California got a sold-out night at Memorial Stadium and a strong debut from Adam Mohammed, but UCLA left Berkeley with a 45-24 win on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026.
The crowd of 54,28 marked the first sellout at California Memorial Stadium since the 2024 Big Game against Stanford on Nov. 23, 2024. It also came in the first Cal-UCLA meeting since the programs wrapped up their Pac-12 days against each other, when the Golden Bears beat the Bruins 33-7 on Nov. 25, 2023 at the Rose Bowl.
Mohammed wasted no time making his presence felt in a Cal uniform. The running back piled up career-highs with 28 carries and 120 rushing yards, and he added a touchdown in his debut. He was also a factor in the passing game, finishing with a career-best seven catches for 46 yards.
Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele handled the volume in the air, completing 24 of 41 passes for 271 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The sophomore now has 20 career touchdown passes.
There were a few notable defensive moments for Cal as well. Nate Burrell logged his first sack since Oct. 5, 2024, against Miami, giving him 5.5 career sacks after missing all of last season because of injury. Kingston Lopa also picked off his first career interception.
Chase Hendricks added another scoring catch to his resume, collecting his ninth career touchdown reception.
Cal’s offensive starters were Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele at quarterback; Adam Mohammed and Carter Vargas at running back; Ian Strong, Chase Hendricks and Mason Mini among the receiving group; and Frederick Williams III, Tyson Ruffins, Jacob Arop, Sioape Vatikani and Jimothy Lewis Jr. across the line.
On defense, the Golden Bears opened with Derek Wilkins, Nate Burrell and Jericho Johnson up front, Kamar Mothudi, JD McKinley, Odera Okaka and Tristan Jernigan at linebacker, and Kingston Lopa, Daniel Harris, Michael Hurst Jr. and Khamani Hudson in the secondary.
Cal’s captains for the night were Sagapolutele, defensive back Ricky Fletcher and Mohammed.
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