Sacramento Kings game wrap: Spurs Wembanyama’s triple double helps do in Kings 127-125

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San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) takes a shot against the Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) and forward Domantas Sabonis (11) in second half action at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sun Dec 1, 2024

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Sunday night. They were coming off their most recent game, a blowout loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. It was a real gut-check loss for the Kings, who fell further below the .500 mark. On Sunday night, the Kings welcomed the San Antonio Spurs to Golden 1 Center, with tip-off set for 6 PM PST. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Sacramento Kings 127-125 as the Kings fell to 9-12 on the season.

Mike Brown made a pre-game change to the starting lineup, electing to go with Malik Monk. It was the first time Monk had started a game during his time in Sacramento.

In the first quarter, the Malik Monk spark appeared to pay off. The Kings exploded for a 42-point quarter, while the Spurs managed only 28 points. It was a breath of fresh air for a Kings offense that had struggled to score recently. However, their perimeter defense continued to be a concern.

In the second quarter, the Kings’ performance dipped. They became sloppier with the ball, committing four turnovers. The offense managed just 23 points, while the Spurs put up 30. All in all, it was still a decent quarter for the Kings, who aimed to maintain their solid shooting in the second half. At halftime, the Kings led the Spurs 65-58. DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 18 points in the first half, while Victor Wembanyama paced the Spurs with 16 points.

In the third quarter, the Kings struggled to find their rhythm against the Spurs. They managed to hold on to a five-point lead but were clearly losing the sharp edge they’d built early in the game. The Spurs outscored the Kings 34-32 in the quarter, narrowing the gap. Heading into the final quarter, the Kings led 97-92.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings surrendered their lead. With the game tied at 111 and 4:50 remaining, the Kings desperately needed a win. For the rest of the quarter, the Kings fought hard but ultimately came up short. They were outscored 35-28 in the fourth quarter, losing to the Spurs 127-125. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs to victory with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. DeMar DeRozan led the Kings in defeat with 28 points.

Postgame, Malik Monk spoke about what is holding the Kings back. Malik said, “It’s attention to detail… we have to be better on the little things… we will figure it out.” Mike Brown echoed similar sentiments when he addressed the media. He appeared pleased with the addition of Malik Monk to the starting lineup and noted that it would continue for the foreseeable future.

Up Next: The Sacramento Kings will remain at home to face the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. The Rockets enter the game with a 14-6 record, sitting in second place in the Western Conference.

Buffalo Winter Blast Whips San Francisco 35-10; Bills clinch AFC East in win

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen dives in the end zone to score against the San Francisco 49ers in the second half at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park NY on Sun Dec 1, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Sunday Night Football saw a Buffalo Bills team that has all the weapons that could possibly take them deep into the playoffs. The San Francisco 49ers fought hard but the miserable conditions that are foreign to the team put them behind the eight ball from the start of the game. They did score first in this game, a field goal followed by a touchdown in the third quarter but that would be all they could muster losing the game 35-10. The Bills for the fifth consecutive season have clinched their division.

Game recap: San Francisco was first up on the scoreboard. They drove deep into Buffalo territory but had to settle for a field goal. Jake Moody kicked a short 33 yard field goal for a 3-0 49er lead.

Even the shortest of field goals becomes a challenge with Sunday night’s weather conditions. With three seconds left on the clock in the first quarter, Buffalo scored the first touchdown of the game taking a 7-3 lead.

The Bills Ray Davis rushed for five yards and the score. The Tyler Bass point after kick was good and Buffalo took a 7-3 lead going into the second quarter. Following that first touchdown a barrage of snowballs were cascading down on the field from the stands.

At 8:38 in the second quarter the Bills struck again showcasing their running game. Buffalo was tearing the San Francisco defense apart running roughshod all over them. The Bills comfort level under these conditions became apparent scoring a 65 yard rushing touchdown and taking a 14-3 lead.

The Bills are used to these kind of conditions so traction was not posing too much of a problem for them. The 49ers on the other hand were slipping and sliding all over the place on both sides of the ball. With 41 ticks left on the clock the Bills scored their third touchdown of the day.

