Category: Cal Bears

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.

Cal suffers blowout loss to No. 16 Utah 34-14

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Photo credit: @CalFootball

By Mary Anne

The California Golden Bears faced the No. 16 Utah Utes on Saturday. The Golden Bears were battle ready and got off to a fast start, but suffered a blowout loss to the Utes 34-14 at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Cal fell to 3-4, while Utah improved to 5-1.

The Golden Bears scored first. Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw a touchdown pass to Jaydn Ott for a 48-yard passing touchdown. Mateen Bhaghani kicked an extra point for a 7-0 lead at 5:41 of the first quarter.

The Golden Bears led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The Utes took the go-ahead lead in the second quarter. Ja’Quinden Jackson ran for a three-yard rushing touchdown. Cole Becker kicked an extra point to tie the game 7-7 at 7:56. Sione Vaki ran for a one-yard rushing touchdown. Becker kicked an extra point to give the Utes a 14-7 lead with just 26 seconds left in the second.

The Golden Bears trailed the Utes 14-7 at the end of the first half.

The Utes poured in the points to start the second half. Cole Becker kicked a 23-yard field goal to extend the Utes’ lead to 17-7 at 10:35 of the third quarter. Bryson Barnes ran for a four-yard rushing touchdown. Becker kicked an extra point to expand the Utes’ lead to 24-7 with 9:11 left in the third.

The Golden Bears responded to make it a ten-point game. Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw a touchdown pass to Taj Davis, who ran for a 24-yard rushing touchdown. Mateen Bhaghani kicked an extra point to cut the Utes’ lead to 24-14 with 4:21 left in the third.

The Golden Bears trailed the Utes 24-14 through three quarters.

The Utes scored twice in the fourth quarter. Sione Vaki ran for a 72-yard rushing touchdown. Cole Becker kicked an extra point for a 31-14 lead with 6:51 left in the fourth. Becker capped off the scoring with a 38-yard field goal to make it a 34-14 game with 1:57 left in the fourth.

The Golden Bears lost to the Utes 34-14.

Notes
Find out this week’s Cal captains here.

Get to know the Cal starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza here.

Up Next
The Golden Bears have a bye week before hosting the No. 10 USC Trojans on Saturday, October 28, at TBD.

Oregon State Walks Out Of Berkeley Victorious After 52-40 win against Cal

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Cal Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) runs before throwing the football against the Oregon Beavers in the second quarter at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Oct 7, 2023 (AP News photo)

Saturday, October 7th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Berkeley, CA – On homecoming night at University of Cal, it’s the Cal Bears against the Oregon State University Beavers and the Bears are coming off a great win against Arizona State University, but the Beavers are coming off an equally great win against a ranked Utah squad. Cal walks into this game with a clear swagger and a win for either team would propel them up the ranks in the Pac-12.

Unfortunately Cal lost at home in a highly offensive game of scoring and fell short to Oregon State 52-40. Cal drops to .500 at 3-3.

Cal starts with the ball to open the game and the drive goes nowhere for the Bears and Oregon State takes over on possession and immediately starts pushing down field. In the red zone the Beavers score with ease as DJ Uiagalelei throws a dime to tight end Jack Velling and after an easy extra point, the Beavers take the early lead 7-0.

Cal’s attempt to even the score began as Cal utilized their lead running back Jaydn Ott, but was still forced to punt when even those attempts were foiled by OSU’s defense. The Beavers start out in their own red zone and being pinned there causes the Beavers to have to pass out of the jam, but to no success as they were forced to punt.

Cal’s next drive was more effective as they got down field with a variety of passes and rushes. The quarter ends with the ball still in Cal’s hands in the red zone with a chance to even out the game. 

On the fourth down the Bears decide to settle for the field goal and we start the second quarter 7-3. A major kickoff return for Oregon State goes 59 yards and they start this drive with amazing field position. Again in the red zone, Oregon State had the ball and on four plays Aiden Chiles hit Silas Bolden in the end zone and the Beavers put a gap in the score 14-0, but there was still a lot of ball game left and Cal started their next drive in the red zone after an onside recovery that they took back 26 yards.

Cal gets their first touchdown after Isaiah Ifanse got a nine yard pass from Fernando Mendoza and now it was a 14-10 ball game. On OSU’s drive, they made a big mistake when Cal forced a fumble and recovered it.

This is Cal’s seventh fumble recovery of the season and they are some of the best in the NCAA when it comes to forcing turnovers. Following that big recovery, the Bears offense pushed down the field using Ott and Ifanse and that strategy was effective when Ifanse walked in the end zone for an easy rushing touchdown and after an extra point, Cal had its first lead 17-14 with eight minutes left in the first half.

