How it happened: California outlasts No. 15 Louisville 29-26 in overtime
Louisville football was handed its second loss of the season on Saturday night, this time at the hands of California, 29-26 in overtime.
The two schools were meeting on the gridiron for the first time, with the Golden Bears getting the best of the U of L to clinch three seasons of bowl eligibility in a row.
Louisville’s defense had one of its poorer performances of the season, giving up 427 yards and 350 of them through the air. In overtime, the Golden Bears went to their bread and butter connection of true freshman quarterback Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele and slot receiver Jacob De Jesus. Cards corner, Rodney Johnson was in man coverage on the play. Johnson was filling in for an injured Tayon Holloway, who exited the contest in the second half.
Keawe-Sagapolutele finished with his first career 300+ yard (323) passing game and completed 30 of his 47 passes, not turning it over and throwing two touchdowns. De Jesus was responsible for 158 of those yards, catching 16 balls and adding the game-winning score.
Kendrick Raphael led the bears on the ground, adding 83 yards on 19 attempts.
California was also 8-of-18 on third down and converted its only fourth down.
The Cardinals’ offense got off to a great start and still finished the night with 351 yards, but lost the turnover battle and struggled to create explosive plays through the air, resulting in four field goals from Cooper Ranvier.
Quarterback Miller Moss threw for 203 yards, but an early third-quarter interception and a completion percentage of 53 percent weren’t going to cut it against one of the best secondaries in the ACC. It was a career day for running back Keyjuan Brown, who tallied bests in carries (14) and yards (136), and Duke Watson returned to the field for the first time, carrying the ball eight times for a touchdown.
Moss spread the wealth evenly amongst his weapons, but Chris Bell still led the team in catches with six. The senior wideout had a frustrating night, only being targeted twice after halftime for one catch and 13 yards.
Louisville still has a lot to play for, including a berth in the ACC Championship Game. Both of Louisville’s losses come in overtime at home. Next week, the Cardinals host Clemson on Friday night. Kick off is set for 7:30 EST on ESPN.
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