Buffalo had scored on three consecutive drives; this one a Josh Allen pass connecting with Mack Hollins for seven yards and a 21-3 Buffalo lead. With four seconds left in the half San Francisco’s Jake Moody attempted a 55 yard field goal which fell short and at the half the Bills had a 21-3 lead.

The snow got even heavier as the second half got underway. The conditions proved to be a challenge for Buffalo at times and San Francisco most of the time. The Bills extended their lead at 5:58 in the third quarter. Amari Cooper caught a Josh Allen pass and lateraled it to Allen who scampered for seven yards and their fourth touchdown of the game.

With a 28-3 lead, the Bills were rolling. With under three minutes left in the quarter San Francisco’s Isaac Guerendo rushed for 15 yards for the Niners first touchdown of the game. After three quarters of football the Bills were leading 28-10.

The Bills scored a fifth touchdown to start off the fourth quarter. Quarterback Josh Allen scampered for eight yards extending Buffalo’s lead 35-10. The Bills had taken control of this game from the start and the 49ers couldn’t do much about it.

San Francisco had fumbled three times in the game, losing all three and despite ten minutes left in the game, this contest was a done deal. The San Francisco bench looked completely miserable, deflated and more than ready to board the plane home to sunny California. The final was 35-10.

San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy finished the game 11 of 18 for 94 yards and no interceptions. He was sacked twice. The team rushed for 153 yards with Jordan Mason leading the way with 78 yards. Jauan Jennings received for 56 yards. Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel and Kyle Juszczyk all had fumbles in this game.

The Bills quarterback Josh Allen passed for 148 yards and two touchdown, he rushed for another touchdown and received for a third. He had one amazing game. The Bills rushed for 220 yards with James Cook the leader with 107 yards. The Buffalo ground game was a huge factor in their win. They also had 152 receiving yards.

Game notes: On Sunday Night Football the 49ers took on the Bills at Highmark Stadium. The weather report for Sunday night favored the Bills with snow flurries during game time. The PA system was joyfully playing “Let It Snow” as the game got underway.

Cold weather games do not favor a lot of teams with San Francisco being one of them. Dealing with conditions like this put another layer of game planning in play. With their record under .500 the 49ers lost this game and faced a team like Buffalo coupled with miserable playing conditions was a huge challenge. Slippery conditions injury posedan enormous threat. A lot of credit to the Buffalo fans who weathered the snow storm to root their team on. They are the epitome of the true football fan

San Francisco will put this game behind them as they prepare for a game with the Chicago Bears next Sunday. Their last two games, Green Bay and Buffalo, had turned into a couple of train wrecks. The team will appreciate the balmy 63 degree weather that is predicted for next Sunday’s game. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:25 PM PST at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara.

A’s relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: A’s to present four letters showing they have financing for $1.5 billion Vegas ball park Thursday

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Artists rendering of Athletics Armadillo ballpark at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana in Las Vegas which is scheduled for completion for April 2028 (from artist A’s rendering)

Sacramento A’s relocation podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, the A’s are making a presentation at the Las Vegas Stadium Authority on the due date Thu Dec 5th when they are supposed to come up with their share of construction costs at the tune of $1.5 billion. The A’s will present four letters showing they have the financing available.

#2 This meeting is a big step for the A’s relocation process in their move to Las Vegas this will be the A’s fourth meeting with the Stadium Authority and noted the most important to date.

#3 Amongst the discussions are how the stadium will be constructed, how many years the team will be committed to the park, and what happens if the A’s want to get out of their deal before the 30 years runs out.

#4 The ballpark plans have the A’s constructing their stadium on nine acres of the 35 acre Tropicana on the Las Vegas strip located at the one of the busiest intersections in the world.

#5 The Stadium Authority will reviewing the documents to decide if they can move forward with the project what they will be looking forward as stated, “adequate financial security for the performance of the financial obligations of a developer partner (A’s) for the development and construction of the Major League Baseball stadium project.”

Join Daniel Dullum for the A’s Relocation podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: Bucks thrilled to get Giannis back in line up; Hornets Ball to sit out 2 weeks with calf strain; plus more NBA news

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Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Anteokounmpo 24 is even thrilled to be back in the line up against the Charlotte Hornets on Sat Nov 30, 2024 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee (AP News photo)

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Milwaukee Bucks had to thrilled getting Giannis Anteokounmpo back after suffering a swelled up left knee. Anteokounmpo returned for the game against the Washington Wizards in Milwaukee. Anteokounmpo sat out of Tuesday’s game against the Miami Heat for the NBA Cup win 106-103.

