Tag: Cal Bears

Stanford Cardinal podcast Daniel Dullum: Stanford pulls away from Cal in 2nd quarter in 31-10 win; Cal fires coach Justin Wilcox

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Stanford Cardinal quarterback Elijah Brown (2) drops back on the Cal Bears in the Big Game at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto on Sat Nov 22, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

Stanford Cardinal podcast Daniel Dullum:

#1 After nine years as Cal Bears head coach Justin Wilcox was fired after the loss to the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday. Cal had a 10-7 lead on Stanford but couldn’t hold the lead and were shutout by the Cardinal in the second half.

#1 The Cal Bears were in the lead early in the Big Game against the Stanford Cardinal 10-7 but that was all she wrote for Cal as the Cardinal opened up on offense scoring two touchdowns in the second and fourth quarters to put this one away.

#2 The Cardinal got offensive help in the second quarter eclipsing the Bears at 1:05 for a 14-10 lead when Stanford running back Kendrick Raphael ran for 11 yards but fumbled only to be recovered by Darrius Davis who returned it for a touchdown.

#3 Stanford defense didn’t allow Cal to score for the rest of the game shutting out Cal in the third and fourth quarters.

#4 Stanford completed all their scoring in the fourth quarter with two touchdowns a four yard carry by running back Micah Ford for four yards to take a 24-10 lead at 14:56. At 10:01 Stanford quarterback Elijah Brown threw a 34 yard touchdown pass to CJ Williams for a 31-10 final.

#5 The win was Stanford’s home win of the season. The Cardinal improve their record to 3-7 and all three of their wins came from winning at Stanford Stadium this season.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum is heard Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

128th Big Game/Stanford Cardinal game wrap: Cardinal snatch axe from paws of Golden Bears 31-10, on a cool Saturday Evening on the Farm

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Stanford Cardinal players left to right defensive end Zach Buckley (98), offensive lineman Simone Pale (55), and defensive lineman Zach Rowell (97) join in the celebration of bringing the axe back to Stanford University after defeating the Cal Bears at Stanford Stadium on Sat Nov 22, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — A Big Game crowd of 50.039 experienced cross-Bay, conference (ACC) battle, with the Stanford Cardinal (4-7, 3-5 ACC) obtaining the axe from the California Golden Bears (6-5, 3-4 ACC) 31-10 inside Stanford Stadium.

Although Cal opened the game with possession of the ball, neither team scored on their opening drives. A little more than 10 minutes into the first quarter, the Golden Bears got onto the scoreboard first. Redshirt-Junior kicker Chase Meyer booted a 40-yard field goal, to put the visitors up by three, 3-0.

The first 15 minutes of gameplay ended with that same score, with either team doing much on offense, The crowd of both schools wanted and anticipated more action in the second quarter.

Quarter number two did bring more action to the masses. However, the Cardinal faithful did not see an offensive explosion, but a stellar defensive force.

A few ticks over two minutes into the second stanza, Stanford redshirt-junior safety Jay Green scooped up a Cal fumble for a49-yard touchdown. The Cardinal took a four points lead, 7-3. More than eight minutes later, Cal put up points offensively. Freshman quarterback Jason-Keawe Sagapolutele scored from 7 yards out on a keeper. The Bears regained the lead by three, 10-7..

The Cardinal marched down the field, getting inside the “Red Zone” by the two-minute timeout. After several attempts for a touchdown, they settled for a field goal attempt, with a little over a minute before recess. The kick was blocked by senior safety Dru Polidore Jr. All momentum switched to California, and Stanford’s offense and special teams could not score.

The Bears had possession of the ball in their own Bear territory, with less than a minute until halftime, and had the worst case scenario happen to the team. They coughed up the ball again, with Cardinal sophomore safety Darrius Davis grasping the gift and carrying it to paydirt for a 17 yard score. Stanford went back up by four, 14-10.

When the mid-game whistle blew, that last score stood at intermission., 14-10 Stanford.

The Cardinal had possession of the ball to start the second half, but more of the same on offense persisted. They could not get into the end zone, but did get into field goal range. Just over four minutes into the half, senior Emmett Kenney missed a 35-yard attempt, to the dismay of the home fans.

About eight minutes later he had another opportunity. This time from 36 yards from the goalposts. Kenney was successful on that particular attempt. The cardinal extended their advantage to seven, 17-10.

