Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele gave California just enough through the air, Kingston Lopa took over the game on defense, and the Golden Bears left Syracuse with a 21-18 win Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.
It was also Tosh Lupoi’s first victory as Cal’s head coach, and it came after his team spent much of the first half chasing the game. California trailed by double digits midway through the second quarter before flipping the script after halftime and hanging on late.
“No matter what occurred in that game, our guys had the ultimate belief that the pendulum was going to swing back our way,” Lupoi said. “We were gonna take it no matter what it took to do that.”
Lopa was the difference-maker in the fourth quarter. He returned his second interception 24 yards for a touchdown with 4:51 remaining to finish the scoring, then came up with his third pick on Syracuse’s final drive with 54 seconds left.
“That’s the mentality we have going out: We (are going to) win this game,” Lopa said. “It’s nothing new to us.
Just going out there, trying to get a three-and-out, get our offense back up, get the momentum. And that’s what we did today.”
Syracuse still had one last shot. With 1:35 to play, the Orange lined up for a 46-yard field goal that could have tied it, but Tripp Woody missed wide. It was a rough night for Woody, who also doinked a 31-yarder off the upright on Syracuse’s first drive of the fourth quarter.
Sagapolutele finished 21 of 34 for 182 yards and two touchdowns for Cal (1-1). Chase Hendricks and Jordan King each caught a scoring pass, while Adam Mohammed added 74 rushing yards on 19 carries after running for 120 last week against UCLA.
“We’re not gonna have a cautious approach when things get tense,” Lupoi said. “We’re gonna do what we do and go on the attack. And fortunately, it worked out for us.”
Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli threw for 306 yards on 24-of-49 passing, but three interceptions undercut the Orange all afternoon. Ju’Juan Johnson, the LSU transfer, ran for 46 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter.
The Orange led 12-7 at halftime and opened the second half by forcing a turnover on downs, but the momentum flipped fast. Lopa picked off Angeli and raced 53 yards the other way before King hauled in a 2-yard touchdown to put Cal ahead 14-12.
Syracuse piled up 436 total yards to Cal’s 249, but the Orange couldn’t cash in often enough when it mattered. Fran Brown said the loss came with lessons for him, too.
“I gotta coach better,” Brown said. “(There are) some things that I need to do better to be able to put our team in positions and go out and win.”
California’s second half looked nothing like the collapse it suffered last week against UCLA. This time, Angeli’s giveaways and a rash of Syracuse penalties helped the Golden Bears seize control.
For Syracuse, Daunte Bacheyie stood out and the kick returners flashed, but the Orange will have to clean things up as the schedule gets tougher.
In Other News...
Syracuse Turns Cal Weekend Into Another Big Recruiting Test
Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome is shaping up to be about more than Syracuses matchup with California. The Orange have lined up another recruiting-heavy weekend, with a sizeable group of high school prospects expected in the building to watch the game and get a closer look at the program in person. For a staff trying to keep momentum going on the trail, these are the kinds of home weekends that can matter just as much as what happens on the field.
The list of visitors includes players from multiple graduating classes and across several positions, along with recruits who already have verbal ties to Syracuse as well as others still sorting through offers and interest. In that sense, the Cal game becomes a live evaluation day for the Orange, a chance to sell atmosphere, access and fit while also keeping an eye on where some of those discussions may be heading next. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Wasted Too Much In Its ACC Opener To Ignore
Syracuses ACC opener followed a familiar and frustrating script at the JMA Wireless Dome, where an early lead slipped away in a 21-18 loss to Cal. The Orange had chances to settle in and control the game, but turnovers and penalties repeatedly interrupted that effort, leaving a result that felt as avoidable as it was costly in the league race.
The damage started to mount when starting running back Tylik Hill exited early and never returned, thinning an offense that needed stability. Syracuse still had late openings to salvage the afternoon, but two missed fourth-quarter field goals, including a tying try with about three minutes left, underscored how much was left on the field in a game the Orange could not afford to waste. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuses ACC Opener Is Testing One Big Orange Offensive Question
Syracuse opened ACC play against California with an early lead in the second quarter, and the first-half script had already offered a little bit of everything. The Orange leaned on some aggressive special teams work, including a successful fake punt, and got a big burst from Tylik Hill on a 55-yard run, even as the passing game worked through a shaky start.
The bigger sideline storyline, though, was the status of a few key receivers. Five-star freshman Calvin Russell III was dressed, but Syracuse had not made clear whether he had been cleared to play or would actually see the field, while Justus Ross-Simmons was active on the sideline in uniform and his helmet, a sign he could be nearing a return. California, meanwhile, was also dealing with absences of its own, including Carter Vargas and Justin Beadles, leaving both sides to navigate an opener already carrying some early-season uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]