Category: NCAA

Texas Southern took a historic pounce onto the Cal campus Sat Afternoon

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Texas Southern quarterback KJ Cooper was 19-35 for 137 yards with one touchdown against the Cal Bears at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley for week 1 in NCAA action on Sat Sep 6, 2025 (file photo by Texas Southern Tigers Football)

By Michael Roberson

BERKELEY, Calif. — The Texas Southern Tigers (0-2) made their first ever trip to the Bay Area, and Berkeley in particular; however they have been in California before. In 2008 they played Shaw University in Sacramento. The Tigers came, saw, but did not conquer the California Golden Bears (2-0) 35-3..

The Historically Black College/University, located in Houston, was a prohibitive underdogs (44.5); however, the Tigers clawed and fought the ACC sophomore Ursus Arctos Californicus during the first 15 minutes of the contest

“We have a very good team! Expressed TSU HC and former NFL DB Cris Dishman. “We can face anybody. If our guys play up to their capabilities, we can beat anybody.”

After the first quarter, Cal led the visitors from the Lone Star State 3-0, but the Tigers knew they were in the game and in position for a shocking upset victory. They also had to be cognizant that they let some opportunities get away from them. The Bears added another touchdown and a 2-point conversion to extend the slim lead to 11 by intermission, 11-0.

Halftime was a different story. Texas Southern’s highly acclaimed “Ocean of Soul” band put on a tremendous performance rarely seen west of the Mississippi River, or at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). During the mid game show, TSU had a zero on the scoreboard, grading the football team’s performance, but the band had to have received 10’s from the thousands of excited fans in Memorial stadium.

Not only is Texas Southern an HBCU, they are also a member of the legendary Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The 12-team conference has produced some of the greatest players and pioneers in football history.

Texas Southern’s most renowned alumnus, or football player, would be Emmy Award winning TV host, analyst and football hall of fame honoree, Michael Strahan. His 15-year NFL (NY Giants) career garnered him two Super Bowl victories and countless individual awards. For his his professional career, he was inducted into the HOF in 2014. For his days at TSU (1989-92) he also entered the College Football (2025) and Black College Football (2014) halls of fame. Strahan even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

A few other luminaries from the SWAC would include the incomparable Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State), Walter Payton (Jackson State), Doug Williams (Grambling State), Steve McNair (Alcorn State), and countless others from the gridiron.

Back to the second half of the game, this is when the heavy favorite started to open up the lead and continue the shutout. Cal scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter, changing the scoreboard change to 25-0 after 45 minutes of gametime.

In the final quadrant, Texas Southern got off of the “Goose Egg” with a 39-yard field goal, although the Golden Bears followed that score with anther touchdown of their own efforts. After 60 minutes of regulation Cal did not cover the spread with their 35-3 dominant victory, but did secure the home opening win and remained undefeated.

Despite the lopsided game result, Coach Dishman did find enjoyment during their trip to the Golden State. “It’s been great! I didn’t know we had that many California alums out here. They were at the hotel cheering us on to victory.” Stated Dishman. He also humbly and publicly apologized that the Tigers could not secure that victory for the TSU faithful.

Cougars cruise to 27-3 victory over the Cardinal

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BYU Cougars linebacker Jack Kelly (top) assists with the tackle on Stanford Cardinal running back Micah Ford (below) at Bringham Young University in Provo on Sat Sep 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025

Brigham Young shut Stanford out for three quarters Saturday, as the Cougars defeated the visiting Cardinal 27-3 in non-conference football at Provo, Utah.

The Cougars (2-0) outgained Stanford (0-2) 332 yards to 161 yards in total offense, and collected 18 first downs to the Cardinal’s 12.

BYU opened the scoring with 3:25 left in the first quarter on a three yard touchdown run by Bear Bachmeier. Will Ferrin booted field goals of 36 and 30 yards out in the second quarter. The Cougars added a safety with 5:14 left in the half, and BYU took a 20-0 lead into halftime.

Ferrin kicked a 21-yard field goal with 8:56 remaining in the third quarter, and just over five minutes later, Stone Moa ran in from eight yards out, boosting BYU’s lead to 24-0 after three periods.

Stanford got on the board hen Emmet Kenney kicked a 26 yard field goal with 10:31 to play in the fourth quarter. Ferrin added his fourth field goal of the night, this one from 23 yards to complete the scoring with 6:33 remaining.

