Category: Cal Bears

Cal Bears game wrap: Cal Retains the Ax Beating Stanford 27-15

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Cal Bears running back Jaydn Ott tries to move around the Stanford Cardinal defensive end Brennan Jackson (80) at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto on Sat Nov 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The 126th Big Game went to the California Bears (4-6) winning their third Big Game in a row. Some great Bears offense and some equally good defense tilted the game in favor of Cal. The final score was 27-15. This was Cal’s third big game win in a row.

Saturday afternoon the Bears headed to Stanford Stadium “the Farm” for the 126th “Big Game” against the Cardinal. Cal is coming off a 42-39 win over Washington State in thanks to their defense coming up big returning two fumbles for touchdowns and recording six sacks.

This was without doubt was their best effort of the season. This was Cal’s second straight win as they beat Washington State in their last game on Sat Nov 11. Cal picked up their fourth win in the last six Big Games and their fourth straight Big Game win. While Stanford does have home field advantage, the Bears are favored significantly.

The Bay Area weather had little impact on the game with light rain that was predicted over the course of the game. This was the last Big Game in the Pac 12. Cal has now retained the axe for the 2023 season their third straight season.

This is the biggest game for the two teams all season regardless of what their records show. The entire Bay Area was watching history being made in this colorful tradition.

Game recap: The Bears went on offense to start the opening quarter. Driving deep into Stanford territory Cal went on a fourth and two that failed. Both teams sparred through the first ten minutes of the quarter.

At 5:03 Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza found Trond Grizzell for nine yards and the first touchdown of the game giving Cal the early 7-0 lead. With 0.22 seconds left in the first quarter Stanford kicker Joshua Karty hit a 44 yarder and after the first 15 minutes of play, the Bears had a 7-3 lead.

Early in the second quarter at 13:13 Mendoza again found Grizzell for a huge play of 54 yards and California had extended their lead to 14-3. Cal had scored twice through the air so far in the game so Stanford was having to defend not only the Cal passing game which had a great first half but also the rushing game. Stanford kicked a 53 yard Field Goal with 54 ticks left on the clock and the score at the half was 14-6 in favor of Cal.

Cal running back Jaydn Ott kicked it into high gear scoring a one yard run into the end zone at 5:45 in the third quarter giving the Bears a 21-6 lead. Ott had been relatively quiet in the first half but he came unleashed as the second half got underway.

Stanford did score twice in the third quarter but Cal retained the lead going into the final quarter. The Cardinal scored their first touchdown of the game at 4:25 going for the two point conversion which failed. They did score a field goal to end the third quarter, a 50 yard Karty kick. With one quarter left in the game California led 21-15.

The Bears would score one more time in the fourth quarter when Mendoza threw his third touchdown of the day an eight yard pass to Jeremiah Hunter to seal the win for Cal 27-15. The Bears had won their third Big Game in a row. The Ax would stay in Berkeley for another year.

Mendoza had a great day with three touchdowns throwing for 294 yards with one interception. Jaydn Ott despite a bit of a slow start in the first half finished in a flurry with 166 rushing yds.

Stanford struggled in this game with penalties and miscues and just could not handle the California defense. The long awaited game is now history and we will now look forward the 127th Big Game next year.

Montana State able to fend off Jaylon Tyson and Cal in close game 63-60 at Haas Pavilion

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Cal Bears guard Jaylon Tyson (10) takes the ball up the floor against the Montana State Tigers at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Thu Nov 16, 2023 (Cal Bears photo)

By Steve Ruderman

Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Montana State Bobcats 63 (2-1)

California Golden Bears 60 (2-2)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Bears were unable to capitalize on their big win Monday, as the Montana State Bobcats, led by Brandon Walker and his 26-point performance, came into Haas Pavilion to prevent Cal from getting a thrilling comeback win, as Montana State held on to win, 63-60.

