Cal gets a breather this weekend, and it comes at the right time.
Fresh off a 21-18 road win at Syracuse - Tosh Lupoi’s first victory as a head coach - the Bears return to Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon to face Wagner, an FCS team that looks like the softest stop on Cal’s 2026 schedule. It’s the first meeting between the programs, and it arrives with a clear purpose: steady the offense, clean up special teams, and get out healthy before Clemson shows up next week.
The contrast between these teams is hard to miss. Cal sits at 1-1 after opening with a 45-24 loss to UCLA and then flipping the script in its ACC opener.
Wagner is 1-2, coming out of the Northeast Conference, and it has already been hit with results that show exactly how wide the gap is. The Seahawks were blown out 87-3 at James Madison last Saturday, a game in which the Dukes set a program scoring record and tied the NCAA single-game mark with three punt-return touchdowns.
That rout also exposed one of Wagner’s biggest issues. Special teams fell apart against JMU, and that’s an area Cal can attack as it tries to find more consistency in its own shaky kicking and return game. The Seahawks were also held to 204 total yards in that loss, while JMU rolled up 588.
Wagner’s season has been uneven from the start. It opened NEC play with a 28-7 loss to Robert Morris, managing only 97 total yards, then picked up its lone win by beating Southern Connecticut State 31-7. But that victory came against a Division II opponent, and the offense has looked much less dangerous against Division I competition, scoring just seven and three points in those games.
Offensively, the Seahawks are led by seventh-year coach Tom Masella. Quarterback Benjamin Newman turned in Wagner’s best passing performance against Southern Connecticut State, completing 23 of 33 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns. Matt Morad is the lead back and posted 83 yards and a touchdown in that game, while Teree McDonald had a 70-yard, one-touchdown outing and Zion Fowler-El gives the Seahawks another receiving option.
Even with that, the numbers paint a grim picture. Wagner is averaging about 13.7 points and 236.7 yards per game while allowing 40.7 points and 339.7 yards per game. The James Madison game inflates those defensive totals, but not enough to change the broader story: this is a rebuilding NEC team that is still a long way from being competitive at the top of its level.
For Cal, the assignment is straightforward. The Bears have shown flashes, especially on defense, but they still need more from the offense.
Against Syracuse, they won despite being outgained 436 yards to 249 because the turnovers made the difference. Safety Kingston Lopa was the star of the night, intercepting three passes, including a 53-yard return that set up the go-ahead score and a pick-six that accounted for a third of Cal’s points.
He also had an interception against UCLA, making him the Bears’ most productive playmaker through two weeks.
There have been other encouraging signs. Sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has thrown four touchdown passes, and running back Adam Mohammed has given the ground game a real lead option, following up a 120-yard performance against UCLA with a solid outing at Syracuse. Still, Cal’s offense is averaging just 17.5 points and 329.5 yards per game, and the pass defense has given up yardage in bunches.
That’s why this matchup matters beyond the final score. Wagner gives Cal a chance to sharpen the parts of its game that need work: a faster start, cleaner special teams, more rhythm for Sagapolutele, more reliable passing production, and enough carries for the running backs to settle in before the schedule tightens again. If the Bears handle business early, the second half should open the door for reserves to get meaningful snaps.
Kickoff is set for 12:30 on the ACC Network. There’s also an effort to keep attendance from dropping too much after the near-sellout opener against UCLA, with four free tickets sent to season ticketholders this week.
In Other News...
Cal's ACC Spending Reality Could Spark A Bigger Concern
Cals place in the new financial pecking order is looking clear enough to raise eyebrows. A report from The Athletic estimates the programs 2026 football player-payment budget at between $20 million and $24 million, putting the Bears tied for 40th among 68 Power Four schools and ninth among ACC teams. The broader trend is hard to miss, too, with the biggest spending programs continuing to line up near the top of the national rankings, where Ohio State and Oregon sit among the leaders.
For Cal, the numbers add another layer to the challenge of competing in a league where money is increasingly part of the roster conversation. Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is already reported to have $3 million in NIL deals, which underscores how much individual player value can shape the picture even as the program tries to keep pace overall. The bigger concern is what this spending level means over time, especially if the gap between the Bears and the ACCs biggest spenders keeps widening. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Transfer Tristan Jernigan Is Giving Bears Fans A Reason To Notice
Tristan Jernigan has already started to carve out a role for Cal after arriving from Texas A&M, and the linebackers path to Berkeley comes with a little extra backstory. The Tupelo, Mississippi native, who grew up in the same town as Elvis Presley, has been in the starting lineup for Cals first two games and has quickly worked his way into the mix on a defense that has looked better in recent weeks.
Jernigan is fourth on the team in tackles, a steady sign that he is fitting in fast after two seasons in the SEC. Defensive coordinator Michael Hutchings has pointed to Jernigans growth and passion as part of the reason the Bears have found more consistency on that side of the ball, and he has become one of those transfer additions fans start noticing before long. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Fans Just Got An Early Look At A Defining ACC Test
Cals next ACC slate already has some shape to it, with the conference revealing the Golden Bears 2027 football schedule and offering an early look at the kind of week-to-week challenge that will define their place in the league. The Bears are set for nine conference games, and the home portion brings Boston College, Florida State, Louisville and SMU to California Memorial Stadium, a lineup that gives fans a first glimpse at how far the program will have to travel in the new landscape.
The road trip list is just as telling, sending Cal to Georgia Tech, Miami, Pitt, Stanford and Wake Forest as the schedule starts to take form. The conference also revisited how the Bears have fared against those visiting ACC opponents in the past, a reminder that some of these meetings already carry history even before the 2027 dates and times are released later. [Read more 🡒]