#2 The Charlotte Hornets LeMelo Ball will sit out of action for at least two weeks with a calf strain. Ball was injured in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night in a loss against the Miami Heat. Ball also sat out on Friday night against the New York Knicks. The are 6-14 and despite beating the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night they really miss Ball out of the line up.

#3 The Los Angeles Lakers Jaxson Hayes will miss two to three weeks due to a sprained right ankle. Hayes was out of action for the Lakers past two games and went underwent an MRI and medical staff found the injury. Hayes was out for two weeks previous to Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns where he reinjured the ankle while making a dunk in the final minute of the game.

#4 The Atlanta Hawks clinched the East Group C in the NBA Cup with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-101 on Friday night. It’s the Cavs second loss in two days. The Hawks clinched the Cup when they the Chicago Bulls lost to the Boston Celtics.

#5 The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry returned to action after missing three games. Curry returned on Saturday night against the Phoenix Suns in Phoenix. Curry has suffered knee issues and the Warriors had lost each of the three games while Curry was out.

Charlie O does Headline Sports podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Poly comes from behind to defeat Cardinal 97-90

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Stanford Cardinal guard Benny Gealer (5) takes a shot against the Cal Poly Mustangs at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Nov 30, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, November 30, 2024

Owen Koonce tossed in a game-high 30 points for Cal Poly on Saturday, as the Mustangs made a second-half comeback to defeat Stanford 97-90 in non-conference men’s basketball at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford (6-2) led 43-34 at halftime, eventually leading by 10 at 47-37 on a free throw by Jaylen Blakes with 18:37 left in the second half. Over the next five minutes, the Mustangs cut their deficit with a 19-10 run on a Peter Bandelj free throw.

The Cardinal built their lead back up to 68-59 at 10:23 on a jumper in the lane by Oziyah Sellers. CPU (5-4) tied the game at 76-76 with a 3-pointer by Isaac Jessup at 5:41, capping a 17-8 run.

Stanford briefly regained the lead until Jarred Hyder’s 3 broke an 84-84 tie with 1:33 left. From there, the Mustangs pulled away with a 10-6 run for the win.

Stanford missed two 3-pointers in the last 18 seconds.

Besides Koonce, the Mustangs had four others in double-figures – Jessup with 21 points, Mac Riniker with 12, Bandelj with 11 and Hyde with 10. Koonce also had seven rebounds, and Jessup added seven rebounds and five assists.

Maxime Raynaud led the Cardinal with 21 points, followed by Blakes and Benny Gealer with 17 each, Chisom Okpara with 13 and Sellers with 11. Blakes collected eight assists and Ryan Agarwal pulled down nine rebounds.

Mustangs shot 54 percent from the field (33 of 61), including 12 of 30 behind the arc. CPU also hit 19 of 22 free throws and outrebounded the Cardinal 36-32.

Stanford wa 31 of 67 shooting (46 percent) – 10 of 33 on 3-pointers. The Cardinal was 18 of 22 at the line and committed only nine turnovers. The Cardinal bench outscored Cal Poly’s by 30-13.

The Cardinal host Utah Valley on Tuesday at 7 p.m., and open ACC play on Saturday, Dec. 7, when they travel to Berkeley to face California.

Sharks Win 4-2 Over Kraken, Back-to-Back Wins for San Jose

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Seattle Kraken left wing Brandon Tanev (13) watches the puck it’s deflected off San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferrero (38) and goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (29) in the third period at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Sat Nov 30, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks beat the Seattle Kraken 4-2 on Saturday. It was the second win against the Kraken in two days. Mario Ferraro, Luke Kunin, Cody Ceci and Will Smith scored for the Sharks. Mackenzie Blackwood made 36 saves for the win. Jaden Schwartz and Jared McCann scored for the Kraken. Joey Daccord made 19 saves in the loss.

After the 8-5 game just a day earlier, it would have been easy to expect a low-scoring game Saturday. That is not exactly what came to pass. The Sharks defense was somewhat more effective in this game than the last. After the game, Blackwood said: “They’re great. They really care. They commit to taking away the seams, they block shots when they can and they clear the rebounds.”