LJ Martin was the Cougars’ leading ground gainer, with 110 rushing yards on 18 attempts. Bachmeier completed 17 of 27 passes for 175 yards and no interceptions. Chase Roberts caught five passes for 84 yards.

Ben Gulbranson completed 17 of 32 passes for 142 yards for the Cardinal, but was picked off twice. Micah Ford ran for 21 yards on 12 attempts and Tuna Altahir gained 20 yards on six carries. Bryce Farrell caught five passes for 68 yards and CJ Williams made four receptions for 31 yards.

Next Saturday, the Cardinal’s home opener is an Atlantic Coast Conference contest with Boston College at The Farm.  Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m

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

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By Morris Phillips

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cal Bears podcast Morris Phillips: Sagapoulutele shakes off nerves in first game against Oregon State

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Cal Bears quarterback Jaron Keawe Sagapoulutele (3) under center took the Bears to victory in their first week of the NCAA season against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium on Sat Aug 31, 2025 (Cal Bears photo)

Cal Bears podcast Morris Phillips:

#1 Morris talk about Cal Bears quarterback Jaron Keawe Sagapoulutele threw 20-30 passes for 234 yards for three touchdowns against the Oregon State Beavers in a 34-15 win.

#2 Cal held the lead throughout the entire game which also is a testimony of the good works of their defense.

#3 Sagapoulutele said that he had some nerves going into the game and wasn’t really nervous about making any mistakes.

#4 Sagapoulutele said that he was really anxious about getting out there and having his brothers watching and being able to play against a good team like the Beavers.

#5 Upcoming game this Sat Sep 6 week 2 as the Bears host Texas Southern I know you’ll be on hand for that one clue us in on what to expect.

Morris Phillips is a Cal Bears beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast Morris Phillips: GM Rivera says hopes to win with limited resources

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Cal Bears general manager Ron Rivera is starting his first year and says the team has limited resources but hopes to win (AP News photo)

Cal Bears podcast Morris Phillips:

#1 Morris, just wanted to talk to you about Cal Bears general manager Ron Rivera who joins the Bears after playing and coaching in the NFL for decades.

#2 Rivera said that the Bears are at a point where things could go either way. Rivera wants to move the team forward and that Cal has limited resources. Rivera said that the biggest thing is the investment in the soul of the team and that it’s about the time not the dollars.

#3 Rivera in the NFL had won a Super Bowl as a player and two NFL Coach of the Year awards. This GM job at Cal might be even tougher than his work in the NFL at his former alma mater at Cal.

#4 Cal head coach Justin Wilcox that the guys have put in a lot of work in the off season and through fall camp and now and that it’s time to play. The Bears aren’t perfect yet and expects to be better and better but it’s time to go compete against somebody.

#5 Cal opens up against their old Pac 12 team opponents the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is Cal’s starting quarterback he’ll face the Beavers defense and is hoping to find some open receivers.

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

Stanford Cardinal podcast Michael Roberson: Gulbranson kept Cardinal in game but Hawaii’s kicker Matsuzawa’s 3 FGs were the difference

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Aug 23, 2025; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ben Gulbranson (15) makes a pass against Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during the second half at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images / Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

Stanford Cardinal podcast Michael Roberson:

#1 Frank Reich is the interim coach for the Stanford Cardinal will a few wins take the interim name off and would Stanford consider Reich as head coach if things work out this season?

#2 Stanford Cardinal general manager Andrew Luck is in charge of getting the Cardinal in gear and he’ll be working closely with Reich.

#3 Taking a look at Stanford’s first game in Honolulu against the University of Hawaii the Cardinal came within an eyelash of winning that game last Saturday but the Rainbow Warriors got a field goal from kicker a 38-yard field goal by Kansei Matsuzawa, his third of the game with three seconds left to win it 23-20.

#4 In spite of the loss the Cardinal got good offensive production from quarterback Ben Gulbranson who threw 15-30, 109 yards, and one interception no touchdown passes but kept the Cardinal in the game.

#5 It’s off to BYU and the Cougars as it will the second game of the season for BYU they host Portland State this Sat Aug 30th in Provo. The Cardinal came close and really want to get that first win can they do it against this BYU team Saturday?

Join Michael Roberson for Stanford Cardinal podcasts weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Hawaii’s last-second field goal sinks Cardinal 23-20

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Stanford Cardinal running back Micah Ford (25) takes the ball downfield against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu on Sat Aug 23, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, August. 23, 2025

A 38-yard field goal by Kansei Matsuzawa, his third of the game with three seconds left in the fourth quarter, gave Hawaii a 23-20 non-conference football victory over Stanford Saturday night in Honolulu.

