In spite of Cal not yet winning a single game against an ACC opponent they have been one tough out every week, losing to No. 8 Miami by 1 point in Week-6 and to No. 22 Pittsburgh this past Saturday by just two points 17-15. If only their offense, which is in the bottom 25% of the conference, could be as good as their defense which is in the top 25% of the conference. In this one, after holding Pittsburgh to a three-and-out to start the game the Golden Bears came down the field like they owned it in a 10 play 75 yard drive ending in a 21 yard Jaivian Thomas TD run to go up 6-0 after missing a 2-point conversion attempt. The Panthers would follow up with a 75 yard drive of their own and a Desmond Reid 5 yard TD run to go up 7-6 after a successful PAT. Cal would end up punting their next two possessions while Pittsburgh would create some distance on the scoreboard with another TD and a field goal to go up 17-6. Bogging down just outside the red zone on their next possession Cal’s place kicker Ryan Coe would kick a 39 yard field goal to make it 17-9 where it would stay through the break.
In spite of the fact that Cal only committed four penalties after the break after 8 for 90 yards in the first half, the rest of the game was still a total cluster fuck for both teams with—seven possessions averaging less than 4 downs each—and consisting of five punts, two interceptions, two fumbles, a missed field goal, a turnover on downs and the only score of the half—a Cal TD and another missed 2-point conversion putting them two points shy at 17-15 with over 10 minutes left to play—plenty of time for either side to win this mess. But after the touchdown Pitt would end up punting after four plays, Cal would miss a field goal at the end of a 13 plays 58 yard drive and then hold the Panthers to a three-and-out, and then have to turn the ball over themselves on downs just four plays later with less than 30 seconds left—end of game thankfully.
For Cal, Sophomore QB Fernando Mendoza connected on 27-of-37 for 272 yards, no interceptions and 1 TD to Sophomore TE Jack Andries who was one of the bright lights in this gloomy game with 8 receptions for 119 yards. On the ground Sophomore RB Jaivian Thomas rushed 17 times for 72 yards and 1 TD. But once the rest of the team is added into the total, including Mendoza’s 10 attempts for minus 34 yards, Cal ended up collectively rushing 40 times for just 63 yards, an average of less than 2 yards per carry. In spite of all the missed opportunities and frustration Pittsburgh must have been feeling on the offensive side—especially in the air—it was their running game and defense that kept the loss at bay with 83 tackles, 6 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 2 pass disruptions. On the ground Junior RB Desmond Reid rushed 16 times for 120 yards and 2 TD’s. Their Freshman QB Eli Holstein connected at a 50% clip, never found the end zone, but threw up two interceptions. The Golden Bears head home to take on North Carolina State in Week-8.