Category: NCAA

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

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By Morris Phillips

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cal Bears podcast Stephen Ruderman: Cal runs away with another win defeats Sac State at Haas

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Cal Bears forward Chris Bell (22) throws down against the Sacramento State Hornets at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Fri Nov 21, 2025 (Cal Bears MBB X photo)

Cal Bears podcast Stephen Ruderman:

#1 The Cal Bears (5-1) ran away with this one Friday night at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley defeating the Sacramento State Hornets (3-4) 91-67. The Bears in the first half had a 47-33 lead coming away the half.

#2 The Bears got lots of offense Friday night with four players finishing in double figures, Chris Bell 21, Justin Pippin 16, and Dai Dai Ames 16 points and John Camden 14.

#3 The Bears controlled the boards, the paint, the passing game and held the Hornets in check stopping any kind of come back.

#4 The Hornets were just froze out in the second half at one point the Bears had a 20 point lead on them in the second half. The Bears scoring leader from Tuesday night John Camden was the last Bear to get into double figures.

#5 It’s off to Chase Center in San Francisco and the UCLA Bruins on Tue Nov 25th. The two former Pac 12 teams will tip off at 7:00pm. The Bruins have won five of their last six games and have won three of their last five games.

Stephen Ruderman is a Cal Bears basketball beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Chris Bell scores 21 in 91-67 Cal route of Sac State

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Taking a jump shot the Cal Bears Dai Dai Ames (7) against the visiting Sacramento State Hornets at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Fri Nov 21, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

Friday, Nov. 21, 2025

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Sacramento State Hornets 67 (3-4)

California Golden Bears 91 (5-1)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–Chris Bell had a big night with 21 points, and the Bears obliterated the Sacramento State Hornets 91-66

The Hornets made the trek from just up the road in Sacramento for this one. Despite the fact that the Hornets are in the lesser-known Big Sky Conference, there are some big names surrounding that team.

Former NBA point guard Mike Bibby became the team’s head coach during the spring. Bibby then brought in Hall-of-Famer—and former rival from their Kings v Lakers days—Shaquielle O’Neal to be the team’s general manager. Shaq’s son, Shaqir O’Neal, committed to play at Sac State, and played Friday night.

The fact that the Bears were playing another lesser-known team was no guarantee. In fact, Cal had to fight their way to a 67-57 win over the Presbyterian Blue Hose on Tuesday.

No one scored in the first minute of the game, but Dai Dai Ames hit a three to open the scoring for the Bears. Then, we suddenly had a lot of action. In fact, it looked like we were going to have a hard-fought struggle on our hands, as O’Neal hit a three to give the Hornets a 12-8 lead.

John Camden hit a three to put the Bears back ahead. Chris Bell then scored two with a dunk, and hit a three to open Cal’s lead to 18-12.

While the Hornets gave the impression that this would be a close one, this one would turn out to be all Bears. The Bears had opened up a 23 point lead—43-20—with 5:09 remaining in the first half.

To give the Hornets’ credit, they kept fighting. Sac State went on a 13-4 run to close the gap to 47-33 at the half.

John Camden hit a three to start the second half, and Lee Dort followed that up with a dunk. Mark Lavrenov was fouled, and hit two from the line to get two points for Sac State. However, Camden and Dore shined in the early minutes of the second half to put the game away. The Bears had their 23-point lead back—58-35—just under three minutes into the second half.

The Bears eventually expanded their lead to 34—81-47—with 8:59 to go. From there, I guess the Bears were a bit nice, as the Hornets did close out the game with a 20-10 run to make it a 91-67 final for just a measly 24-point win for the Bears.

Though, you could say there was some drama at the end of the game. Mantas Kocanas was holding the ball for the Bears in the final seconds, and two Hornets were trying to steal it from him. After getting tired of it, Kocanas just threw the ball off the legs of Taj Glover, and Kocanas got hit with a tech. I have no clue if it was serious or playful, but nothing came out of it, and Glover hit both shots from the line.

It was Chris Bell’s night. In addition to his 21 points, Bell was 7-for-11 in field goals. Dai Dai Ames and Justin Pippen both scored 16. John Camden, who scored 20 points in Cal’s win against Presbyterian on Tuesday, scored 14 Friday night.

The Bears have once again taken advantage of non-conference play to get off to a 5-1 start for the second-straight year.

However, things will be a bit tougher for the Bears, as they will take on their old Pac-12 rivals, the 19th-ranked UCLA Bruins, across the bay at the Chase Center in San Francisco next Tuesday night. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m.

Big Game/Cal Bears podcast Morris Phillips: Can Bears Sagapolutele command the offense against Stanford?

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Cal Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele makes a pass against the Louisville Cardinal at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville on Sat Nov 8, 2025 (AP News photo)

Cal Bears podcast Morris Phillips:

#1 How critical will freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele be in this matchup, and can he command the offense under Big Game pressure?