Jalen Cone hit an early jumper to give Cal a 2-0 lead. Montana State came back to take a 4-2 lead, and a three ball by Fardaws Aimaq gave Cal the lead back at 5-4. A layup by Brandon Walker, who would just be getting started, put the Bobcats back ahead at 6-5, and they would hold the lead the rest of the night.

Montana State looked poised to pull away with the game early, as they opened their lead to 12-5, but Cal scored six unanswered points to close it to 12-11. Despite that, the Bobcats maintained a steady lead throughout the rest of the first period, never leading by more than six.

The Bobcats led 33-27 at the half, and they started to open up their lead again at the start of the second period, as a 9-3 run gave Montana State a 44-30 lead with 15:09 remaining.

Cal slowly chipped away into the latter half of the second period, but they got even closer, as a pair of free throws by Aimaq cut the deficit to 51-49 with 4:49 remaining.

There was a lot of scoring in the final few minutes. The Bobcats pulled out to a 57-51 lead with 3:19 remaining, but Jaylon Tyson, who shined for the Bears tonight with 27 points, led the charge for, and Cal came back to make it 63-60 with just 16 seconds remaining.

Following a foul by Cone, and a pair of missed free throws by Robert Ford for Montana State, Cone missed a three that would’ve tied the game with four seconds, and that would be it, as the Bobcats won it, 63-60.

Cone’s missed three-pointer highlighted a game in which the Bears made just three three-balls, down from 13 against Bakersfield Monday. Cone, who hit seven threes on Monday, hit just one tonight. Cone was 1-for-10 from beyond the arc, and scored just eight points.

Cal ends up going 2-2 on the opening homestand, and they will head to San Juan Capistrano for the SoCal Challenge starting Monday night, when they will take on the UTEP Miners for a very-late 9:30 tipoff.

Jalen Cone carries Cal to strong bounceback win over CSU Bakersfield 83-63

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Cal Bears guard Jalen Cone (15) takes a jump shot against the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Mon Nov 13, 2023 (Cal Bears photo)

Monday, Nov. 13, 2023

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners 63 (1-2)

California Golden Bears 83 (2-1)

By Stephen Ruderman

Following a tough loss to the University of Pacific Tigers, Jalen Cone shined with 23 points and seven three-pointers, as the Cal Bears beat the California State University of Bakersfield Roadrunners comfortably by a final of 83-63.

It was a quiet Monday night at Haas Pavilion both in the crowd, and on the court, as it took two minutes for either team to score. Devin Askew hit a three ball two minutes and 13 seconds into the game, and Cal struck first. Jalen Cone also hit a three to make it 6-0, but the Roadrunners scored seven unanswered points to take a 7-6 lead.

Cal bounced back and took a 13-9 lead. Ugnius Jerusevicius hit a free throw, and then Higgins hit a three for the Roadrunners to tie it at 13-13 with 11:55 left.

The score was then 16-16, and after Cone hit another three with 10:09 left, the Bears went on a roll. Cal went on a 36-21 run to go into the half up 49-34.

The Roadrunners scored five unanswered points to start the second period as part of a 7-1 run as they cut the score to 50-41, but Cal responded swiftly, and put the game away.

In addition to Cone’s performance, all five of Cal’s starters scored double digits, as the team hit 13 threes as a whole. Fardaws Aimaq scored 14 points; Jaylon Tyson scored 13; Devin Askew scored 12; and Grant Newell scored 10. Each starter also hit at least one three, as Askew and Newell both hit two, and Aimaq and Tyson hit one.

As for Bakersfield, Kaleb Higgins led the way with 22 points, but Cal’s defense kept the rest of the Roadrunners at bay.

Cal is back over .500 at 2-1, and the opening homestand will continue on Thursday, as the Bears will welcome the Montana State Bobcats to Berkeley for an 8:00 tipoff.

