Cal’s season looked like it was teetering on the edge in Syracuse, but the Bears found a way to leave the JMA Wireless Dome with a 21-18 win over Syracuse in their first ACC test. It was ugly, messy and far from convincing, yet it was enough to keep the door open on the season.
The numbers tell the whole story. Cal finished with just 249 yards on offense while Syracuse piled up 436, but the Bears’ defense kept dragging them back into the fight. Cal came away with three interceptions and three sacks, and after giving up 277 rushing yards to UCLA last week, the Bears held the Orange to 118 on the ground.
Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele did enough to steady things. He threw for 182 yards, completed 21 passes and found the end zone twice without turning it over. The one blemish was that his run of 14 straight 200-yard passing games came to an end.
The defensive performance had its rough spots, including a few blown coverages, but the unit came up with the kind of plays that change games. Daniel Harris was especially active with seven tackles and a sack, his second sack of the season. Jayden Wayne added 1.5 sacks, helping give Cal’s front the kind of jolt it needed after a loss to open the year.
The pass rush built as the game wore on. The Bears did a better job getting after Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli and made life harder for the Orange on the ground as well.
The biggest pressure of the day came on Syracuse’s final offensive snap, when Solomon Williams beat the Orange’s right tackle, got a hand on Angeli and knocked him off balance just enough to force a duck of a throw. Kingston Lopa was waiting for it and grabbed his third interception of the game.
Lopa was the difference-maker, plain and simple. The Oregon transfer added five tackles to go with those three picks, and his pick-6 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter put Cal in front 21-18. He then sealed the win on the next Syracuse drive by jumping a route and intercepting Angeli again to end it.
There were plenty of warning signs mixed in with the celebration. Syracuse was flagged 15 times for 132 yards, which helped the Bears stay alive in a game that was otherwise slipping away.
And Cal’s run game was almost nonexistent, with 26 carries producing only 67 yards. Winning while averaging 2.6 yards per carry is not something that can carry forward for long.
Still, the Bears got the result they needed, and the schedule gives them a chance to clean things up. Next week, Cal hosts Wagner College of the Northeast Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision.
The Seahawks lost 87-3 earlier today at James Madison. After that, the Bears turn right back into ACC play with a Friday night home matchup against Clemson.
In Other News...
Cal Fans Get A Reminder Of What This Program Still Represents
Week 1 brought some early movement in Chris Vanninis updated FBS rankings, and Cal was nudged down to No. 50 after opening the season, while UCLA made a dramatic leap into the Top 25. Syracuse also checked in at 74 after a strong showing against New Hampshire, but the bigger takeaway for Cal readers was not the shifting numbers. The piece also paused to honor one of the most meaningful names connected to the program, reminding fans that this schools identity has never been limited to what happens on fall Saturdays.
That tribute centered on Mark Bingham, the Cal graduate and United Airlines Flight 93 passenger who died 25 years ago during the 9/11 attacks after helping lead the struggle against the hijackers. It was the kind of reminder that cuts through any early-season noise, putting the programs place in college football in a larger, more human frame. Results and rankings will keep changing, but the story attached to Cal still reaches far beyond the standings. [Read more 🡒]
Cal's Offense Is Putting Early Pressure On The Bears Again
Cal opened with two straight punts and spent the first quarter trying to settle in on offense, a familiar sort of early-game stress that has lingered around the Bears in other recent matchups as well. Syracuse was the sharper team out of the gate, and the first points of the day came after the Orange put together a quick scoring march to take control before Cal had found any rhythm.
The pressure only grew in the second quarter, when Syracuse had already moved ahead 12-0 and forced the Bears to play from behind. For a Cal offense that needed a cleaner start, the challenge now is less about one possession than about whether it can finally answer the kind of early deficit that has made these games feel uphill from the opening minutes. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Faces An Early ACC Test With New Concerns Lingering
Cals first ACC road trip brings an immediate reality check, with a trip to the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse serving as the conference opener after the loss to UCLA. Syracuse arrives with momentum from a dominant win over New Hampshire and a healthier roster than it had earlier in the season, while Cal is still sorting through the ripple effects of last weeks setback and trying to steady itself before league play gets rolling.
The injury picture is the part worth watching most closely for the Bears, especially with some uncertainty hanging over the backfield after the UCLA game. On the other side, Syracuse has already shown what its offense can look like with key pieces back in the lineup, and the historical series context only adds a little more edge to a matchup that already feels like an early measuring stick for Cal in its new conference home. [Read more 🡒]