BERKELEY - California keeps finding new ways to surprise people, and Saturday fit right into that strange run.
A week after its most inexplicable loss of the season, and just a few weeks removed from an offensive dud against a very beatable opponent and a defensive rescue job more than 3,000 miles from home, Cal delivered another result nobody saw coming. This time, it was the Golden Bears’ first stunning homecoming win in October in a decade.
The shift on offense started with Tosh Lupoi making the tough call to move playcalling duties away from first-choice offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville. Pat McCann stepped in and immediately changed the feel of the unit, bringing cleaner scheme, better playcalls and sharper in-game adjustments. Lupoi, at a crucial point in his early run, showed he could make the move.
At first, the offense still had the look of a group trying to find itself. But McCann adjusted well on the fly, and the Bears’ attack started to open up.
The ball came out quicker to help take the pressure off the pass rush. The spacing in the design looked better, giving Jackson Brousseau outlets when the first hot read wasn’t availabe A beleaguered pass protection benefited from the faster game, blocked better and settled in as the night went on.
Cal answered with a string of late drives at the end of each half, including three scoring drives and two late touchdowns to seal the win.
Brousseau, who had shown some promise working under McCann at UNLV, kept the offense on track. With Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele in concussion protocol, Brousseau made good reads, avoided major mistakes and delivered catchable throws.
His net numbers matched Ethan Grunkemeyer’s, and for Cal to get that kind of production from a backup quarterback in a must-win game was huge. It changes the way the Bears can look at the rest of the season if the passing game can keep functioning like that.
The receiving group helped him out. Ian Strong, who has had a rough season with drops and a shaky connection with his quarterback, found some rhythm again with Brousseau and came down with two of the game’s biggest catches.
Chase Hendricks was productive after the catch and turned short gains into real movement down the field. Carson Perry-Smith, who wasn’t on the radar when the season started, has carved out a role and delivered the biggest catch for the Cal pass game in the last two weeks.
Cal didn’t need a huge night on the ground from Ashton Emory, its only functional healthy running back, but he finished two drives at the goal line with touchdowns. Dorian Thomas, after a disappointing year, came through with a perfectly executed fake punt that set up crucial Cal points. Towns McGough added two big field goals that helped bridge the gap.
The defense did its part early by creating pressure on Grunkmeyer. JD McKinley, Jericho Johnson, Solomon Williams and Derek Wilkins all worked their way into the backfield and helped disrupt multiple drives. But the group also brought some of the same headaches Cal has carried all season.
Penalties and mental mistakes kept giving opponents life. The defense still struggles to hold after scoring, which keeps the Bears on the back foot.
Cal remains error-prone, and the final 18 seconds were another reminder of that, with Virginia Tech getting the ball back and driving all the way to first and goal. The Bears are still playing too aggressively and too loosely at times, which has led to more explosive plays allowed.
AJ Tuitele, after what had otherwise been a solid game, also logged another in-game ejection.
Even with all that baggage, Cal found a way. The school’s own social post said it plainly: “TELL THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD 🗣️ #GoBears”
It may not be pretty. It may not quiet every concern about how long this rebuild will take. But the Bears are alive in the ACC, and the hope now is that these small improvements can keep stacking into enough wins to make the schedule feel workable.
Win ugly, win weird, win any way you can - that was the lesson on Saturday. Cal, down its starting quarterback, top two running backs, one of its best defenders, and then its second-best defender after an ejection, still found a way through the chaos.
For now, that was enough to calm the panic and keep the season moving.
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Cal Pulled Off An ACC Escape Nobody Saw Coming
California kept its footing in a wild ACC finish at California Memorial Stadium, outlasting Virginia Tech 25-20 in a game that swung deep into the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Jackson Brousseau handled the offense efficiently in place of the injured starter, and the Bears got timely help from multiple contributors on both sides of the ball to stay within striking distance when the game tightened.
The closing sequence came down to the kind of snap that can define a season, with Ashten Emory breaking through for the decisive score in the final moments before the defense was asked to preserve it. Virginia Tech still had one last chance to spoil the night, but Cals secondary held firm and the Bears walked away with a win nobody around the stadium seemed to see coming. [Read more 🡒]
Shorthanded Cal Just Found A Reason To Believe Again
In a game that could have slipped away in the final minute, California found enough offense and just enough resilience to beat Virginia Tech 25-20 and give a shorthanded group something to build on. Backup quarterback Jackson Brousseau handled the load with 29 completions on 43 attempts for 321 yards and a touchdown, while Ashten Emory kept the Bears in front of the chains and the scoreboard by powering in two touchdowns.
The win also came with the kind of defensive backbone Cal has been searching for, as Virginia Tech was held to 4-for-11 on third downs and the Bears survived their own penalties long enough to close it out. It was the sort of result that can change the tone of a sideline, especially after a week when the margin for error felt razor thin and every snap carried extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Just Found A Reason To Believe Again
In a season that could have tilted the wrong way after injuries hit starting quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and safety Kingston Lopa, Cal got a lift from an unexpected source. Backup quarterback Jackson Brousseau stepped in and sparked a fourth-quarter comeback against Virginia Tech, pushing the Bears through a game they badly needed and giving the offense enough life to survive a tense finish.
The defense did its part too, holding firm when the Hokies tried to answer and setting the stage for Ashten Emorys late touchdown that provided the margin. It was the kind of win that can change the mood around a team, especially with Wake Forest coming to Berkeley next, because Cal now has a little more proof that it can win even when the lineup is not what it expected to be. [Read more 🡒]