The Golden Bears managed to lose possession of the ball immediately upon receiving it after the Cardinal score. Stanford parlayed that golden opportunity to another score, over two quarters. They had the ball near the goal line as the third quarter ended, and continued at the beginning of the fourth.

Four seconds into the final quarter, sophomore running back Micah Ford scampered in for a 4-yard TD. The Cardinal went up by 14 points, 24-10. They were not finished.

Less than two minutes of elapsed time, the Cardinal reached the end zone again. This score was a 34 yard bomb from Elijah Brown to CJ Williams for SIX. with the subsequent extra point, the Cardinal tied their high score output of 31 points. They also led by 21 points. 31-10.

Despite Cal’s efforts to score again in the waning moments, the score remained the same after 60 minutes of regulation play, 31-10 for the Tree.

The Cardinal will next be in action back here on the Farm next Saturday, November 29, hosting the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 7:30 PM PT on ESPN. Cal heads back across the Bay to host SMU on the same date at TBD.

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/Stanford Cardinal podcast Michael Roberson: How Brown will pass against Cal’s defense pass rush

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Stanford Cardinal quarterback Elijah Brown (2) fires a pass against the UNC Tar Heels at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill NC on Sat Nov 8, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

Big Game/Stanford Cardinal podcast Michael Roberson:

#1 How big a role will Stanford’s QB Elijah Brown play, and can he steady the Cardinal offense under Big Game pressure?

#2 Which Stanford running back — Micah Ford or Tuna Altahir — is more likely to break through Cal’s front seven, and how will their usage affect the game flow?

#3 How much will linebacker Matt Rose’s tackling and sideline-to-sideline instincts shape Stanford’s ability to respond to Cal’s offensive drives?

#4 Stanford’s outside linebacker Tevarua Tafiti has been a key playmaker — can he disrupt Cal’s backfield, and what impact will his pressure have?

#5 In the secondary, how important will cornerback Collin Wright and safety Jay Green be in containing Cal’s passing threats, and can they force turnovers?

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

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.

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/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

Cal withstands late Wright State push for 77-67 home win

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Cal Bears guard Dai Dai Ames (7) drives past Wright State’s Kellen Pickett (4) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Thu Nov 6, 2025 (Cal Bears photo)

By Ryan Hannagan

BERKELEY, Calif. — California (2-0) men’s basketball secured its second home victory of the season Wednesday night, defeating Wright State Raiders (1-1) 77–67 at Haas Pavilion. The Bears used an early second-half surge and steady free-throw shooting to fend off a late rally from the Raiders.

After a slow offensive start from both sides with Cal shooting 4-for-12 and Wright State 4-for-11 from the field early, the Bears built momentum behind second chance points and dominance at the free throw line. Cal finished the first half shooting 13 for 34 overall but made up ground by converting 13 free throws.

Wright State, meanwhile, struggled from the line, going just 4 for 8, but found more success from deep, connecting on four of 16 three-pointers to stay within reach. Neither team managed to create much separation through the opening 20 minutes, with Cal holding a slim 34–28 halftime advantage.

John Camden led the Bears with seven points at the break, while Wright State’s Michael Cooper matched that total to lead the Raiders.

Cal came out firing in the second half, pushing its lead to double digits with a 12 point margin midway through the half. The Bears played with rhythm and confidence, feeding off an energized Haas Pavilion crowd. Sophomore guard Dai Dai Ames took control down the stretch, finishing with a game high 23 points.

Despite trailing by as many as 16, Wright State refused to fold, closing the gap to four with under five minutes to play. But Cal’s composure and efficiency from the line sealed the victory — the Bears shot 26 for 31 (83.9%) from the stripe compared to Wright State’s 10 for 18 (55.6%).

“We talked about ball control and not being passive,” Cal head coach Mark Madsen told Sports Radio Service after the game. “Against any zone defense, if you drive the zone, something good is going to happen. We have a lot of new players still getting comfortable in their roles, but I thought Nolan Dorsey really set the tone defensively and lifted the whole team.”

Cal out rebounded Wright State 43–35 and outscored the Raiders 34–22 in the paint. The Bears also held advantages in fast-break points (12–4) and defensive rebounds (33–24).

Wright State’s Dominic Pagonis led the Raiders with 11 points off the bench.

With the win, Cal improves to 2–0 and looks to carry its momentum into the next contest against Cal State Fullerton as it continues non conference play.