Bears Drag the Cougars up the Hill and Maul Them 42-39, on Senior Day in the East Bay

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Cal Bears running back Jaydn Ott leaps into the end zone to score against the Washington State Cougars at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Nov 11, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

BERKELEY, Calif. — The California Golden Bears (4-6, 2-5 Pac-12) honored their senior players with a clawbiter win over conference foe Washington State Cougars (4-6, 1-6 Pac-12) in front of 38,155 fans at Memorial Stadium.

The Bears were generous guest by deferring the ball to the Cougars, after winning the coin toss. Apparently WASU didn’t appreciate the kind gesture and gave the gift right back.

Less tha three minutes into the contest, Cougars’ junior quarterback Cameron Ward fumbled on 4th & 1. Freshman running back and special teamer, Cade Uluave forced the fumble and returned it for a 51-yard TD. That quickly, the Bears were up 7-0 without possessing the ball yet.

When Cal did get their first possession, they absolutely took advantage of their opportunity. Redshirt freshman QB Fernando Mendoza tossed a six yard TD pass to fellow R-FR TE Jack Endries. Less than ten minutes of the first quarter, the Bears were up by two touchdowns, 14-0.

With 17 seconds left in the first, Ward was able to redeem himself a bit. He scored a three yard TD on a QB keeper. At the end of 15, the Cougars cut the deficit in half, 14-7.

Early in the second quarter sophomore RB Jaydn Ott fumbled into the endzone, as he was trying to score, fortuitously his teammate R-JR lineman Brian Driscoll recovered the ball and was awarded the touchdown. They went up 21-7 and scored two touchdowns on two fumbles.

Cameron Ward came back a few minutes later and threw a 13-yard TD to junior TE Cooper Mathers. Washington State got within seven, 21-14, and Ward was in position to actually take the lead, but he fumbled again.

Mendoza hit Ott for a 13-yard TD and Cal was back up by two touchdowns, 28-14. The Bears were expecting to go into the locker room up by 14, but the Cougars scored another touchdown at the end of the quarter..

Redshirt freshman QB John Mateer rushed in for five yards to paydirt, and the Cougars trailed by seven again. At the half, California lead 28-21.

Cal opened up the third with possesion of the ball; however, they did the same thing Washington State did to open the game…FUMBLE!. Mendoza coughed up the ball within the first minute of the second half, and WSU recovered the ball.

Redshirt junior kicker Dean Janikowski nailed a 28-yard field goal, bringing his team within four. At the end of three, California led 28-24.

Early in the fourth, Janikowski missed a FG. Cal took the ball downfield quickly into Cougars’ territry. Ott has a 52-yard run, then scored from the five yard line, putting his bears up by 11, 35-24.

Cameron Ward had the ball in his hands again trying to cut into the double-digit lead, but that did not go as planned. For the second time in the game, he fumbled and a defensive TD occured. This time junior DB Nohl Williams reached the endzone after carrying it for 52 yards. 42-24 Cal.

Ward answered back with a 212-yard TD loft to redshirt junior Josh Kelly, and they converted the two point attempt. The pulled within ten, 42-32.

Cal’s Ott fubled again, but this time the Cougars recovered the ball. Ward came right back and threw a five yard TD to RS FR RB Djouvensky Schlembaker, bringing the road team within three, 42-39.

With a chance to tie the game at 50 seconds left in the game, Janikowski missed a 48-yarder. Cal got the ball back with the chance to seal the game,

Cal could not make the clock hit zero, so the Cougars had one last chance. With :04 left on the clock, Ward’s desperation Hail Mary was picked off by the ubiquitous Cade Uluave. GAME OVER and the Bears win a close one to the cats from the Great Northwest, 42-39.

Cal wii next be in action across the Bay trying to keep possession of the Axe, as they will battle Stanford Saturday November 18 at TBD. The Cougars head back to Pullman, WA to host Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes Friday, November 17 at 7:30 PDT.

Note: Cal’s Jaydn Ott rushed for 167 yards against the Cougars, and has amassed 1016 on the season. QB Fernando Mendoza, who threw two TDs himself, gave praise to his star running back. “He is spectacular, and he will be playing on Sundays.” Uttered Mendoza.

