Category: Cal Bears

First ACC Win For Cal: Bears Survive A Shootout At Wake Forest, Win 46-36

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By Morris Phillips

Fernando Mendoza’s late fourth quarter dash for 24 yards came with a pair of Cal companions that were poised to escort their quarterback the remaining 16 yards to paydirt.

Then Mendoza tackled himself.

If you know Cal’s recent history regarding late game collapses, it made complete sense. Mendoza popped up and signaled the next play to his teammates, a couple of whom looked stunned. Mendoza’s reasoning was a narrow 3-point lead, and ball possession was far more comforting than a 10-point lead without the ball, even as just 1:49 remained in the game.

That’s Cal football, and the residual fear created by four, agonizing ACC losses by a combined total of nine points.

Did we mention that streak of conference defeats has ended?

It has, as Cal enjoyed a cool, comfortable Friday evening in North Carolina by outlasting Wake Forest, 46-36. Mendoza continued his hot run with 385 yards passing, two touchdown passes, and one touchdown run that could have been two.

“We found a way to win,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “It’s hard to win. We have a ton of respect for Wake Forest. I’m proud of our players.”

The Bears’ (5-4, 1-4) special teams set the tone early when Hunter Barth ripped the ball loose from kick returner Demond Claiborne, Miles Williams scooped the football and dashed nine yards to give Cal a 10-0 lead five minutes in.

Cal built leads of 20-7, 29-14, and 39-29 with 6:38 remaining only to see Wake Forest respond each time. With Cal clinging to a 39-36 advantage after the two-minute warning, Mendoza broke free, but his calculated move forced the Demon Deacons to burn a pair of timeouts.

Jaivian Thomas then ran 11 yards with 1:10 remaining for Cal’s final score, which re-established a two-score lead.

Ryan Coe, demoted from his position due to missed field goals, re-emerged with a pair of 54-yard field goals. Freshman Derek Morris, the new starting kicker but lacking Coe’s leg strength, also converted from 38 and 29 yards, along with nailing all four of Cal’s extra points.

“I’m just proud of that guy for continuing to stick with it through some tough times,” Wilcox said of Coe. “For Ryan to come in and hit two 54-yarders, that’s big time. We knew he could do it. We’ve seen it. It’s not surprising. It’s really a testament to him.”

Hank Bachmeier was 19 of 36 passing for 274 yards for the Deacons, but he was picked off three times. Nohl Williams was the recipient of one of Bachmeier’s errant throws, his seventh interception of the season, a total that leads the nation.

“They were the more physical team on both sides of the line of scrimmage,” Deacons coach Dave Clawson said. “Their defensive line really kind of got the best of our offensive line. We did not take care of the football. The sequence of the blocked field goal that led to the touchdown was really costly.” 

Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium didn’t exactly benefit from the first gridiron meeting of the two universities, despite the near perfect fall weather. The actual in-stadium attendance appeared to be fewer than 5,000 people in a facility that seats 30,000.

Early Start Served Fast: Cal blitzes Idaho State 88-36 to start 2-0

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Crazy kids wanting to yell and scream half-filled Haas Pavilion Thursday morning. They were obliged by the Cal Bears, who provided three-point shooting, blocked shots, nifty steals, and rebounds that led to fastbreaks… a lot of fastbreaks.

A howling success was realized as Cal posted a lopsided 88-36 win to move to 2-0 on the season. Ioanna Krimili paced Cal’s balanced scoring with 18 points.

“It’s amazing to see all those kids, and I had the opportunity to also work with some of them in some of the schools, so it was great,” Krimili said. “The energy was very high, and it’s always amazing to play in front of them.”

A 14-1 start to the game immediately pushed the visiting Bengals to the brink, and their tepid shooting wasn’t anything near what was needed to recover. Idaho State shot 22 percent from the floor, which was the biggest reason Cal posted a 52-point margin of victory, the first time they’ve dominated to that extent since December 2015 against Cal State Northridge.

Idaho State was limited to single-digit scoring in three of the quarters. They outscored Cal 12-11 in the second and trailed by 16 at the half, by 39 after three.

The pace, in the half court and transition, was fast throughout. Coach Charmin Smith wants her team to hustle for quality shots in transition, and they achieved that with 22 fastbreak points, augmented by 13 offensive rebounds and 14 second-chance points. 

