Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele gave Cal a spark late, but by then Wake Forest had already turned Memorial Stadium into a runaway. The Bears were buried under a 41-point deficit when Sagapolutele finally entered at the end of the third quarter, yet he still managed to shake loose some life with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Mason Mini.
By that point, the game had long since slipped away. Cal did not score until the fourth quarter, and that came only after Wake Forest had emptied the bench.
The first half was especially brutal for the Bears, who were gashed repeatedly on defense and never found traction on offense. Wake Forest piled up 339 yards on big plays alone, with eight pass plays of more than 15 yards and six runs of more than 10 yards helping stretch the field.
Cal, meanwhile, finished with 266 total rushing yards.
The collapse left another ugly snapshot of just how inconsistent this team has been. One week, Cal pulls off a comeback win with its backup quarterback against a Virginia Tech team coached by James Franklin. The next, it looks completely out of sync against Wake Forest and gives up 509 yards of total offense.
“That’s a good team, and we certainly didn’t represent ourselves the right way in that first half,” said Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi. “We got outcoached, and we did not put our players in the best position for success.”
Gio Lopez was the engine behind the blowout. He bounced back from his previous trip to Memorial Stadium last season with UNC, when his team lost 21-18, and put together a clean, efficient night: 267 passing yards, 70% completion, and four touchdowns in only three quarters of work. If he keeps producing at that level and helps Wake Forest into the playoff picture, the Heisman conversation could follow.
The numbers only deepen the damage for Cal. The Bears were down 34-0 at halftime, their largest halftime deficit in more than a decade. They did manage to hold the ball for 12:14 in the first quarter, compared with Wake Forest’s 2:46, but the Demon Deacons made those limited possessions count, scoring 14 points and racking up 163 yards in that span.
Jackson Brousseau finished 17 of 29 for 71 yards, while Sagapolutele went 15 of 18 for 110 yards in just one quarter. Of Wake Forest’s 509 total yards, 349 came on big plays - eight through the air and seven on the ground.
All signs point to Sagapolutele getting the nod next week against SMU. That game kicks off at 9 a.m. PST, and maybe that early start will help prevent another flat beginning.
In Other News...
Cal Recruiting Just Took Another Hit Fans Can't Ignore
Californias recruiting momentum took another jolt when four-star tight end Rahzario Edwards changed course after originally pledging to the Bears in late May. Edwards had been one of the more notable gets in Cals class, so his decision to flip to Mississippi is the kind of setback that stings because it lands before the season even gets going and underscores how fragile these commitments can be.
The unease around the class does not stop there. Four-star quarterback Dane Weber, another Cal commit, also made a trip to UCLA, though he brushed it off as just a visit for now. Even without an immediate change, it is the sort of development that keeps a staff on edge, especially when one highly regarded recruit has already moved on and another is still taking a harder look around the conference. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Heads Into A Brutal SMU Test With One Huge Concern
Cal heads to Dallas for the first of three straight road games, and the timing is hardly ideal. No. 24 SMU has been a problem for ACC opponents since arriving in the league, with Rhett Lashlees team pairing a sturdy defense with an offense that has given the Mustangs a quick rise in conference play. The trip also comes with an added layer of urgency for Cal, which is trying to regroup after a significant loss and get its footing before the road stretch really starts to stack up.
A big part of the challenge is navigating SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, who has already established himself as the focal point of the Mustangs attack and a player who can make a defense pay in a hurry. Cal also has its own questions to sort through at quarterback, which makes this a difficult matchup even before factoring in SMUs recent special-teams change at placekicker. For a Bears team looking for stability, this is the kind of test that can expose every weak spot. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Fans Are Running Out Of Patience With This Season
The frustration around this season only got louder after a rough home date with a ranked opponent, with the Golden Bears sitting at 3-4 and still searching for anything that feels stable on offense. Tight end Mason Mini made it clear the locker room felt the disappointment from the latest setback, and coach Tosh Lupoi pointed to the second-half effort as a small positive in a game that otherwise left a lot to sort through.
What stands out now is how little certainty Cal has heading into the next matchup with SMU. Lupoi said the quarterback picture is still being evaluated, leaving the Bears in the awkward spot of trying to reset after another uneven outing while also deciding who gives them the best chance to get back on track. [Read more 🡒]