they had limited roles. Under those conditions, Cal’s 2-0 start is remarkable.

“If you keep the other team from scoring a touchdown, that’s really good,” Wilcox said. “However, there were just a lot of things we’re going to need to improve on.”

Playoffs? The Valkyries Say Yes With A Fifth Straight Win, 84-80 Over The Wings

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Golden State Valkyrie center Kaitlyn Chen ( (with the ball) looking for some daylight as Chen is surrounded by Dallas Wings players at Chase Center on Thu Sep 4, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Coach Natalie Nakase said year one of the WNBA Valkyries would be about the process over wins and losses.

But the process kicked in, and the wins soon came more frequently than the losses. And Nakase’s team accomplished this despite the frequent personnel changes and a couple of disheartening, fourth quarter collapses.

A lot of other things were in play as well. The coaching staff developed a reputation for preparedness and getting their team to buy in. Veronica Burton became a star with versatility and availability for every game. The home crowd filled the Chase Center with noise and enthusiasm every game.

And Nakase was resolute that her team constructed with veterans as opposed to more recognizable college players could and would win now, not a year or two down the road.

“I told the girls, we intentionally picked you guys for this reason: to do things for the first (time),” Nakase said.

The result? The Valkyries became the first expansion team to qualify for the WNBA playoffs with an 84-80, comeback win over the Dallas Wings on Thursday night.

Janelle Salaun led a group of five players scoring in double figures with 19 points and the Valkyries overcame a 13-point, third quarter deficit to win their fifth straight game, and eliminate the Sparks from playoff contention.

The Wings lost for the ninth consecutive game but gave their best effort in weeks by starting fast offensively and limiting mistakes. But the Valkyries stuck to the now familiar process of winning down the stretch with defense and making big shots.

“We were mostly locked in on the defensive end but the Valkyries hit some tough shots and made some plays down the stretch but we felt like we were in the game the entire time,” said Paige Bueckers, who led all scorers with 27 points.

Wings coach Chris Koclanes had obviously seen the Valkyries’ too many times on tape and three, previous meetings, and explained how things got away from his team in the fourth quarter.

“That’s their identity. Right?” Koclanes said. “They’re going to guard and they’re going to get up a ton of threes. So I know they only shoot 40 percent (overall) but they shoot so many threes so effectively when they have good nights it’s a little bit higher than that. But they’re gritty and they’re tough, they’re never out of the game. They just have that fight and when you have this fan base behind you, you get that extra energy.”

Burton came up with the critical basket with 22 seconds remaining on a drive that drew a foul and increased the Valkyries’ two-point lead to 79-74. Five free throws followed with only one miss and the celebration began… briefly.

“I really don’t allow them to celebrate,” Nakase said. “They can enjoy this, but I also keep them humble. I’m a party pooper. Yes, I am.”

PLAYOFFS IN SAN JOSE: The Valkyries announced that their September 17th playoff home game will be played at the SAP Center in San Jose. The team has a scheduling conflict at the Chase Center on that date necessitating the change.

Playoff Intensity: Valkyries Outlast The Fever 75-63 In A Defensive Struggle

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Remember when the Valkyries seemed like they were biting off more than they could chew shooting 3-pointers? Well, if you do, then you probably remember when the Valkyries resembled a first-year expansion team as well.

It’s been a while.

These days, the violet-and-black look like a well-oiled machine in regards to how they play, and win games. Simply, their defense is that good: it allows a squad that’s suffered numerous personnel changes, and misses more shots than they make to be a consistent threat to their more established opponents. The Fever, on Sunday night again without Caitlin Clark, know better than anyone.

The Valkyries started hot, making nine of their first 10 threes, and building a lead that briefly hit 20 points in the second quarter. From there, Indy’s defense and competitiveness showed, but not enough to keep the hosts from holding on for a 75-63 win at Chase Center.

The win gave the Valkyries a 3-0 sweep of the Fever, and more importantly, a half-game lead in the playoff hierarchy that has Golden State currently in seventh place.

Afterwards, coach Stephanie White was left to explain the hosts hot start that came after a 10-minute break three minutes into the game due to several equipment malfunctions inside the arena. The hosts caught fire after the unexpected pause in a stretch that essentially decided the game.

“They’re really good at spacing the floor,” White said. “Their passes are on time and on target, so you can’t make a lot of defensive mistakes. And I felt like we overhelped. We were trying to not allow catch-and-shoot threes. We didn’t want to overhelp on drivers. We overhelped. We over-rotated. The timing on the rotation wasn’t very good, and we gave them wide-open catch-and-shoot threes, and they are a really good team when they can get that.”

White’s description mirrored the league stats that show that the Valkyries lead the WNBA with just under 10 made threes a game. But they don’t shoot a high percentage from three, and they’re dead last in overall shooting percentage.

But… Iliana Rupert is the WNBA’s most consistent 3-point shooter at better than 46 percent. Cecilia Zandalasini, who was again unavailable due to injury, is fourth at better than 44 percent. Leaving those two open is a mistake, and an open door for the Valkyries to go on an extended scoring run.

Against the Fever, Rupert started 4 for 4 and finished 5 for 8 from distance. After Rupert’s third make, the Valkyries led 22-9. Meanwhile, the visitors, again without Clark, were in a stretch of 15 missed threes in 18 attempts that proved how shrewd Golden State’s strategy of packing the paint was.

The Fever got within six points in far more competitive second half, but couldn’t get any closer. Kate Martin came up with a critical three after the Valkyries went scoreless for almost all of the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. A flagrant foul on Aerial Powers for not allowing Martin landing space gave Martin a free throw as well and the lead grew to 59-50.

Rupert led Golden State with 21 points. Janelle Salaun and Martin both added 10. Powers led Indiana with 17 points off the bench, but was 1 for 5 from distance.

The Valkyries final home stand continues on Tuesday against the New York Liberty.