A trick play by OSU gets them downfield and back in the red zone, but while in the red zone, Cal was fighting in the trenches and forced a fourth and 1 for the Beavers, but a QB run for a yard kept the drive alive.

The Cal defense forced another fourth down attempt for the Beavers, but this time with 3 yards away from the end zone and they converted after Jack Velling caught his second touchdown catch, now the score being 21-17 Beavers up.

In the final minute of the game, Cal’s goal was to go in the locker room with some energy, but were forced to punt before the last eight seconds of the half and OSU took a knee which is how the first half closes. 

The second half started with a big return from the Beavers, 50 yards and a chance to take over early in the half. Cal has outscored their opponents this season in the second half, especially the third quarter, but that didn’t matter as Oregon State capitalized on the great field position when DJ Uiagalelei got a touchdown pass to Jesiah Irish and the Beavers made it 28-17.

Cal wasted no time on their following drive just moving the chains in such an efficient fashion that if you blinked you would’ve missed how far they traveled down field. This pursuit down the field was capitalized on as Ifanse powered through the Beavers O-Line and got another touchdown making it 28-24 and at this point Ifanse had all the touchdowns for the Bears.

The Beavers answered right back with a touchdown of their own with another TD catch from Velling making it 35-24 and the Bears had to respond. That response came after a big drive and the exclamation point was a 30 yard TD pass from Mendoza to Jack Endries and when the Bears converted on the two point attempt and the Cal fans went crazy! 35-32! The third quarter ended with OSU in the red zone on third down and the pendulum could swing any way at this moment. 

Oregon State got the TD to start the fourth as Damien Martinez powered his way into the endzone and they took the lead again 42-32. Cal started their drive with a force of energy, but fumbled the ball and the Beavers recovered the ball and now a chance to put this game away was in their hands.

The nail in the coffin for Oregon State was when Uiagalelei threw a pass to eligible receiver and DT Isaac Hodgins and now it was 49-32 Oregon State as Cal fans started to beat the traffic and head out the stadium.

The downfall wasn’t over for Cal as Mendoza attempted a throw, but was picked off by Jermod McCoy and at this point the game seemed over even though there were still ten minutes left on the clock. Oregon State even with a decisive lead was still pushing down the field just eating the clock down.

The Beavers walked away with a field goal and with two and a half minutes left, the Bears were fighting for pride as the clock ticked and ticked. Cal scored and executed on the two point conversion, but with a minute left, the game was in the bag. 

When the clock hit zero, the Bears fought, but the Beavers fought harder and the game ended with a 52-40 score and Oregon State walked away with a win. Cal shouldn’t be discouraged by this loss, because it showed them as a balanced team who can compete, just need some more elite players to match up against the big dogs.

Cal’s next game will be against Utah at Utah and the hopes for the Bears are a W.

Cal Holds Off Arizona State In A 24-21 Victory

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Cal Bears running back Jaydn Ott (1) gets through for a touchdown as all ASU Sun Devils linebacker Caleb McCullough (22) can do is just watch at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Sep 30, 2023 (@CalFootball photo)

Saturday, September 30th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Berkeley, CA – On a chilly, foggy day in Cal Memorial Stadium, the California Golden Bears against the Arizona State Sun Devils for Cal’s Pac 12 home opener. The Bears coming off a hard loss against Washington in their last game moved over the .500 mark (3-2) in the Pac 12 with a with a win over ASU 24-21 on Saturday. 

ASU started the game with the ball and after six plays the Devils were forced to punt and the Cal defense with one of the most underrated defenses in the Pac 12 showing early why they are so highly touted. The Bears’ first drive started with them immediately going to the air on five straight plays, but only connecting on two passes, forcing them to punt on their first drive.

The Bears are third in the conference in rushing yards, averaging 216.8 yards per game with their three backs having a combined 726 rushing yards through four games, so the idea of going run first to start this game seemed like an odd decision.

The Sun Devils offense for the second time couldn’t get out of the starting blocks as the Bears defense had them pinned three and out on their second drive. The first quarter looked like a defensive chess game, so whoever could get the offense going early seemingly would have the advantage. The second drive for Cal showed why they stick to their run game, especially with Jaydn Ott running the rock.

First two plays of the drive were back to back nine yard rushes for Ott, which then opened up the field for a pass to Jeremiah Hunter for 31 yards, then another 16 yard run for Cal. That slate of offense put them in the red zone where they would eventually score from a run by Isaiah Ifanse and an extra point, 7-0 Cal.

Seven plays going 68 yards and 2:58 of possession time, this was probably Cal’s most efficient offensive drive this season, led by Ott. The first big play for ASU was a pass from Trenton Bourguet to Melquan Stovall for 34 yards followed by a 12 yard pass to Gio Sanders that put the Devils within ten yards of the end zone.

