Cal’s first half against SMU had enough juice to suggest a real fight was coming. Then the whole thing flipped.
The Bears entered halftime with a 20-17 lead, their first halftime edge against an FBS opponent this season, and they had gotten there with a creative offense that looked nothing like the group that struggled against Wake Forest. Offensive pass game coordinator Pat McCann kept the Mustangs guessing with some sharp wrinkles, including a direct snap to tight end Mason Mini for a touchdown and a fake field goal that had third-string quarterback Dominic Ingrassia helping convert a first down. With Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele under center, Cal showed a different kind of life.
But the second half belonged entirely to SMU.
The Mustangs ripped off three touchdown passes in an 11-minute stretch to turn a 20-17 deficit into a 38-20 lead by the end of the third quarter. Kevin Jennings settled in and started carving up the Bears, first hitting a 21-yard touchdown pass and then finding wide receiver Jalen Hale on a 17-yard completion that helped set up another scoring drive. Cal, meanwhile, could barely stay on the field, managing just one first down in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was even uglier for the Bears. SMU added three more touchdowns while Cal was held scoreless, and the numbers told the story in blunt fashion: Cal gained just 25 yards in 4:41 of possession, while the Mustangs rolled up 157. SMU’s back-to-back 21-point quarters turned the game into a 59-20 rout.
Former Cal back Kendrick Raphael was a big part of that finish. In a revenge game against his old team, he powered SMU with 104 rushing yards, 22 receiving yards and three touchdowns, with two scores on the ground and another through the air.
The Bears also made life harder on themselves with penalties. They were flagged 11 times for 107 yards, compared with SMU’s five penalties for 50 yards.
A false start killed one early drive, while a 15-yard pass interference penalty on Ricky Fletcher put SMU in scoring position. Fletcher later added a facemask penalty that extended another Mustangs possession.
There were at least a few signs of how stretched Cal’s roster is right now. Injuries forced defensive back Niles Davis into work at running back and wide receiver, and Kingston Lopa - who leads the nation with five interceptions - got involved on offense and picked up his first collegiate reception.
The numbers from the second half were brutal for Cal. After piling up 255 yards before intermission, the Bears managed only 40 after halftime. SMU scored 42 unanswered points after the break and found the end zone three times in each half of the final two quarters.
Cal’s offense showed enough creativity to matter early, but the defense couldn’t stop the collapse once SMU got rolling. With four games left, the Bears have to find a way to avoid those second-half spirals and be more consistent on offense if they want a better finish.
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