Two minutes earlier, Matsuzawa kicked a 37-yard field goal to tie the game at 20-20. He also made a 40-yard field goal with 6:25 remaining in the third quarter that put Hawaii up 17-13.

Stanford (0-1) opened the scoring with Emmet Kenney’s 23-yard field goal with 7:14 left in the first quarter. The Cardinal extended its lead to 1`0-0 six seconds later when Wilfredo Aybar returned a fumbled kickoff return eight yards for a touchdown.

The Rainbow Warriors (1-0) found the end zone with 2:19 left in the first quarter on a 3-yard scoring pass from Micah Alejado to Pofele Ashlock.

Kenney’s 46-yard field goal at 3:39 of the second quarter put the Cardinal up 13-7. But Hawaii took its first lead at 14-13 on Alejandro’s 19-yard TD pass to former Cardinal Jackson Harris with 42 seconds remaining in the first half.

Stanford took its last lead at 20-17 with 9:41 to play in the fourth quarter on Micah Ford’s 2-yard touchdown run. The Rainbow Warriors’ final scoring drive covered 52 yards on nine plays in one minute, 33 seconds.

Alejado completed 27 of 39 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. Cam Barfield was Hawaii’s top rusher with 45 yards on six carries.

Cardinal quarterback Ben Gulbranson was 15 of 30 for 109 yards with one interception. His top targets were CJ Williams and Sam Roush with three catches each. Ford led all ballcarriers with 113 yards on 26 attempts.

Hawaii outgained the Cardinal 306 total yards to 286, though Stanford had a 21-20 edge win first downs.

The Cardinal play again in two weeks, when Stanford travels to Provo, Utah, to face Brigham Young on Sept. 8. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Pacific.

Stanford Cardinal podcast Michael Roberson: Cardinal reach the end of their rope with Taylor; Coach is fired after investigations and accusations

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Stanford Cardinal head coach Troy Taylor (white hat) was fired Tue Mar 25, 2025 after numerous accusations of bullying and belittling female staff members ( AP News photo)

Stanford Cardinal podcast Michael Roberson:

#1 Stanford Cardinal general manager Andrew Luck said in a statement on Tuesday that there had been significant attention to football coach Troy Taylor and investigations regarding the coaches behavior with female athletic staffers and said that the Stanford program needs a reset.

#2 Stanford arrived at this decision based on multiple investigations and complaints from various Stanford employees and those who identify as women.

#3 The Stanford statement went onto say Taylor reportedly bullied and belittled female athletic staffers and sought to have an NCAA compliance officer removed after she warned him of rules violations and repeatedly made “inappropriate” comments to another about her appearance, according to documents from a pair of investigations obtained by ESPN.

Michael Roberson is a Stanford Cardinal beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal Blinded by the Golden Flashes 77-75; Raynaud’s Final Double-Double

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Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) takes aim at the basket against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sun Mar 23, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (21-14) were unable to control the Kent State Golden Flashes (24-11) 77-75, and ended their run in the 2025 National Invitation Tournament.

Stanford took the lead early in the contest on a three by Oziyah Sellers. That three point advantage turned out to be their largest of the entire game. Kent State also posted their largest lead (13) of the game in the first half.

The Golden Flashes used a 12-0 run to get their double-digit lead, the Cardinal had an 11-0 run to try to stay close by halftime.. Kent State shot 46% from the field in the initial 20-minute stanza, while Stanford was held to 40%. Both squads shot approximately 39% from beyond the arc.

The Cardinal managed to trim their deficit to single figures (9) by halftime, 43-34 and actively made another run at the lead in the second half. There were three lead changes and one tie before recess.

Jaylen Blakes led the Cardinal in scoring (10) at the midway point of the tourney battle. Jalen Sullinger topped the Golden Flashes with 20 points.

Oziyah Sellers started the second half as he did in the first, with an immediate basket. His layup cut the margin to seven, and the Maples’ faithful were getting excited. Less than five minutes into the final half, Stanford had regained the lead on a left-handed hook by Raynaud The second half produced four more lead changes and an additional tie.