“We’re really trying to emphasize good shot selection and getting easy baskets, and I think we have weapons all over the floor, so it’s really hard to stop us when we’re sharing the basketball,” Smith said. “Our defense fuels our offense when we’re getting stops, and we get to play fast. I think we’re a really hard team to guard.”

Kayla Williams and freshman Zahra King were blurs attacking the basket. The graduate/freshman duo at the point combined for 20 points, seven rebounds, including the first nine points of King’s career. Michelle Onyiah added 10 points, eight rebounds.

Cal isn’t pre-ordained to be an effective shooting team from distance, but they certainly can trust shot artists Krimili and Lulu Twidale, who undoubtedly have the green light from the 3-point arc. Krimili has the most made threes of any returning player in Division 1 and Twidale is in Krimili’s class with her fast, confident release as soon as daylight breaks. The duo have combined for 16 of Cal’s 24 3-point makes to start the season.

“I think the nice thing about our team is that we have so many people that can score the ball, and I knew I can score the ball. I know my teammates are going find me.”

Idaho State, picked to finish eighth in the 10-team Big Sky conference, got seven points each from Halle Wright and Maria Dias. Piper Carlson was the Bengals’ leading rebounder with seven.

Cal visits San Jose State on Saturday to meet the Spartans at the Events Center at 1pm.

Bears storm back from early deficit and power themselves to 91-73 win over Cal Poly for first 2-0 start in five years

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Cal Bears guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) takes the ball down court against the Cal Poly Mustangs on Thu Nov 7, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Cal Poly Mustangs 73 (0-2)

California Golden Bears 91 (2-0)

By Stephen Ruderman

After falling behind early, the Bears came back to take the lead in the first half, and they pulled away in the second half on their way to a 91-73 win over Cal Poly.

After an 86-73 win over CSU Bakersfield to open the season on Monday night, the Bears welcomed the Cal Poly Mustangs to Haas Pavilion tonight. The Mustangs opened their season across the bay with an 86-78 loss to the University of San Francisco Tuesday night.

The Mustangs wasted no time getting to work tonight. Mike Riniker made a layup, and Isaac Jessup hit a three ball to stake Cal Poly to an early 5-0 lead.

DJ Campbell made a layup to put the Bears on the board, but Jessup hit another three, and Ethan Menzias hit a three of his own to make it 11-2. Cal Poly would make it 17-5 a few minutes later with 14:01 to go, and the Bears needed to get things under control before this game got out of hand.

As the game approached the halfway mark of the first half, the Bears started to chip away at Cal Poly’s lead. Jovan Blacksher Jr. hit a three to make it 17-8, and that would start an 11-2 run for the Bears that would close the Mustangs’ lead to 19-16.

The game would remain steady over the next few minutes. Rytis Petraitis was fouled and hit both from the line to close the gap to 24-22, and two minutes later, he hit a three to give the Bears their first lead of the night.

The Bears then went on another 11-2 run to jump out to a 35-26 lead with 2:27 to go. However, the Mustangs suddenly regained the momentum and went on an 8-2 run to close Cal’s lead to 37-34. The Bears would go into the half up 39-35.

Come the second half, the Bears put the game away. Andrej Stojakovic hit a three 36 seconds in, and Cal scored 12 unanswered points to blow the game open, as they now led 51-35. The rest of the game was smooth sailing, and the Bears won it 91-73.

Blacksher once again led the Bears in scoring tonight with 18 points, as he was 6-for-13 in field goals, and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. Stojakovic scored 15 points, though he struggled and missed a lot of shots, as he was 5-for-17 in field goals, and just 2-for-9 from beyond the arc.

Petraitis scored 13 points going 3-for-4 in field goals and hitting his only three. The bulk of Petraitis’ scoring came on free throws, as he was 6-for-8 from the line. B.J. Omot scored 10; Christian Tucker and Lee Dort scored eight; and Joshua Ola-Joseph and Jeremiah Wilkinson scored six.

The Bears are off to a 2-0 start for the first time in five years, and they will have the next five days off as a nice reward. Then, they will hit the road for the first time this season, as they will travel to Nashville, Tennessee to play the Vanderbilt Commodores on Wednesday, and then they will return to California to play the USC Trojans down in Los Angeles next Saturday.