WSU’s Cameron Ward threw the ball a whopping 59 times, completing 34 for 354 yards and three touchdowns. He also had a rushing TD.

Pacific comes back to down Cal in seesaw battle 87-79 at Haas Pavilion

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Cal Bears confer on the floor as they faced the Pacific Tigers at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Fri Nov 10, 2023 (photo from calbears.com)

Friday, Nov. 10, 2023

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Pacific Tigers 87 (1-1)

California Golden Bears 79 (1-1)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Pacific Tigers came back late to defeat the Bears, 87-79, denying Cal a 2-0 start.

The Bears opened the season Monday by barely beating the St. Thomas Tommies, and they looked to build on their momentum with much stronger competition coming in. Cal jumped out to a 15-11 lead with 14:40 remaining in the first period, the Tigers scored eight unanswered points to take a 19-15 lead.

The teams traded leads the remainder of the first period, as the Tigers led 40-38 at the half. The Tigers struck first in the second period with a jumper, but Cal then went on a 16-2 run to open up a 54-44 lead.

Pacific chipped into Cal’s lead, as the game entered the latter half of the second period. Villam Garcia Adsten was fouled and hit a jumper with 7:16 left to tie the game at 62-62, and then he hit a free throw to give the Tigers the lead, and they would not look back.

The Tigers then put the game away, as a 15-0 run gave them a 73-62 lead, and they maintained a healthy lead to close it out.

Cal falls to 1-1, as CSU Bakersfield will come into Haas Pavilion for a 7:00 tipoff Monday Night.

Pacific chipped into Cal’s lead, as the game entered the latter half of the second period. Villam Garcia Adsten was fouled and hit a jumper with 7:16 left to tie the game at 62-62, and then he hit a free throw to give the Tigers the lead, and they would not look back.

The Tigers then put the game away, as a 15-0 run gave them a 73-62 lead, and they maintained a healthy lead to close it out.

Cal falls to 1-1, as CSU Bakersfield will come into Haas Pavilion for a 7:00 tipoff Monday Night.

Bears barely edge out Tommies in Season Opener 71-66 at Haas Pavilion

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Haas Pavilion home of the Cal Bears who hosted the St Thomas Tommies on Mon Nov 6, 2023 (photo by Stephen Ruderman)

Monday, Nov. 6, 2023

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

St. Thomas Tommies 66 (0-1)

California Golden Bears 71 (1–0)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–The California Golden Bears beat the St. Thomas Tommies, in a 71-66 in a nail-biting season opener at Haas Pavilion.

Following a brutal 3-29 2022-2024 Campaign, Cal Basketball got their 2023-2024 Season started with new head coach, Mark Madsen at the helm, as they welcomed in the Tommies for the opener.

This was also the debut game for Freshman Vladimir Pavlovic, who has come with a lot of excitement. Pavlovic, a native of Serbia, played for the 18U Serbian National Team, before playing for Hoosac School in Hoosick New York last year.

“Vladimir’s talent, character and basketball IQ make him a great addition to our roster,” Madsen said over the summer, when Pavlovic committed to play for Cal.

The Bears started the game by committing a backcourt violation, and it was just the first of many turnovers Cal gave away. Meanwhile, the Tommies opened with a pair of three-balls. It seemed they shot a third one at the buzzer to open a 9-3 lead, but the call was overturned upon review, as the ball was fired after the buzzer.

St. Thomas’ lead was back down to 6-3, and a pair of threes gave Cal their first lead of the night at 10-8 with over 14 minutes to go in the first period.

Both teams traded threes early on, as Cal led 17-13 with 10:34 remaining in the first period. The two teams were pretty back and forward throughout the first period, as neither team got off to greater than a five-point lead.

Eventually it was a 29-29 game with 2:30 left, as the Bears had a hard time shaking the Tommies off, and Cal led 35-34 at the half.