The Sharks finished scoring about half way through the game. Nonetheless, Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said:

“What I like about our group tonight is we did that. We had a 4-1 lead opening night and we gave it up. And tonight we came into the third period and I thought it was one of our better periods of the night. So we learned how to play the right way.”

Mario Ferraro gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead late in the first period. Mikael Granlund carried it over the blue line and then gave it away to Seattle. The Seattle player gave it back to the Sharks as Timothy Liljegren intercepted a pass. Liljegren sent it right back to Granlund, who found the Trailing Ferraro with a pass. Ferraro took some time before seeing his chance for a shot.

At the end of the first, the Kraken were outshooting the Sharks 13-9. The Sharks took two penalties and had one power play.

The Sharks scored early and often in the second. At 1:51, Luke Kunin followed Ty Dellandrea into the zone. Dellandrea made a drop pass as they approached the net and then continued on, acting as a screen for Kunin to shoot through. Assists went to Dellandrea and Jake Walman.

Cody Ceci made it 3-0 at 8:59, scoring his first road goal in more than three years and 127 road games. Maccklin Celebrini sent the puck to the net and it ended up going behind the goal and bouncing off the boards on the other side of the net. Ceci was on his way and met the puck in a perfect spot to shoot it in. Assists went to Celebrini and Walman.

Will Smith scored the Sharks’ fourth goal less than a minute later. Mikael Granlund carried the puck from the Sharks’ blue line almost to the Kraken net, skating two-on-one with Smith. Granlund made the pass and Smith shot it in. Assists went to Granlund and Klim Kostin.

The Kraken got on the board at 10:17. Matty Beniers shot the puck into the end boards from the blue line. The puck came back fast and Jaden Schwartz caught the pass and put it on net. It seemed like Blackwood did not expect that puck to come off the boards quite so fast. Assists went to Beniers and Oliver Bjorkstrand.

The Kraken again outshot the Sharks in the second period, 17-10. There were no penalties in the second.

Jared McCann scored the second Kraken goal at 6:27 of the third period. McCann Carried the puck into the zone and then shot it through traffic. Assists went to Ryker Evans and Brandon Montour.

With the net empty and a sixth skater on the ice, the Kraken put the puck in the net at 19:52. Beniers caught a rebound out of traffic in front of the net and shot it back in. The goal was called back, however, for goaltender interference. Yanni Gourde made contact with Blackwood’s head shortly before the goal was scored. The review was initiated by the Situation Room.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. against the Capitals at 4:00 PM PT.

Santa Cruz Warriors game wrap: Warriors Handled Lakers 89-76 inside KPA on Saturday night

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Santa Cruz Warriors forward Jackson Rowe (44) takes aim against the South Bay Lakers at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz on Sat Nov 30, 2024 (photo from Santa Cruz Warriors X)

By Michael Roberson

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The Santa Cruz Warriors (4-4) got their own post Black Friday bargain, by defeating the South Bay Lakers (3-5), 89-76, on their home court.

The Warriors got off to an ominous start to the game, by being blindsided by the visitors from Southern California. SBL went on a 9-0 run after the game was tied at 2. The Lakers also scored the first basket of the game.

The Warriors did not let their guests just take over the game immediately. They went on a come back push and cut the deficit all the way to one at quarter’s end. After 12 minutes of play, the Lakers led 25-24.

Santa Cruz took 13 seconds to put themselves in front in the game, after the leading scoring center, Kevin Knox II hit a 3-pointer. That was their first lead of the contest, which they held onto for the rest of the half, including a 12-point margin.

The Warrior led by four at intermission, 52-48. They presented two players with at least 10 points in the first 24. The aforementioned Knox led with 14 points, while forward Blake Hinson contributed 10 points off of the bench.

The Lakers also had two players reach that plateau, Vincent Valerio-Bodon chipped in 11 points, and center Kylor Kelley added ten points and five rebounds.

In the third stanza, the Warriors opened up the lead again to 12 points. Know and Hinson were still the leaders of the Warriors’ charge, Despite the double-digit lead, SBL cut it to five after 36 minutes of basketball action. After three, the Warriors led 68-63.

