A sellout crowd of 52,428, the primary Cal sellout for the reason that 2022 Massive Sport in opposition to Stanford, noticed Cal blow a 25-point, second-half lead in a 39-38 loss to No. 8 Miami in Berkeley on a scorching Saturday evening.
When Cal took a 35-10 lead with 8:06 left within the third quarter, it appeared Cal would get its first win over a top-10 group because it defeat No. 8 Washington State 37-3 in 2017. However Cal couldn’t maintain the lead as Miami scored the go-ahead landing with 37 seconds left on Cam Ward’s 5-yard cross to Elijah Arroyo.
It was Cal’s first non-Massive Sport dwelling sellout since a 2013 sport in opposition to Ohio State, when the Bears’ stadium’s capability was 62,647.
Cal followers shall be left to query why a focusing on name was not made in opposition to Miami on a third-down play from the Cal 46-yard line on Cal’s nest-to-last possession whereas the Bears nonetheless had the lead. It pressured Cal to punt and the Hurricanes went 92 yards for the game-winning rating.
“I am not going to speak about that,” Cal head coach Justin Wilcox stated of that non-call. “You possibly can write no matter you need.”
Brock Osweiler, who did the commentary for ESPN for the sport, stated he undoubtedly thought it was focusing on:
For anybody who missed it, this was the play in query. pic.twitter.com/5ubAy5xRpl
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 6, 2024
The query was whether or not Wesley Bissainthe’s hit was to Fernando Mendoza’s head or his shoulder.
NO. 8 MIAMI 39, CAL 38
RECORDS: CAL (3-2, 0-2 ACC), MIAMI (6-0, 2-0 ACC)
PLAYER OF THE GAME, OFFENSE: Miami quarterback Cam Ward. After Cal had a 35-10 lead, Ward threw for 2 touchdowns and ran for one more to steer the comeback victory.
STAT OF THE GAME: Cal had 4 cross performs of greater than 50 yards for the primary time in at the very least 10 years and possibly for much longer in the past than that. Two of the 4 had been landing passes.
STAT OF THE GAME II: Miami rolled up 575 yards of whole offense and outgained the Bears by 205 yards, Miami had 30 first downs to 13 for Cal.
STAT OF THE GAME III: Cal had simply 47 dashing yards for the sport.
TURNING POINT: On a play from the Miami 8-yard line with Cal main 38-32, Cam Ward threw a 77-yard completion to a wide-open Xavier Restrepo, placing Miami in place for the go-ahead landing within the ultimate minute.
CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Ryan Coe remained the place-kicker for Cal regardless of going 5-for-11 on area objectives within the first 4 video games. Guard Sioape Vatikani, who left the sport in opposition to Florida State on a cart, was thought-about “possible” for Saturday’s sport, however he didn’t play. Defensive again Matthew Littlejohn was not out there both. Huge receiver Tobias Merriweather and huge receiver Kyion Grayes, who had been projected as starters earlier than the season started, missed their fifth straight gams.
KEY PLAY 1: On the primary play of Miami’s second possession, Mark Flecher Jr. ran for 33 yards to the Cal 35-yard line. It led to the primary rating of the sport, which got here on a 3-yard Fletcher run, giving the Hurricanes a 7-0 lead with 6:19 left within the first quarter.
KEY PLAY 2: Cal’s Francisco Mendoza accomplished a 57-yard landing cross to tight finish Jack Endries to tie the rating 7-7 with 3:58 left within the first quarter.
KEY PLAY 3: On a fourth-and-2 play from the Cal 45-yard line, Miami’s Cam Ward accomplished a cross to tight finish Elijah Arroyo, however he was stopped for a 1-yard acquire by Cal security Miles Williams, turning the ball over to Cal. The Bears scored on the ensuing possession
KEY PLAY 4: Cal’s Fernando Mendoza accomplished a 51-yard cross to Trond Grizzell, placing the ball on the Miami 5-yard line. Jaydn Ott then scored on a 5-yard landing run to place the Bears forward 14-7 with 13:43 left within the first half
KEY PLAY 5: Miami’s Andres Borregales kicked a 46-yard area aim, lowering Cal’s result in 14-10 with 9:07 left within the second quarter.
KEY PLAY 6: On a fourth-and 1 play from Cal 34-yard line, Fernando Mendoza threw a 66-yard landing cross to Jaydn Ott, giving Cal a 21-10 lead with 8:00 minutes left within the first half.
KEY PLAY 7: Cal’s Nohl Williams intercepted a Cam Ward cross on the Miami 40-yard line and returned it 40 yards for a landing that gave Cal a 28-10 lead with 13:07 left within the third quarter. It was Cal’s eleventh interception of the season and Williams fifth interception of the season.
KEY PLAY 8: Fernando Mendoza accomplished a 56-yard cross to Jaivian Thomas, placing the ball on the Miami 29-yard line. It led to Chandler Rodgers’ 9-yard landing run, giving Cal a 35-10 lead with 8:06 remaining within the third quarter.
KEY PLAY 9: Miami’s Cam Ward threw an 18-yard landing cross to IIsaiah Horton to cut back the Cal result in 38-25 with 10:28 remaining within the fourth quarter.
KEY PLAY 10: Miami quarterback Cam Ward scored a landing on a 24-yard scramble to cut back the Cal result in 38-32 with 4:04 left within the fourth quarter
KEY PLAY 11: On a play from the Miami 8-yard line with Cal main 38-32, Cam Ward accomplished a 77-yard cross to Xavier Restrepo, placing the ball on the Cal 15-yard line with 1:28 left
KEY PLAY 12: On a third-and-20 play on that very same possession, Ward accomplished a 22-yard cross to Damien Martinez, placing the ball on the Cal 3-yard line with 37 seconds to go.
KEY PLAY 13: Cam Ward threw an 5-yard landing cross to Elijah Arroyo with 26 seconds left to place Miami forward 39-38 after the made additional level.
INDIVIDUAL STAT OF THE GAME: Cal working again Jaydn Ott had seven carries for simply 2 yards dashing. He additionally had a 66-yard landing reception. However he didn’t play within the late phases of the sport and it is unclear whether or not an damage was concerned. Wilcox stated afterward that he must look into that.
QUARTERBACK STATISTICS: Cal’s Fernando Mendoza was 11-for-22 for 285 yards, two touchdowns and one interception; Cal’s Chandler Rogers was 1-for-2 for 12 yards; Miami’s Cam Ward was 35-for-53 for 437 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
WHAT IT MEANS: Cal demonstrated it may play with the massive boys, however this was a serious intestine punch for the Bears, who let a chance to document a serious upset slip away. It will likely be tough to bounce again from this one. A win over the No. 8 group within the nation would have made the Bears an outdoor menace for the ACC title. As a substitute, the loss comes near eliminating Cal’s probabilities of successful the convention championship.
CAL’S BOWL BAROMETER: The Bears’ probabilities of touchdown a bowl berth are at about 50%, dropping a chance to nearly lock up a bowl berth .
NEXT GAME: Cal (3-2, 0-2 ACC) vs. Pittsburgh (5-0, 1-0 ACC), Saturday, October 12 at Pitt’s Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Kickoff time: 12:30 p.m. Pacific time (3:30 p.m. Jap time). TV: ESPN or ACC Community. Pitt outcome Saturday: Pittsburgh improved to 5-0 for the primary time since 1991 with a 34-24 highway victory over North Carolina on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers had been picked to complete thirteenth within the ACC within the preseason ballot, however they’re more likely to be ranked within the prime 25 when the AP ballot is launched on Sunday
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