The second period opened with the teams trading threes, and the Bears giving more turnovers to the Tommies, as well as some fouls mixed in. Cal missed several opportunities, and the Tommies.

Cal led 51-50 half way through the second, as both teams missed several opportunities to pull away.

Pavlovic missed a crucial three with Cal trailing 58-56 with less than seven minutes left in the second, and the Tommies were immediately gifted two points after Cal center, Fardaws Aimag, was called for goaltending.

The Tommies led 62-61 with 3:40 remaining, as the game came down to the wire. It was 64-64 with 1:30 left when Devin Askew was on the receiving end of an offensive foul by the Tommies, which gave Cal the ball.

Another foul sent Jalen Calestine to the line for Cal, but he missed his only free-throw, giving the Tommies the ball with 1:15 left.

Askew laid one in to give Cal a 66-64 lead with less than a minute remaining, and the Tommies were unable to respond, as a foul sent Jalen Cone to the line, and he nailed both shots to expand Cal’s lead to 68-64.

After a lengthy final minute in which the Tommies tried every trick they had, the Bears held on to win 71-66.

Cal has won their season opener for the first time in four years, as they are 1-0, and they will welcome the University of Pacific Tigers for an 8:00 tipoff Friday night.

Kings Continue Slump Demolished By Rockets 122-97; Houston sweeps two game series

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Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (center) struggles with the basketball with the Sacramento Kings forwards Harrison Barnes (40) Keegan Murray (right) at the Toyota Center on Mon Nov 6, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

There are no words in Webster’s dictionary to describe how terrible this game went for the Sacramento Kings (2-4). It would seem that they are completely helpless without superstar De’Aaron Fox who remains out with the ankle injury.

It would also appear that there are no players that can step up in his absence. That does not bode well for this team. As this game reached the seven minute mark in the fourth quarter it could not have ended quickly enough for these guys. The final score was 122-97 Houston Rockets (3-3) at the Toyota Center in Houston in game 2 of the series.

Monday night the Kings continued to play without superstar De’Aaron Fox taking on the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. He was ruled out hours before tipoff missing his third game in a row. The Kings are missing everything that he brings to the court and are struggling.

The Kings lost to the Rockets on Saturday night, an 18 point loss 107-89, a very embarrassing loss. A big part of the Kings future was thought to be Keegan Murray but he has not shown up so far.

Murray finished the Saturday night game with the Rockets shooting for seven points and going 3-12. His shot is not falling and he is not delivering at all and needs to have more of an impact. Another player not carrying his load is the newly signed Sasha Vezenkov.

The excitement surrounding Vezenkov’s signing has now fallen flat when he scored nada in their last game. While Domantas Sabonis was not awful he was not at his usual best which is roughly 18 points per game.

With Fox still remaining out of action this team has to step up and Sabonis is a huge part of this. Their defense has been stale and they need to add another star to their core. As we have seen early in this season injury can play havoc with a team.

The Kings need Fox who is the heart of their offense. It is early in the season and not the worst time for a team to suffer injury, but that being said, Sacramento does not want to lose a third game in a row.

The opening quarter of Monday night’s game went very poorly for the Kings. They lost the first quarter 32-22. It really went sideways in the second quarter with the Rockets topping the Kings 35-20 taking a 67-42 lead into the locker room at the half. The first half of this game was a disaster for Sacramento but unfortunately the worst was still to come.

After three quarters the writing was pretty much on the wall. It was a horrific showing by the Kings. It could not have been any worse with some lackluster shooting and terrible defense allowing the Rockets to walk all over them.

The starters were MIA for the first three quarters. Harrison Barnes had three points after three quarters, Davion Mitchell had five, Domantas Sabonis with eight points. It was a nightmare. Even the energetic Malik Monk off the bench only managed five points. After three quarters Houston had a 95-60 lead in a monster embarrassment. It was like taking candy from a baby for Houston in this lopsided game.