The final segment of the game, SCW reached their largest advantage, 15 points. Besides improving their gap by 10 points, they managed to win the game by 13. The Sellout crowd was delighted when the final horn sounded, and the Warriors were the victors. When the 48 minutes elapsed, the Warriors won 89-76.

Four Warriors were in double-figures in scoring, with another one point away. Knox II (18), Reece (16), with 10 rebounds and seven assists. Blake Hinson gave the team 15 points and seven rebounds, while Jackson Rowe put in nine points, but had double-digit rebounds (10).

The Lakers had three players with the ten point criteria, Vincent Valerio-Bodon (23), Kylor Kelley (16) and 9 rebounds. Grayson Murphy (13) and nine rebounds., and DaJuan Gordon scored eight points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Warriors are next in action December 5 in Tempe, AZ to take on the Valley Suns. The Lakers head up to Oregon December 2 & 4 for two games against Rip City Remix.

Note: The highly anticipated LeBron “Bronny” James appearance in Santa Cruz , did not come to fruition, due to his “Home Games Only” policy during his G-League stint.

San Jose Barracuda sweep the Abbotsford Canucks scoring 12 goals on the weekend

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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 30: The San Jose Barracuda host the Abbotsford Canucks at Tech CU Arena on November 30, 2024 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Andreea Cardani/San Jose Barracuda on X)

By Madison Montez

SAN JOSE–As Gabriel Carriere gets his first start at home of the season, The San Jose Barracuda sweep the Abbotsford Canucks scoring 12 goals. Carriere making 25 saves on 29 for his first win at Tech CU.

At 3:45 of the 1st, Arshdeep Bains took a two minute penalty for Holding to give the Barracuda an early powerplay opportunity. 32 seconds into the powerplay, Luca Cagnoni scored his sixth goal of the season assisted by Colin Graf and Andrew Poturalski to give the Barracuda an early 1-0 lead. 32 seconds later, Colin White nets hits fifth goal of the season assisted by Donovan Houle and Anthony Vincent to extend San Jose’s lead to two.

Abottsford cut down San Jose’s lead to 1 at 1:11 of the second scored by Tristen Nielsen assisted by Elias Pettersson. They shortly tied it up at 2:19 with Ben Berard scoring his first of the season assisted by John Stevens. At 7:11, Elias Pettersson took a two minute roughing penalty against Anthony Vincent.

43 seconds into the powerplay, San Jose got their second powerplay goal of the night scored by Luca Cagnoni assisted by Collin Graf and Danil Guschin. Abbotsford tied it up again at 10:50 scored unassisted by Danila Klimovich.

With 37.8 seconds left in the two, Andrew Poturalski nets his eighth of the season and third powerplay goal of the game assisted by Collin Graf and… goalie Gabriel Carriere. Right as the buzzer sounds, the Barracuda extend their lead to two on another Colin White goal assisted by Thomas Bordeleau and Donovan Houle to move the score to 5-3.

San Jose extended their lead to three at 3:42 on a Thomas Bordeleau goal, his third of the season, assisted by Justin Bailey. With seconds left on a Filip Bystedt high-stick penalty, San Jose gives up their first shorthanded goal of the game.

Tristen Nielsen scoring his second of the game and fifth of the season assisted by Nils Åman and Kirill Kudryavtsev to make the score 6-4. Justin Bailey secured the win scoring an empty net goal with 03.7 seconds left. Carriere recording his first win at home of the season after being called up.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME:

  1. Luca Cagnoni, 2G

2. Collin Graf, 3A

3. Colin White, 2G 1A

The Barracuda will be back in action on Wednesday December 4th hosting the San Diego Gulls for another midweek matchup. The last time these two teams faced off was on Wednesday November 13th where San Jose won 2-1 on two Thomas Bordeleau goals.

