Cal’s season opener started with promise, turned into a fight, and ended the way too many Bears fans know too well: with the game slipping away late.
In front of a sold-out crowd at California Memorial Stadium, Cal and UCLA were tied in the fourth quarter before two costly interceptions helped the Bruins pull away for a 45-24 win. The Bears were in position to make it a one-score game again, but the turnover surge flipped everything in UCLA’s favor.
“We had our opportunity, and we didn’t take advantage of it,” Tosh Lupoi said after the game.
Cal came out aggressive from the opening kickoff and made the first punch count. A quick screen to Chase Hendricks helped set up a 75-yard opening drive, capped when the Ohio transfer beat his man on the boundary and dove to the pylon. UCLA answered right back with a touchdown drive of its own, and after both teams traded 3-and-outs, the game settled into a back-and-forth first half.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and Ian Strong connected on a 21-yard strike, and Cal later used a Bruins facemask penalty to build another drive that ended with a Towns McGough field goal. But the Bears also took a hit when running back Carter Vargas went down with what looked like a serious injury.
UCLA kept leaning on Cal at the line of scrimmage and regained control with a 31-yard Anthony Woods touchdown run and a Wayne Knight score up the middle. Then, with under three minutes left in the half, an unblocked Bruin rusher drilled Sagapolutele for a sack-fumble, giving UCLA a short field and a chance to stretch the lead.
Cal answered in a flash.
Kingston Lopa picked off Nico Iamaleava with 58 seconds left in the half, and Sagapolutele immediately turned the momentum with one of the best throws of the day - an off-balance dart rolling left that found Strong for 49 yards. He followed that with a 30-yard completion to Hendricks and then hit Mason Mini for a touchdown to make it 21-17. But UCLA still had one more push before halftime, and Iamaleava hit Mikey Matthews for 43 yards before Mateen Bhaghani added a field goal to send the Bruins into the break up 24-17.
The second half opened with more drama. On the first play, UCLA ran a trick play that led to a hard hit by Cal linebacker AJ Tuitele, and Tuitele was ejected for targeting. Even so, the Bears’ defense forced a punt.
Cal’s offense then put together its most complete drive of the night, marching 85 yards in 14 plays before Adam Mohammed punched in a touchdown to tie the game at 24 with 3:50 left in the third quarter.
Lupoi pointed to that stretch as a key moment.
“From halftime to come out and have the defense get that 3-and-out, and then with a sack … I think our defense had back-to-back-to-back stops, which was enormous,” Lupoi said. “The stadium was electric; getting there mid-fourth quarter there tying it up.”
The Bears had a shot to take their first lead since 7-0, but a fourth-down snap at midfield went badly wrong when the backup center snapped the ball before Sagapolutele was ready. UCLA couldn’t cash in right away, but the drive stalled and the Bruins punted.
Then came the collapse.
On the next possession, Sagapolutele tried to improvise, but his heave was dropped by Strong and intercepted by a UCLA safety. Knight scored again on the very next play, pushing the Bruins ahead 31-24 with 8:46 left. Moments later, another miscommunication led to a second straight Sagapolutele interception, this one thrown directly to a Bruin with no Cal defender nearby.
“That (interception) was completely on me,” Sagapolutele said in the postgame press conference. “Wasn’t really a favorable look on our part, so I just should have thrown it away or just gave a better ball to somebody. But yeah, that’s one I’ll learn from.”
Knight added his third rushing touchdown soon after, and Woods later broke loose for a 53-yard score to put the game out of reach.
For a team that changed plenty in the offseason, the finish still felt painfully familiar. Close.
Competitive. And gone.
In Other News...
Cal Showed Just Enough On Offense To Make This Loss Tougher
California had enough offensive flashes in its 45-24 loss to UCLA on Sept. 5 at California Memorial Stadium to make the result sting a little more. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele moved the ball through the air with 271 yards and two touchdowns, while the Bears also found a steady spark from Adam Mohammed, who made his Cal debut look like something to build on as the running game and passing game both showed signs of life.
What made it tougher for Cal was the way the rest of the afternoon unfolded around those positives. Nate Burrell got back into the sack column for the first time since 2024, and Kingston Lopa picked off his first career interception, but the defense still spent too much of the day chasing UCLA. When a team loses by three touchdowns and still has enough individual bright spots to wonder what might have been, it usually means there is plenty to sift through before the next week arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Let Tosh Lupois Debut Slip Away When It Mattered Most
Tosh Lupois Cal coaching debut came with plenty of anticipation, but UCLA controlled the night and left Memorial Stadium with a 45-24 win. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns, giving the Bears moments of offense to hang onto, while UCLA kept answering with the kind of plays that put the game out of reach.
TaShawn James helped tilt the momentum with two interceptions, and Wayne Knights touchdown runs kept Cal chasing from behind. Sagapoluteles two turnovers were especially costly after he entered the game riding a program-record run without an interception, a streak that underscored how abruptly the Bears chance to make Lupois debut matter slipped away. [Read more 🡒]
Cals Opener Exposed A Frustrating Problem The Bears Must Fix
A sellout crowd at California Memorial Stadium came expecting a charged opener, and for stretches Cal actually controlled enough of the game to make it interesting. Adam Mohammed gave the Bears a lift on the ground with 120 rushing yards and a touchdown, but UCLA answered with a more explosive attack, getting key production from Wayne Knight and Anthony Woods on the way to a 45-24 win.
What stood out most for Cal was how little its possession edge mattered once the game started opening up. The Bears moved the ball and stayed on the field, but penalties and repeated defensive breakdowns kept turning manageable moments into chasing points, leaving them with a frustrating result despite the extra time of possession. [Read more 🡒]