The fourth quarter was more of the same and early in the final quarter the Rockets had taken a forty point lead 107-67. If you think that Saturday night’s loss was an embarrassment think again. The Kings did win the fourth quarter but this game was a done deal at half time. The Kings came around in the fourth quarter winning the quarter 37-25. The final was 122-97.

Wednesday night the Kings will take on the Portland Trail Blazers at Golden 1 Center. Hopefully the crowd can get this team energized and an even more importantly get Fox back on the court.

The Kings, of course, does not want to put Fox back on the court until he is completely ready. They cannot afford to risk further injury to Fox’s ankle. This team is going through some discouraging times and they need to pull it all together and come out the other side. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Fresh new start with head coach Mark Madsen

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Cal Bears head coach Mark Madsen, guard Keonte Kennedy, and forward Grant Newell address the press at media day on Oct 11, 2023 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Stephen, It’s the first game back for the Cal Bears with a new head coach Mark Madsen. Madsen led Utah Valley last season to the Semi Finals for the 2023 NIT.

#2 Madsen was named the 2023 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and led the Wolverines to a pair of conference titles during his four seasons at the helm.

#3 Madsen has been well-recognized for his efforts during the 2022-23 campaign as he was named District Coach of the Year by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).

#4  Mark is a person of high character, high energy, high intensity, and he’s done it the right way. He’s intense. He’s passionate. He loves his student-athletes, and he loves competing. 

#5 Coach Madsen wanted to see what his players will do in this first game against St. Thomas tonight at Haas Pavilion. Madsen said when he was first brought on by Cal “I am extremely grateful to Chancellor Carol Christ and Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton for their belief in me, and for the tremendous opportunity to lead Cal’s men’s basketball team back to its winning tradition.”

Join Stephen Ruderman for Cal Basketball commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oregon Ducks Sting Cal Bears 63-19; Nix, Oregon score an avalanche of touchdowns in Cal loss

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Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix (10) gets a pass away under pressure from the Cal Bears linebacker Xavier Carlton (right) at Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Sat Nov 4, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

It was a tough afternoon for the California Bears up in Oregon as they got trounced by the Ducks to the tune of 63-19 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. They hung in the game for the opening quarter but going into the second quarter the Ducks turned it on and never looked back.

Saturday afternoon the California Bears (3-5) traveled up north to take on the Oregon Ducks (7-1). The two teams took the field amid threat of precipitation as the Bears faced not only inclement weather but dealing with an offensive giant in the Ducks.

The Ducks got a quick start in the opening quarter scoring two touchdowns taking a 14-0 lead. Oregon’s first strike was a 48 yard pass from quarterback Bo Nix to Tez Johnson. Minutes later the Ducks struck again when Nix took the ball into the end zone for one yard and the second score of the day for Oregon.

The Bears answered with a field goal with 1:39 left in the first quarter. Mateen Bhaghani sent a 48 yard kick through the uprights. On the very next Oregon possession the Ducks fumbled and the ball was recovered by Cal’s Nohl Williams for a sixteen yard romp into the end zone for six. Cal had made a nice comeback trailing by the score of 14-10 and were within striking distance.

Cal would draw even closer when they kicked a second field goal in the early minutes of the second quarter. Bhaghani kicked a 27 yard field goal and California trailed by a single point 14-13. The rest of the second quarter was all Oregon.

The sleeping giant woke up with a vengeance scoring three touchdowns in the quarter. Bo Nix rushed for his second touchdown of the game at 5:21. Nix went on to hit Tez Johnson for his second touchdown of the game, this one for 14 yards at 1:39 left before the half.

With six seconds left in the quarter Nix went to work again thanks to a Bears fumble hitting Troy Franklin for 7 yards extending their lead to 35-13 at halftime.

Cal made up some ground to start the third quarter scoring a 20 yard Jayden Ott rushing touchdown. The Bears went for the two point conversion which failed and California trialed 35-19. The Ducks would add to their lead mid-way through the quarter. Bucky Irving rushed for 6 yards extending the Oregon lead to 42-19.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Ducks as they continued to pile on the points scoring three touchdowns in the quarter. Bo Nix threw his fourth touchdown pass in the early minutes of the fourth quarter, a four yard strike to Terrance Ferguson.