G League basketball: Santa Cruz Warriors podcast with Michael Roberson Lakers-Warriors do battle tonight at Kaiser Permanente Arena

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Santa Cruz Warriors forward Blake Hinson (26) and center Seth Maxwell (98) shakes hands while battling the Salt Lake City Stars in G League action at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Cruz on Fri Nov 29, 2024 (Santa Cruz Warriors X photo)

On the Santa Cruz Warriors podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Michael wanted to go over some of last night’s highlights as the Santa Cruz Warriors did battle with Salt Lake City Stars grabbing a home victory right here at Kaiser Permanente Arena here in Santa Cruz. In his first start since November 9, rookie two-way guard Reece Beekman led Santa Cruz with 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting while nabbing five steals – a season high for the team. Forward Jackson Rowe finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, and Gui Santos, on assignment from Golden State, notched 16 points and seven rebounds. The Warriors picked up their third win of the season on Friday night 115-108.

#2  Forward Kevin Knox II recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Forwards Blake Hinson and Javan Johnson contributed 28 points off the bench for the Sea Dubs, scoring 17 points and 11 points, respectively

#3 Two-way center Oscar Tshiebwe led the Stars with 25 points and 17 rebounds. Forward Cody Williams scored 18 points in his first assignment with the Stars, and two-way guard/forward David Jones Garcia logged 20 points and six rebounds off the bench. Guards Max Abmas and Isaiah Wong, who scored a combined 45 points in their last match-up against Santa Cruz, recorded 10 points and 11 points, respectively.

#4 The Stars mounted a late-game 15-4 run to bring the contest within 5 points with under a minute to play, but the Sea Dubs held on to claim a 115-108 victory. 

#5 Michael the Warriors are taking on the South Bay Lakers tonight here at Kaiser. The Lakers are 3-4 and have won their last two games in a row most recently beating Rip City 123-103. Both clubs with identical records the Warriors with the home floor and much to take advantage of just wanted to get a sense of how you see this match up tonight?

Michael Roberson is an G League and NCAA basketball analyst at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

SMU Outclasses Cal, Goes 8-0 To Finish First In The ACC

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By Morris Phillips

Cal’s opportunity to end their regular season in a rarified manner fell apart before Saturday’s 12:30p.m. kickoff.

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Cal’s offensive catalyst, was ruled out due to an illness. Massive offensive linemen Nick Morrow, Fred Williams, and back Jaivian Thomas couldn’t go either due to injuries. Then, national-title contender SMU appeared as scheduled. And boy, were the Mustangs motivated.

“We wanted to go 8-0,” coach Rhett Lashlee said. “We wanted to win the regular season outright and not share it. And we were playing for a lot because the College Football Playoff still comes out with rankings for two more weeks. … We didn’t need to stumble. Have a setback.”

SMU glided to a 21-0 first half lead and won 38-6, the near-perfect lead-in to their ACC Championship game date with Clemson. The Bears spent more than half the game trying to score their first three points and struggled to run their offense for much of that stretch.

The Mustangs’ offensive line pushed Cal’s front around in their touchdown drives. That activity bought Kevin Jennings time to throw, or the zone blocking scheme opened lanes for Brashard Smith to run. Both had big games, and rarely did SMU run a poor play in the sequence. The home team’s failing was 17 penalties for 137 yards that limited their time of possession but didn’t negatively impact the scoreboard.

“I thought Kevin quietly played one of his better games of the year,” Lashlee said. “I think we scored on three of those first four drives. I know we didn’t score on the first one. We had 21 points pretty quick on their defense.”

Jennings was 20 of 30 for 225 yards passing, and Smith has 134 yards running and receiving. For Cal, the running game had too few explosive plays.

“Not good enough at any position to put points on the board,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “It was an offensive issue today, not just quarterback.”

Chandler Rogers completed 8 of 15 passes for 84 yards, but he left injured in the third quarter. C.J. Harris finished the game for Cal and was 6 of 8 passing. In the first half, Cal gained 45 yards in 20 rushing attempts. The closest thing to success was Derek Morris’ 38-yard field goal miss.

Cal did have its full list of pass catchers, but they weren’t sharp or productive. Nyziah Hunter led with five catches, but he had a key procedural mistake pre-snap when Cal was driving before the break. Seven others caught a pass, but the total passes caught was only 14.

After taking their 21-0 leady early in the second quarter, the Mustangs went more than half the game before scoring again in the fourth. A field goal, a second touchdown pass from Kevin Jennings, and a 40-yard touchdown pass from Preston Stone capped the scoring.

The Bears may wait 10 to 14 days to find out what their bowl destination will be as the 13th of 17 conference teams to reach bowl eligibility.