#2 Which Cal running back — Kendrick Raphael or LJ Johnson Jr. — is best suited to exploit Stanford’s run defense, and how might their usage shape the game plan?

#3 Can Cal’s passing attack, featuring Jacob De Jesus and Trond Grizzell, generate enough big plays to stretch Stanford’s defense?

#4 On defense, how will linebacker Cade Uluave’s leadership and production factor into Cal’s ability to slow down Stanford’s offense?

#5 What impact could ball-hawking defensive back Hezekiah Masses have on the game, and how might his presence influence Cal’s secondary strategy.

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

Camden scores 20 in surprisingly-close 67-57 Cal win over Presbyterian

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Cal Bears forward John Camden (2) can make baskets with his eyes closed against the Presbyterian Blue Hose at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Tue Nov 18, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2025

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Presbyterian Blue Hose 57 (3-4)

California Golden Bears 67 (4-1)

By Stephen Ruderman

John Camden led the way with a 20-point night, as the Bears returned home for a surprisingly-close 67-57 win over the Presbyterian Blue Hose.

The Bears nearly pulled off an impossible comeback their last time out in Manhattan, Kansas last Thursday. However, they took one on the chin, 99-96 to the Kansas State Wild Cats, for their first loss of the season.

As the Bears got underway tonight back home in Berkeley, they took on the lesser-known Presbyterian Blue Hose from Clinton, South Carolina. That did not mean that this would be an easy time for the Bears.

Cal had a hard time pulling away in the first half. Chris Dort made a layup to make it 27-20 with 4:49 to go until halftime, and the Bears finally appeared to have established a lead. However, the Blue Hose clawed back with a 9-2 to run to tie the game at 29-29 with 48 seconds to go. Fortunately, Milos Ilic made a layup, and Cal went into the half with a 31-29 lead.

Things remained close at the beginning of the second half, and Presbyterian even took a pair of leads. In fact, Carl Parrish hit a three to give the Blue Hose a 44-43 with 12:17 left to go.

The Bears were staring down the barrel at a potential loss to the type of lesser-known team they are supposed to clobber. Perhaps that sent a burst of energy into the Bears, as Dai Dai Ames and John Camden hit threes to put Cal back ahead, 49-44.

From there, the Bears mostly had control of the game, though a jumper by Jonah Pierce allowed the Blue Hose to cut Cal’s lead to 53-51 with 6:13 left. The Bears then regained a rather-comfortable lead, and they were ultimately able to win it by 10 at 67-57.

In addition to Camden’s 20-point night, Lee Dort scored 15, and Chris Bell followed with 14.

The Bears are now 4-1 on the season.

Cal will take on the Sacramento State Hornets here at Hoss on Friday night. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m.

Las Vegas Raiders podcast Tony Renteria: Raiders need to focus on both ball sides of the ball as Cleveland comes calling Sunday

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Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) heads to the locker room after the loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football Nov 18, 2025 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas (AP News photo)

Las Vegas Raiders podcast Tony Renteria:

#1 Tony another rough one for the Las Vegas Raiders (2-8) on their homefield losing to the visiting Dallas Cowboys (4-5-1) on Monday Night Football. It was a real “Turn out the lights the party is over” as the Raiders were clobbered 33-16 at Allegiant Stadium.

#2 Raiders quarterback Geno Smith tried to get some passing yards going but Dallas just broke through the Las Vegas offensive line and scored a whopping 21 points in the second quarter.

#3 For Smith 27-42, 238 yards, one touchdown and one interception. No doubt on trying to get anything going it was a frustrating evening for Smith in another loss chalked up by the Raiders.

#4 The Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott pretty much had command and got some time to throw the football going 25-33, 268 yards, and four touchdowns.

#5 Raiders try to pick up the pieces and go at it again next Sun Nov 23 against the Cleveland Browns (2-8) who are having their own problems having lost their last three games in a row. How do you see this match up this coming Sunday at Allegiant with Cleveland?

Join Tony Renteria after every Raiders home and away game at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State Basketball dominates Bethesda in their home opener 110-56

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San Jose Spartans Japhet Moupadele (21) gets the throw down against the Bethesda University Flames at Provident Credit Union Arena in San Jose on Mon Nov 17, 2025 (SJSU Spartans photo)

By Ryan Hannagan and Lincoln Juarez

San Jose, Calif–The Spartans (1-3) buried the Flames (0-4) under a relentless first half surge, turning an early 9-8 deficit into a 15-0 run that broke the game open and came away with a 110-56 victory at Provident Credit Union Arena. San Jose State led 54-24 at the break and never let up in a wire to wire blowout.

SJSU guard Colby Garland scored a team high 17 points, and Roseborough added 12, all in the first half to pace the Spartans’ balanced offense. Camron Durr led Bethesda with 11 points.