The Devils were right at the line with 26 seconds left and a direct snap to Cam Skattegbo punched it in for a touchdown for ASU plus an extra point to tie this game at 7-7. The 13 play 75 yard drive for ASU was a great mix of offense, utilizing the pass and the run evenly to keep Cal’s defense on their toes.

The first quarter ended with the teams tied and their stats almost exactly the same. Biggest difference in the first quarter was time of possession where ASU held the ball for 10:20 and Cal held it for 4:40. 

The drive for Cal ended with them being forced to punt, but quarterback Sam Jackson V wasn’t stopping the drive without a fight almost literally, running the ball seven yards and taking a hit that flipped Jackson V and some words from the Devils defense and Jackson were exchanged. The Bears defense was relentless in their first drive of the second quarter, laying a brick wall on ASU and pinning them on their own five yard line and forcing a punt.

Back to back passes to the end zone by Jackson V were incomplete, but if you ask the Cal fan base both were clear pass interferences and they let the refs know it. When the drive went nowhere, Cal was forced to kick a field goal and Mateen Bhagani knocked it in the uprights to give the Bears the lead, 10-7.

ASU’s following drive was three plays, but stuffed a yard short and the Devils had to go for it on fourth down and with a little trickery, they ran a running back pass which was converted when Skattegbo completed it to Bourguet over the DB for a first down, but three downs later the drive would come to an end and Cal would get another chance at a score.

The Bears try a trick play themselves and it was the exact opposite for Cal as the play completely blew up in their face when attempting a flea flicker for a loss of 15 yards. Ott tried to make up some ground with a 21 yard run, but still had seven yards to go on fourth down with 1:37 to go in the half, so this forced them to punt.

The crowd was abrasively displeased as no intentional grounding was called and the Devils proceeded to march down the field from their own end zone with seconds left in the half. The first half would end with Devils QB Trenton Bourguet attempting to get one more pass off, but was blasted by Myles Jernigan that forced a fumble and it didn’t matter who recovered the half was over and Cal walked to the locker room with a 10-7 lead. 

The second half started with Cal having the ball and even though they had big plays, but penalties halted that progress and were forced to punt and that punt was beautiful and the punt team pinned the Devils on their own ten yard line.

Back against the wall, Arizona State utilizes the screen pass to get out of their own red zone and move the chains. The drive continued for ASU, but on fourth down on their 31 yard line and was stuffed by captain Jackson Sirmon and turnover on downs.

The following drive for Cal was Jackson V trying to make everything happen, on foot, in the air, it didn’t matter Jackson was trying to extend this lead and he did with a gorgeous pass to Hunter in the end zone and it was 17-7 Cal.

Arizona State’s next drive looked like it was going nowhere, but a desperation screen pass to Skattegbo goes 66 yards in the red zone and now the momentum gap has closed. In the red zone, Arizona State’s Bourguet and Skattegbo attempted three plays and were denied, then on fourth and goal a run by Elijah Badger effortlessly scored a touchdown for the Devils, but after further review the touchdown was called back for illegal substitution and ASU had to settle for a field goal making the score 17-10 Cal.

The next drive wasn’t much for Cal, so they were forced to punt and now the chance for Arizona State to tie it up was wide open. A 52 yard pass to Badger put the Devils back in the red zone, but they had to settle for another field goal after Cal locked them down again and even though ASU was winning the battle of yardage, the score was 17-13 Cal. When the clock hit zero in the third quarter, Cal had the lead and the ball and all of Cal Memorial Stadium on their feet. 

The final quarter was a chance to really silence the crowd for ASU, but they couldn’t capitalize and were forced to punt again. Four punts for ASU this game by this point, two field goals, one fumble, and one touchdown is the breakdown for them offensively, but Cal was still not taking them lightly.

The Cal defense jumped on Bourguet in ASU’s own red zone and Matthew Littlejohn picked him off. Bourguet was injured on the play and fortunately was able to walk off the field. Cal capitalized on the interception with a Ott rushing touchdown and now with 10:32 left in the fourth quarter, the game was being blown wide open, 24-13 Cal. ASU wasn’t done yet though, after a long kickoff return, and two straight long passes, the Devils were back in the red zone, looking to get their first touchdown since the first quarter and they did off a Bourguet run in the end zone.

Bourguet followed the touchdown up with a pass to Badger that converted the two point conversion and by this time it was 24-21 with 9:18 left in the fourth quarter. Cal utilized their running game to run the clock down.