The home team unknowingly was in a prime position to have an upper hand in advancing in the NIT. During the scuffle on the Farm, the #1 seeded San Francisco Dons were losing on the top of the peninsula. That loss put the second ranked Cardinal as the top seed, and guaranteed another home game at Maples. That was contingent on taking care of the task at hand, beating their opponent from Ohio.

Try as they would, with multiple comeback attempts, the Golden Flashes were able to sustain their advantage and knock down the mighty Maples tree and end the home court heroics of the Cardinal. When the final buzzer sounded, after 40 minutes of intense basketball action, Stanford’s season came to an abrupt halt, while Kent State would advance to the third round.

The Golden Flashes won by two, 77-75, and ended two great careers who proudly wore the Cardinal uniform. Although Jaylen Blakes only played one year on the Farm, he cherished his brief time at the university. He finished his last game with 23 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Maxime Raynaud ended his career high on multiple historic lists, including double-doubles, in which he appropriately did on his final game in the pavilion (22 points and 10 rebounds) and blocked 4 shots for good measure

Chisom Okpara offered 13 points and 5 rebounds, while the heir-apparent, Oziyah Sellers delivered 11 points and 6 rebounds. Two players who should have larger roles in 2025-26.

Returning walk-on, Jalen Sullinger led all players with 34 points, but he also added to his impressive stat line, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Teammate Delrecco Gilespe also produced his own double-double (14 points and 10 rebounds), and VonCameron Davis chipped in 12 points.

The Cardinal will begin their offseason, gearing up for 25-26, while Kent State will be heading to Chicago to take on Loyola – Chicago in Third Round NIT action next week. Gametime will be announce at a later date

Mississippi State’s Suffocating Defense Disrupts Cal Women In 59-46 Season-Ending Loss

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By Morris Phillips

After a first quarter teeming with missed shots, the Cal women unfortunately found additional competition for the attention of their ESPN television audience.

Needless to say, that wasn’t part of the gameplan.

Meanwhile, Mississippi State’s gameplan was on point with Bulldogs locked onto Cal’s shooters for the entirety of the game.

“We probably went through 15 games. That’s how detailed we were,” MSU’s coach Sam Purcell said. “The only thing I think we were missing is their social security numbers. We knew tendencies, which way they wanted to go. It was just really cool how my young women were dialed in and willing to accept the information, but then most importantly apply it.”

Attention to detail allowed Mississippi State to limit Cal to 25 percent shooting for the game including no made shots in the game’s first six minutes. With that success, MSU rolled to a 59-46 win, unceremoniously ending Cal’s season in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64.

Cal’s 25 percent shooting was a season-worst by a significant margin. Combined with 24 turnovers, the higher-seeded Bears offensive end of the floor was transformed into a pit of quicksand in which their postseason aspirations disappeared. After three quarters the Bears trailed 41-29 and weren’t able to get closer than a 12-point deficit at any point in the fourth.

“Their athleticism and their pressure forced us outside of our comfort zone, and we didn’t respond fast enough,” coach Charmin Smith said.

“In the second half, we were able to get Michelle in the mix a little bit, and that loosens things up for us. It was just too little, too late and definitely credit to Mississippi State.”

The Bears were one of eight NCAA qualifiers from the ACC, and along with Georgia Tech, the only ones to lose their initial NCAA Tournament game. The Bulldogs were the lowest-seeded of the 10 SEC qualifiers, but they showed greater poise early on and carried it for 40 minutes.

Michelle Onyiah led Cal with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Lulu Twidale added 13. Madina Okot and Eniya Russell each scored 14 points for the Bulldogs.

The Bears finished the season at 25-9, the best season they’ve enjoyed in six seasons with Smith at the helm. Cal loses four of its starters and will look to create a better balanced offensive attack with additional ball handlers for next year.

“Having Lulu, having the transfers come in, having the team — really special, obviously, 16-1 at home, beating Stanford twice, going to ACC, new conference,” Onyiah said. “Playing really well in the ACC. Going to new schools. Going to East Coast. Like all the adversity we have at Cal, like, we did really well. Being the No. 1 school in the nation. We did really well for what we do, honestly.”

With Cal faltering and MSU’s shooting just a tick better than Cal’s, the ESPN broadcast leaned heavily on Juju Watch. Juju Watkins, USC’s singular All-American didn’t sign many autographs after the Trojans zipped past UNC Greensboro in the day’s first game. Instead, she spoke in confidence with her mom then relocated conveniently behind the broadcasters at midcourt for a friendly conversation with Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Feel good television and poor Cal basketball found a mix.