San Jose State dominated nearly every statistical category. The Spartans shot 65% from the field (43 of 66) and 52% from 3 point range (12 of 23), while holding Bethesda to 30% shooting overall. SJSU outrebounded the Flames 55-18 and outscored them 60-18 in the paint.

The only brief scare for SJSU came early in the second half, when Garland went down awkwardly after a collision under the basket. He returned quickly and said afterward the issue wasn’t serious.

“Oh I’m actually feeling pretty good,” Garland told Sports Radio Service. “…I injured this ankle early in preseason, so it’s been lingering. It tightened up a bit, but I went to the back, got a few massages and went right back out there. I feel good.”

San Jose State opened the game hitting shots at a high clip but struggled with turnovers early. Once the Spartans cleaned up their possessions, the offense exploded behind strong ball movement and physical interior play. Bethesda briefly slowed the run with a 3 pointer midway through the half, but the Spartans controlled the rest of the night.

SJSU’s starters combined for 64 points, including strong showings from Jermaine Washington and Yaphet Moundi, who opened the second half with a 3 pointer to extend the margin.

With the win, SJSU is now 1-3, while Bethesda falls to 0-4.

San Jose State returns to action later this week looking to build on its first victory of the season.

Stanford Cardinal podcast Daniel Dullum: Cardinal preparing to host Big Game with Cal Saturday

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The Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Caden High (0) leaps for a catch against the UNC Tar Heels defensive lineman Will Hardy (31) at Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill NC on Sat Nov 8, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel:

#1 How critical will Stanford quarterback Elijah Brown’s performance be for Stanford’s chances, given his experience and passing production so far this season?

#2 Running back Micah Ford has been a key contributor in Stanford’s ground game. How effectively can Cal defend him, and what would be the impact if Ford has a big game?

#3 Wide receiver CJ Williams has been Stanford’s top receiving target. In what ways could he exploit Cal’s secondary, and how might his presence influence the game plan?

#4 On defense, Matt Rose (ILB) has led Stanford in tackles. How important is his role in stopping Cal’s offense, particularly on third downs and in open-field situations?

#5 Which of Stanford’s other playmakers — for example, Tuna Altahir (RB) or Ben Gulbranson (backup QB) — could make a decisive impact, and under what game scenarios might they be most effective?

Daniel Dullum does the Stanford Cardinal podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Big Game/Cal Bears podcast Morris Phillips: Can Sagapolutele continue his 200 plus passing average against Stanford

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Cal quarterback Jaron‑Keawe Sagapolutele (3) makes a pass against the Louisville Cardinals at L&N Federal Credit Union in Louisville on Sat Nov 8, 2025 (AP News photo)

Cal Bears podcast Morris Phillips:

#1 How will freshman quarterback Jaron‑Keawe Sagapolutele perform against Stanford’s pass rush, and can he continue his streak of 200-plus passing yards?

#2 Running back Kendrick Raphael has shown he can break 100 rushing yards in a game — how important will the run game be for Cal in this matchup?

#3 With linebacker Cade Uluave leading Cal’s defense, how well can the Bears contain Stanford’s offensive tempo and explosive plays?

#4 Who will step up among Cal’s receivers for Sagapolutele — can someone emerge beyond the expected targets to challenge Stanford’s secondary?

#5 Given Stanford’s home-field advantage and rivalry intensity, can Cal maintain composure in key moments and convert critical situations (third downs / turnovers) into game-changing plays?

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

Big Game/Stanford Cardinal podcast Michael Roberson: Can Brown get the drop on Cal’s defense at Stanford Sat Nov 22?

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Stanford Cardinal quarterback Elijah Brown (2) is hit from behind and forced a fumble by UNC Tar Heels linebacker Andrew Simpson (2) in the first half at Chapel Hill NC on Sat Nov 8, 2025 (Press Democrat photo)

Big Game/Stanford podcast Michael Roberson:

#1 With Elijah Brown now installed as Stanford’s starting quarterback, how will he manage the pressure of the rivalry game, and can he avoid mistakes while pushing the offense forward?

#2 How critical will the running back tandem featuring Tuna Altahir and Micah Ford be in establishing the ground game and controlling tempo against Cal’s front seven?

#3 On the receiving side, can CJ Williams step up as a reliable down-field threat for Stanford’s offense and exploit mismatches in Cal’s secondary?

#4 Defensively, with the departure of star pass rusher David Bailey, how will Stanford’s front seven adjust? Will emerging players fill the void and maintain pressure on Cal’s quarterback?

#5 Stanford has several young or less experienced players stepping into larger roles — how will that youth (especially at key positions) affect their execution in high-leverage situations (third down, red zone) against a rivalry opponent?

Michael Roberson does the Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com