Cal usually doesn’t get penalties that much, averaging five a game, but this game for Cal has them acquiring seven penalties. On the other hand for Cal they didn’t get many penalties called, but finally with three minutes left in the game a blatant pass interference call on the Devils gave the Bears red zone field position to potentially put the nail in the coffin.

Cal was stuffed in the red zone, giving ASU a major chance to go 100 yards for the comeback. In a last chance effort on fourth down, ASU gets denied and the game was over.

The next game for Cal will be in Berkeley against Oregon State on October 7th for another Pac 12 battle.

Huskies Destroy California Bears 59-35

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Cal Bears wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter (3) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Huskies in first half action at Huskies Stadium in Seattle on Sat Sep 23, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Eight Washington touchdowns handed the California Bears a 59-32 beat-down.

Saturday evening the California Bears (2-2) traveled up north to take on the Washington Huskies (4-0) and were handily defeated at Huskies Stadium in Seattle. The Bears tried to establish the run while Washington stopped the Cal run.

The #8 Huskies gave the Bears a run for their money. They had great offense and defense and Cal needed to pull out all the stops to have any chance against this power house.

In the blink of an eye the Huskies had taken a 14-0 lead. What is even crazier, the Huskies had not even made a single offensive play. The first touchdown came as a result of an interception. At 12:37 in the first quarter Edefuan Ulofoshio picked a Ben Finley pass taking it 45 yards for the first touchdown of the game and Washington led early 7-0.

Minutes later Washington’s Rome Odunze returned a punt for 83 yards and a second Huskie touchdown and a 14-0 lead. Cal saw some great play from the Huskies defense and special teams in the opening quarter but still had not seen the Washington offense.

When it had started to look like an empty first quarter for California, quarterback Ben Finley drove downfield connecting with Jeremiah Hunter for seven yards and Cal was on the scoreboard. Cal kicker Michael Luckhurst missed the extra point but the Bears had come away with a good drive.

Washington answered scoring another touchdown as Cal finally got to see their offense. Michael Penix Jr. found Ja’Lynn Polk for eight yards and their third touchdown taking a 21-6 lead. The Huskies had scored defensively, offensively and on special team in a well-rounded first quarter.

Washington finished off the quarter with a Grady Gross kick for 41 yards extending their lead 24-6. It had been a banner quarter for the Huskies and a play from behind quarter for Cal. The Huskies defense had given Cal all sorts of problem intercepting the ball twice in the first quarter.

In the second quarter Washington continued to run right through the Cal defense in the air and on the ground. In the early minutes of the quarter, Dillon Johnson rushed for three yards and another touchdown for the Huskies.

With a 31-6 lead Washington was running away with this game. Cal’s attempts to run the ball were denied by the Huskies forcing third down passing plays that came dangerously close to even more interceptions.

Bears quarterback Ben Finley continued to throw the ball and he put together another nice drive at 9:00 finding Taj Davis for 24 yards and Cal’s second touchdown of the game. The two-point conversion attempt failed and the Bears were looking at a 31-12 deficit. Too make things even more fun, the skies opened up and rain began to fall.

At 7:27 Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. made a rare mistake throwing an interception and Cal had the ball in Husky territory on the 37 yard line. The great play that California had made was erased when Washington intercepted the ball on the very next play. This was their third pick of the game.

Washington finished off the first half with not one but two more touchdown. At 4:08 Penix Jr. connected with Ja’Lynn Polk for a second time in this game, a 24 yard pass. With 44 seconds left on the clock Penix Jr. again found an open Rome Odunze for 35 yards and his second touch down of the game. The Huskies took a 45-12 lead into the locker room. California had been competitive in this game but it was the turnovers that left them in the dust.

Despite an extensive injury history which includes ACL and shoulder issues, Michael Penix Jr. continues to excel every time he takes the field. Both the offense and defense of Washington were making life pretty miserable for the Bears.

Both teams would score a single touchdown in the third quarter. Penix Jr. would tack on another 16 yards finding Rome Odunze in the end zone. Despite the 52-12 Husky lead, the Bears continued to fight scoring a rushing touchdown with 1:49 left on the clock. Going into the final quarter the Huskies led 52-19.

Cal would score early in the fourth quarter via a 20 yard pass from Sam Jackson V to Trond Grizzell. The extra point failed and the Bears had some issues with their kicking game. Washington extended their 52-25 lead when Sam Adams II rushed for nine yards and the Huskies had scored their eighth touchdown of the game leading 59-25.

You have to give the Bears a lot of credit fighting to the end scoring the final touchdown of the game. Ashton Stredick rushed for three yards in that last score. The final was 59-32. It sure would have been a much closer game had it not been for those turnovers.

Next Saturday the Bears will take on Arizona State at California Memorial Stadium Berkeley. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 PM.