Tipoff next Wednesday will be at 7 p.m. CST/5 p.m. PST.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal needs to tighten up on turnovers; Bears rank 16th in six turnover categories

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Cal Bears wide receiver Mikey Matthews (8) and wide receiver Nyziah Hunter (13) celebrate at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley against the Oregon State Beavers on Sat Oct 26, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

On Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 After Cal Bears (4-4) had lost four straight and crushed the Oregon State Beavers (4-4) last Saturday there is little doubt that Cal head coach Justin Wilcox had this team prepared and turned around and it was a weight off their back to get back in the win column.

#2 Cal has outscored opponents 212-138 in it’s four wins that averages out to 20.75. In contrast in their four loses Cal have averaged to 2.25 points.

#3 Not a good category for Cal they are number 16 in six statistical categories in turnovers, Cal is second in turnover margin (+1.63 per game), tied for third in interceptions (14), tied for fourth in fewest passes intercepted (3), tied for fifth in turnovers lost (5), tied for sixth in turnovers gained (18) and tied for 16th in fumbles lost (2).

#4 Morris, Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza is coming off throwing 27-36, for 364 yards, and two touchdowns against Oregon State last week. Will this be something that could carry over for Mendoza in terms confidence and piling up the throwing yards against Wake Forest for Friday night?

#5 There have been surprising results in the ACC and how do you see the Championship chase nationally.

Join Morris Phillips for the Cal football podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Newbies lead Cal to 86-73 win over CSU Bakersfield in season opener

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Cal Bears guard DeJuan Campbell (3) is all smiles on opening night against the CSUB Roadrunners at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Mon Nov 4, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

Monday, Nov. 4, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners 73 (0-1)

California Golden Bears 86 (1-0)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Cal Bears (1-0) opened the 2024-2025 season, and a bunch of new faces shined in an 86-73 win over the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (0-1) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Monday night.

Following a brutal 3-29 2022-2023 season, the Bears bounced back under first-year head coach Mark Madssn to go 13-19. It wasn’t the greatest record ever, but it didn’t come without its memorable and heartbreaking moments.

The Bears had some epic come-from-behind wins last season, as well as big wins against stronger teams. They even had a chance at a winning season until they lost their final four.

Most of the faces from last season are gone, and the Bears are now in the Atlantic Coast Conference as Madsen returns for his second season. With new blood in the Bears’ locker room, and an entirely new starting lineup of transfers, Madsen would try to build off the momentum from last season.

First up in this new season would be the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners out of the lesser-known Big West Conference. Right away, one of the newcomers made his presence known. I’m talking about Andrej Stojakovic, the son of former NBA forward Peja Stojakovic, who believe it or not transferred over from Stanford of all places.

Stojakovic hit a three 15 seconds into the game to put the Bears on the board and stake them out to an early 3-0 lead. Over a minute later, he would hit a layup to make it 5-2. Oddly enough, Stojakovic was just 3-for-9 in field goals, but his perfect 9-for-9 in free throws led him to a 16-point performance.

The Roadrunners would take an 8-7 lead a few minutes later, but that would be the only lead they would hold the entire night.

The Bears went into the half with a 46-28 lead. One of the biggest themes in Bears’ games last season was that whichever team had a big lead at halftime was likely to lose it in the second half. Fortunately for the Bears, that did not happen Monday night.

Yes, the Roadrunners made things a little bit interesting late, as they cut the lead in half. However, a strong finish gave the Bears a comfortable 86-73 win.

The leading scorer for the Bears Monday night with 17 points was Jovan a Blacksher Jr., a transfer from Grand Canyon University playing his sixth season of college basketball. Blacksher was 6-for-14 in field goals, and 3-for-7 from beyond the arc.

BJ Omot, a transfer from the University of North Dakota, scored 13 points. DJ Campbell, who transferred from Stockton University, scored 12; and Mady Sissoko, who came over from Michigan State University, scored 10.

The Bears are 1-0, and they will welcome the Cal Poly Mustangs into Haas Pavilion Thursday night. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m.

Experience Goes A Long Way: Cal’s Women Open With Impressive 90-58 Win Over Short-Handed St. Mary’s

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Lost among the excitement of Cal’s decisive 90-58 opening night win and their prospects for a competitive debut season in the ACC was former Cal assistant Jeff Cammon trying to get his Gaels’ back to Moraga with their confidence intact.

Last season, Cammon had a lot more experience on the team bus, and St. Mary’s nagged Cal in a 74-69 loss in which they came dangerously close to the home team after trailing by 15 with just seven minutes remaining.