Jordan James would rush for 16 yards and another Oregon touchdown. With the score 56-19 Oregon quarterback Bo Nix was finished for the day. He threw for 386 yards and was 29 of 38 passes with four touchdowns.

Ty Thompson took over under center and finished off the game with yet another Oregon touchdown, a six yard pass to Traeshon Holden for the final score of 63-19.

California quarterback finished with 177 yards and was 18 of 34 with no touchdowns and one interception. Cal had 109 rushing yards with Jayden Ott finishing the game with 93 yards.

Next Saturday the Bears will take on the Washington State Cougars at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM.

USC Escapes Berkeley Barely Beating Cal In A Tight 50-49 Game

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USC Trojans running back Austin Jones (6) is airborne for a touchdown over the Cal Bears defensive back Jeremiah Earby (6) in first half action at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley (AP News photo)

Saturday, October 28th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Berkeley, CA – It’s another PAC-12 matchup for the Cal Bears, but this time it’s against the USC Trojans and their Heisman winning QB, Caleb Williams. This game may be “meaningless” as far as rankings and record, but a win for Cal would be a major example of bragging rights. There was no bragging after this game except the Bears did play a tight game against the Trojans in a 50-49 loss.

The Trojans started off the drive and Caleb Williams showcased real early why he was such a threat. On foot and in the air Williams had USC completely in-sync. After a 69 yard drive the Trojans couldn’t get a touchdown, but they settled for a field goal to get the game’s first points 3-0 USC.

Now a major thing about USC’s first drive is Cal put them in a third down scenario three times and even a fourth down scenario, Caleb still got out of it, until USC got in the red zone and the box was too small to convert. Cal began their first drive, but on their second play, QB Fernando Mendoza fumbled the ball and USC recovered in amazing field position.

Caleb Williams and the Trojans went right back on their assault, this time looking to get than three points and they would get that after five quick plays with a Marshawn Llyod two yard punch in making the game now 10-0 USC.

Ten minutes into this first quarter the Trojans already had 116 total yards, 78 of those yards were passing and 38 were rushing, meaning they were perfectly balanced as an offense in this first quarter immediately putting Cal on notice.

The Bears wouldn’t go down that easy though as they came out swinging the next drive and it was none other than their knockout specialist running back Jadyn Ott who would score on a big 43 yard run. This is Ott’s sixth rushing TD and he really has showcased why he’s PAC-12 and national leader in rushing coming into this game as far as yards per game (100), rushing yards (603), rushing TDs (5), all purpose yards per game (114), and total TDs (6). 10-7.

USC didn’t slow their game down after that Cal touchdown as they went 80 yards in six plays the very next drive and scored on a pass from Williams to Austin Jones and now it was 17-7 USC and there was still a minute to go in the first quarter.

We were in for a thrill ride. The next drive Cal adapted to USC’s fast pace and they adapted quickly feeding off the home crowd as on a three play drive, Ott would score another rushing TD, but this time going 61 yards to the end zone and the place erupted. 17-14. 

The second quarter was underway and the first punt of the game is what followed as USC had to punt for the first time in this game and now it was Cal’s chance to strike while the iron was hot and they did exactly in just eight plays and it was highlighted with another Jaydn Ott touchdown, his third rushing TD of the game, putting his current total to eight rushing touchdowns on the season and this touchdown from Ott put Cal in the lead for the first time in the game. Making it 21-17 Bears.

The Bears knew that if they didn’t keep striking the Trojans would stay on their neck, but Cal kept striking and Mendoza got his first passing touchdown of the game to Trond Grizzell and they scored after only three plays, but they went half the field and now halfway through the second quarter it was 28-17 Cal Bears.

