RECAP: Cal forces late fumble to preserve win over North Carolina
Cal fans have become accustomed to the ups and downs of a game. There were plenty of those moments Friday night. North Carolina looked like it was about to take its first lead late in the fourth quarter as Nathan Leacock made is way to the end zone.
Instead, Bears cornerback Brent Austin came up with a strip and recovery at the goal line to end the threat and seal a 21-18 victory.
“That is an elite play,” Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said. “That’s as good of an individual play as we’ve had this season. Unbelievable play. Whatever adjective you want to throw in front of it, that’s what it was.”
Cal’s opening drive of the second half took up 5:33 of the clock and went 79 yards. Running back Kendrick Raphael scored from 2 yards out to cap the drive to give the Bears a 21-10 advantage.
The drive ended up being an important part of the night for Cal. The score would provide the Bears with enough separation to open the second half of the season with a victory.
Maybe it was the late start, maybe it was the day of the game. Whatever it was, both teams struggled to find any kind of rhythm early. There were 10 punts and fewer than 350 yards of offense combined in the first half.
The early score by Cal to open the second cleared the way for a more complete performance by the Bears (5-2, 2-1 ACC). The opening drive of the second half featured a more productive effort for offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin‘s group.
Cal had four plays of at least 8 yards on the drive highlighted by an 18-yard catch and run for slot receiver Quaron Adams. A pass interference call in favor of Trond Grizzell in the end zone put the Bears at the 2-yard line and in position to score.
Raphael did the rest. He finished the game with 81 yards rushing on 22 carries to go with his touchdown run.
Sagapolutele, Cal offense bounces back in second half
Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele went just 11 for 25 for 115 yards passing in the first half. The Bears produced only 163 yards of total offense through the first 30 minutes of action.
Drops again were an issue for the Bears in the first half leading to missed chances. Cal had just three plays over 15 yards in the first half Friday night. Ultimately, the Bears were able to have more production in that regard and closed out the win with __ explosive plays.
Sagapolutele wrapped up his seventh start with 209 yards passing and a touchdown on a 21-for-39 showing against the Tar Heels (2-4, 0-2). He also rushed for a score early.
Cal had two drives of at least 70 yards with both ending in touchdown plays. The first came late in the first quarter when Jacob De Jesus caught a pass from Sagapolutele and took it 7 yards for the touchdown.
The UNLV transfer finished with a team-high 13 catches for 105 yards receiving and the score.
Defense returns to from against UNC
It didn’t take long for Cal’s defense to shake off a poor performance against Duke the last time it was on the field. Defensive back Cam Sidney forced a fumble on UNC’s Shanard Clower on the first play from scrimmage.
Sidney recovered the fumble himself and gave Cal the ball in great field position. It took the Bears just four plays to reach the end zone on a 3-yard keeper for Sagapolutele.
Cal’s defense kept quarterback Gio Lopez and the UNC offense in check for much of the night. The Tar Heels struggled to string together efficient drives throughout the game, and Lopez never quite looked comfortable.
He was hurried four times by the Bears, who also had seven pass breakups in the game. Inside linebacker Cade Uluave led the way with three pass breakups to go with a team-high 10 tackles and a tackle for loss.
The Bears held UNC to 294 total yards in Friday’s contest.
Cal will hit the road next week for another Friday night matchup. The Bears will square off with Virginia Tech next week with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. PT.