On Monday, with two freshman guards playing extensively, without marquee offensive leader Zeryhia Aokuso and his entire team flubbing on an intricate, defensive game plan, Cammon watched the evening unravel in a 2nd quarter that saw the Bears outscore his group 22-6 and lead 42-21 before the break.

“It’s super challenging,” Cammon said. “You’re dealing with young ladies who have almost zero experience at the Division 1 level, not to mention we haven’t been together too long. We went to Italy but this is a whole different deal.”

Meanwhile, Charmin Smith’s Bears were unyielding, relying on their size, talent, and experience to wear down St. Mary’s from the early minutes to the final horn. Sophomore Lulu Twidale led Cal with 24 points, Marta Suarez added 17, and the graduate core of Ioanna Krimili (124 games at the D1 level), Kayla Williams (112 games) and Michelle Onyiah (105 games) combined for 34.

Cammon said Onyiah might have presented the biggest challenge with her quick, rehearsed post moves and 6’3″ grown woman confidence.

“Michelle is such a challenge for us. She’s so big and athletic for us,” Cammon said. “It puts a little pressure on us. Do we sink down and try to help or leave her to go one-on-one against our bigs?”

Smith wanted improvement, and she has it, declaring that this is her most impressive roster in six seasons as head coach. Last year, Smith and the Bears experienced a breakthrough with 19 wins and a WNIT Tournament postseason berth. With the additions of impact transfer portal additions, Williams, Jayda Noble, and Natalia Ackerman, Cal could surprise in the coast-to-coast ACC.

Williams ran the offense seamlessly in place of departed point guard Leilani McIntosh, and Krimili selflessly assisted Williams as Cal complied 17 assists on 28 made baskets. Inside the paint, Cal had their way with 18 more free throw attempts than the Gaels. Outside, they made 14 threes on 30 attempts.

Cal’s 22nd-ranked recruiting class showed nerves as the quintet of rookies combined to shoot 1 of 8 from the floor.   Kamryn Mafua, the highest ranked Cal freshman according to recruiting services, buried a wide-open three with 1:09 remaining to give Cal its biggest lead of 34 points.

The Bears have a Thursday matinee affair at 11:00 a.m. against Idaho State at Haas Pavilion before traveling to San Jose State on Saturday.

2

ACC Weekly: Can Pitt or SMU Define Themselves?

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By Morris Phillips

Pat Narduzzi’s Pitt Panthers haven’t really beaten anyone of substance. Rhett Lashlee’s SMU Mustangs have impressive results, but admittedly, they can’t say they’ve played clean football.

Who are these two ACC teams currently at the top of the heap of the expanded conference with their biggest challenges still ahead of them?

Honestly, they don’t know themselves. But the process of gaining their unique identities starts on Saturday night in Dallas when they meet with a share of first-place in November on the line.

“Pretty much what we saw: we played pretty good football minus six turnovers and a goal line stand, which makes it really bad football,” Lashlee admitted in recounting the Mustangs’ thrilling escape act at Duke, a 28-27 win in overtime in their previous game.

SMU built a 21-7 third quarter lead only to see the host Blue Devils tie it and force overtime with touchdowns on their last third quarter possession and the first fourth quarter possession. Throughout SMU and quarterback Kevin Jennings suffered self-inflicted wounds with three interceptions and three fumbles while not forcing any Duke turnovers. The 6-0 disparity in miscues was unusual, even more so when SMU held on in overtime. It marked the first time since Marshall’s 2011 win over Memphis that a team had overcome that severe of a turnover deficit.

“We’ve never had a game like that, I’ve never had a game like that. It’s kind of like a twilight zone scenario.”

Narduzzi’s Panthers weren’t considered to be an ACC title contender by the media, not even close. Picked 13th (while 1-7 Florida State was picked 1st), they’ve beaten North Carolina, Syracuse, and Cal, none of whom created much buzz in the poll either. The veteran coach, who’s known for his gruff manner and pushing his players’ buttons, likely spiced up pre-season practices with references to his team’s lacking reputation. Narrow, non-conference wins over Cincinnati and West Virginia didn’t get people talking either. Destroying Syracuse 41-13 last Thursday did, but the highlights were littered with the Orange making damaging mistakes.

Now Pitt’s 7-0 for the first time since 1982, and SMU is much more talented than anyone they’ve played to date. A big road win would bring validation, but it may take some tweaking of Pitt’s mentality. Narduzzi admitted as much.

“I want our guys to play angry. I want them to play with an attitude and a chip on  their shoulder all the time,” Narduzzi said. “We’ll find different ways to piss them off, get them angry, and feel disrespected.”