Cal’s defense was just as much a key to this lead as the offense as they forced another punt from USC to give this Bears offense another chance to extend their lead. The Bears couldn’t extend in that drive, but now it was USC’s turn and at this point in the second quarter it was the defenses playing a game of who can mess up first.

The second half came to a close with no change in the score and that’s a testament to the defense having a true stalemate the last three minutes of the half. The USC fans were stunned, but Cal was the talk of the college football world with this 28-17 lead at halftime. 

In a wild way to start the half they replayed a down that was messed up clockwise before the half with one second left on the clock and USC tried to knock down a field goal to chorus of boos and they missed. So the official third quarter started with Cal having the ball like they were going to do anyways, but after the missed field goal the energy and momentum was in Cal’s favor.

The Trojans recovered and got the ball back from Cal and Caleb Williams took matters into his own hands and scored using his feet, but their attempt at a two point conversion failed and now it was 28-23. After another failed drive for Cal, USC was in the driver’s seat, but forced to punt after Cal’s defense contained Caleb Williams.

USC’s defense responded with an interception on Cal’s second play of that drive and now USC had great field position and they used it to perfection. Williams on the first play of the drive threw a 22 yard touchdown pass to Brendan Rice, but missed an extra point and now the Trojans regained the lead 29-28.

On Cal’s next drive it was a true battle and a couple pass interference calls put them in a great spot which was followed by a big Mendoza QB keeper that put them in the red zone. Mendoza ended up scoring a big touchdown when he couldn’t find an open receiver and took it in himself, but on top of that the Bears converted on two point conversion and got the lead back 36-29.

The stadium became rambunctious after Williams was sacked for 23 yards and almost fumbled the ball and now they were forced to punt. Cal went three and out and was forced to punt and now with a minute left in the quarter it was a battle now. Caleb Williams went three and out and the Trojans were back on defense as the quarter ended. 

Fourth quarter started and Cal had the chance to make or break everything in this drive and capitalized with a Mendoza rushing touchdown and the score was now 43-29 which was the biggest lead of the game. Caleb Williams and the Trojans pushed down the field thanks to a 53 yard catch by Marshawn Llyod put them in the red zone and Williams rushed for a one yard touchdown and they got the extra point.

43-36 was the score here and with 11 minutes left in the game this game had a whole crowd at attention. The Bears had big attempts to try to move downfield, but the clamps were put on them and they punted the ball, but the punt was right on the seven yard line and Williams had to go all the way down the field to potentially tie this game up.

When the Trojans were forced to punt Cal returner Jeremiah Hunter received the punt and got a little too crafty trying to shake the Trojans defense, but fumbled and USC recovered in the red zone now with a chance to even the score.

A touchdown was scored when Llyod punched in a rushing touchdown and the score was now tied after a successful extra point, 43-43. The Bears needed to close out this game strong, but one thing you don’t do when trying to close out a game like this is fumble which both teams did on back to back plays.

Cal fumbled and USC recovered, but USC fumbled and Cal recovered right after and this game was more than even it was a “who will make the mistake that closes this out” game. The Bears went four downs, but no luck and they turned it over on downs, now it was USC’s chance.

The first play of this new Trojans drive was a 56 yard run by Lloyd that put them in the red zone and was followed by a touchdown run by Austin Jones and the lead was in USC’s grasp with 3:33 left. 50-43 USC. Fernando Mendoza had to lead this team down the field and it was an unsportsmanlike conduct that saved them and Mendoza was back in the mix.

A third down pass from Mendoza to Hunter kept the drive alive, then followed it with a 23 yard run by Justin Thomas that put them in the red zone and now there was a little over a minute left.

Cal finally got into the end zone with a pass to Jaivian Thomas and then they went for two, but was unsuccessful and the game was deemed over as USC was gonna receive the ball with 58 seconds left. The score was 50-49 and after the onside kick was recovered by the Trojans, the game was over as USC ran the clock out and escaped Berkeley with an extremely close victory.