Neither team can write their ticket to the ACC Championship game with a win Saturday as Clemson and Miami are also undefeated in conference play. For SMU, whose only loss is to BYU, the path would get clearer as they finish against Boston College, Virginia and Cal, all of whom they will be favored against. Pitt’s backloaded schedule still has them hosting Virginia and Clemson, with visits to Louisville and Boston College.

One thing’s certain: the SMU-Pitt loser faces the uphill climb everyone expected them to face before the season started.

“Our motto for the year is ‘prove it,'” Narduzzi said. “Just find a way to get it done, and improve who you are week in and week out. Because nobody cares what happened in the first seven games of the season.”

Eli Holstein, Pitt’s prolific passer who transferred from Alabama, has thrown for 1,805 yards and 17 touchdowns. He didn’t finish the Syracuse game after suffering an undisclosed injury, but he’s been cleared medically and is expected to start against SMU. Kevin Jennings, the Mustangs’ signal caller was questionable as well, but he’s expected to start and contend with a Pitt defense that’s been excellent, and opportunistic.

SMU might have the best playmaker in running back Brashard Smith, who hits the hole with force while being a factor in the pass game. Smith has 10 touchdowns, and has steadily been trusted to handle the football more and more. Last week against Duke he had a season-high 26 carries for 117 yards and three receptions for another 22 yards.

HOKIES SEEK FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN AT SYRACUSE:

Bhayshul Tuten is performing like the barometer for Virginia Tech as one of the ACC’s best backs who has been even better in the Hokies’ current, three-game win streak. Tuten rushed for 80 yards on 17 carries last week as the Hokies drubbed Georgia Tech at home, 21-6.

Prior to that Tuten hit his career-best with 266 yards rushing in a win over Boston College. It was the fifth time the senior has eclipsed 100 yards on the ground, including all four of his home games.

Suddenly, Virginia Tech is 5-3 and 3-1 in the ACC, giving them hope that a miraculous finish to the season could propel them into the ACC Championship game. But first, they must deal with a difficult environment at Syracuse’s JMA Dome and their quarterback Kyle McCord, who’s been better more often than not, although he did struggle in the Orange’s 41-13 loss at Pitt.

Meanwhile, Tuten suffered an injury against Tech last week, and he’s looking for clearance to play on Saturday. Coach Brent Pry was non-committal but was hopeful that he’ll have his offensive leader on Saturday.

“He’s tough. If he has an opportunity to play he will,” Pry said of Tuten.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal ends four game loss streak with a vengeance beating Oregon State 44-7

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Cal Bears wide receiver Nyziah Hunter (13) rushes on Oregon State Beavers defensive lineman Jacob Shuster (62) in second half action at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Wed Oct 30, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Cal Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza had himself quite an afternoon last Sat Oct 26th at Memorial Stadium against the visiting Oregon State Beavers with a career high of 364 yards and two touchdowns in defeating the Beavers 44-7.

#2 Morris this was important morale victory for the Bears who had been on a four game losing streak and wanted to break out and get one back in the win column.

#3 Cal was so far ahead that they even had a 31-0 halftime lead and everything on both sides of the ball were working for Cal.

#4 This was under different circumstances to have a meeting between these two teams as they were both in the Pac 12 that since broke up over the off season with Cal being an ACC team and Oregon State 1 FBS. Taking that in consideration was there any advantage for Cal knowing this Beavers team from playing against every year going into last week’s game?

#5 Cal now head to play Wake Forest Demon Deacons next Friday Nov 1 at 5:00pm PT. Wake Forest has won three of their last four games. Wake Forest just edged the Stanford Cardinal last Saturday at Stanford Stadium 27-24. Cal is coming off a big offensive game and Wake Forest is coming off some big wins how do you see this match up this Saturday?

Morris Phillips does the Cal Bears podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Fast Start, Quicker Improvisation Propels Cal To A Streak-Ending, 44-7 Win Over Oregon State

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Saturday’s resounding 44-7 win over Oregon State wasn’t about finding answers to the persistent questions. It was about changing the discourse entirely.

Can Cal win a close game? Can its defense summon a critical stop in the fourth quarter? Should coach Justin Wilcox be retained for a ninth season?

Those questions weren’t broached and will have to be answered in the coming weeks. In fact, any nagging questions must be asked of the visiting Beavers. They were nearly a complete no-show, falling behind by two touchdowns in the first six minutes and 31-0 at the half.

Fernando Mendoza threw for a career-best 364 yards, and freshman Derek Morris kicked a school-record tying five field goals in the win. For both, there was sweet redemption as Cal’s revamped offensive line protected Mendoza beautifully, and Morris gained confidence after his fourth quarter, field goal miss that would have given the Bears a lead last week against NC State with 90 seconds remaining.

“We just want to be really consistent in our play and have a standard of play that doesn’t deviate, regardless of who we play, what the score is, what the weather is like, whether there are fans or no fans,” coach Justin Wilcox said, in skillful acceptance of his team’s resilient play without mention of their painful, four-game losing streak that had them winless since September 14.

Against an OSU defense decimated by injuries and personnel lost in the transfer portal, the Bears started fast and never looked back. Cal’s first 11 offensive plays amassed 122 yards and two touchdowns. By the end of the first quarter, the total yardage disparity was glaring with the Beavers outgained 196-17.

Craig Woodson came up with Cal’s 14th interception on the season when Gevani McCoy’s pass to the boundary was late. That was the first of OSU’s two turnovers and the end of McCoy’s afternoon. He was replaced by graduate student Ben Gulbranson for the remainder of the game with the Beavers trailing 17-0.

“We didn’t play well tonight,” OSU coach Trent Bray said. “So it’s frustrating because we’re better than our record, and we need to play to that standard.”

Wilcox was fulfilled, but he didn’t like that five of his team’s drives ended with a field goal instead of a touchdown. The Bears’ second drive did achieve the desired result, but it forced the head coach to do some explaining afterward. Mendoza completed a screen to Jaivian Thomas in a tight space, and he was immediately engaged by safety Isaiah Chisolm. But Thomas refused to go down. Instead, he was spun back facing Mendoza. In a split second and through eye contact between Thomas and Mendoza, the running back lateraled to his quarterback, who sailed into the end zone from nine yards untouched.

Wilcox was asked if that was the way the play was designed. His first answer in jest was “yes.” But he quickly explained that the players took it upon themselves, knowing one important tenet of Cal football.

“You never want to take away the playmaking ability of a football player. We’re not trying to build robots. However, decision-making is critical,” Wilcox preached. “Those are the moments you have to be right.”

The Bears get their second bye week before traveling to Wake Forest on November 8. Wilcox said his team will maintain a typical game week practice schedule. While the Bears welcomed back Jadyn Ott, who spelled Jaivian Thomas with 10 carries, he wasn’t particularly effective. The hope is the additional time will aid Ott and allow prolific linebacker Cade Uluave to return. Uluave missed the game due to injury, but his teammates still managed to shut off Oregon State’s run game that managed 60 yards on 27 carries.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal hoping to end skid against Oregon State Saturday at Berkeley

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NC State Wolfpack tight end Justin Joly (15) fell short of scoring a touchdown after being tackled by Cal Bears defensive back Cam Sidney (20) in the first half at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Morris it was quite an afternoon last Saturday as the NC State Wolfpack edged the Cal Bears at Memorial Stadium 24-23 from your view how close of a game was it for Cal in trying to seal the deal on this one?

#2 The Wolfpack’s CJ Bailey was successful in scoring two touchdowns and getting 306 yards enough offensive yards to get the job done.

#3 First half a close game where Cal had NC State close 13-10. The Bears Jaivian Thomas with an impressive 49 yard run for Cal’s first score of the game making it 7-0 with 13:47 in the first quarter. Second quarter Cal kicker Derek Morris booted a 41 yard field goal at 1:12 and Morris added another three points with a 26 yard field goal seven seconds left to close out the first half Cal in front 13-10.

#4 Third quarter again Morris kicked a field goal at 9:10 and a seven yard carry for a touchdown by Thomas with 24 seconds left in the quarter making it 23-10. In the fourth quarter the Wolfpack got touchdowns from Dacari Collins and Hollywood Smothers that edged out the Bears in the for a 24-23 Wolfpack win.

#5 Next game at Cal this Sat Oct 26 at 1:00pm PT as former co Pac 12 team the Oregon State Beavers come calling. The Beavers lost to UNLV last Saturday 33-25. The Beavers are 4-3 and have lost three of their last five games. The Bears are on a four game losing streak and hope to snap it this Saturday how do you see Oregon State and Cal matching up this Saturday?

Morris Phillips does the Cal Bears podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com