Cal Football Rocks Minnesota's Boat in Gritty Win After Dark

It was the Bears who made the plays on the margins to come out on top over the Gophers

Cal and Minnesota waltzed into California Memorial Stadium for what could have been dubbed as their first real test of the season. Through three quarters, both teams faced significant adversity as a one score slugfest broke out in Berkeley. In what was a refreshing end to a clutch game, it was Cal that made the plays when it counted en-route to a hard fought 27-14 win over Minnesota.

Credit: Cal Football

The Special Sequence

In past years, doom and gloom came right to the forefront for many Cal fans when both one score and close games entered the fray. As Justin Wilcox stated multiple times over the course of the offseason, the best way to avoid those types of situations is to go out and take it yourself. In the fourth quarter, it was Cal who took advantage of every Minnesota misstep and effectively put the game out of reach.

Special teams was the one area of the team that we didn’t have a good grasp of leaving fall camp. Through three games I would argue that they’ve won each and every matchup.

Against the Gophers, Cal made all of its field goals once again, and are now 6/6 on the season kicking between two PK’s. Jacob de Jesus, despite not getting a ton of space to return versus Minnesota, has demonstrated that he has what it takes to break one open.

And finally, the crucial sequence that let Cal scoot away for good. Mr. Do it all Koi Perich had a disastrous night on special teams. He first fair caught a punt at the two yard line before he gobsmackingly tried to field another punt in the fourth after two sideways bounces, muffing it and letting the Bears capitalize on a welcomed opportunity in the red zone.

How Cal’s special teams takes shape over the course of the season fascinates me.

A linebacker corps that was hungry for the challenge

With Cade Uluave out for the first half against the Gophers, the burden of expectation grew that much more for Luke Ferrelli, Harrison Taggart, Aaron Hampton and company.

Despite some third down conversions for the Gophers, the juice that Ferrelli, Hampton, and TJ Bush brought to the table was a stepping stone for eventually imposing their will by the fourth quarter. Justin Wilcox and Uluave both explicitly called out Ferrelli’s year over year development as the most welcome sight so far, with his exponential growth met with praise for his preparation and intuition.

Hampton struck down a Minnesota drive on the plus side of the field, where Perich was called to do a double pass but there came a missile from the middle of the defense. Considering all the possibilities in play for the linebackers in this game, they met the moment and then some against a team that likes to impose its will and stay on schedule.

Contextualizing the offense

Cal’s offensive gameplan shifted heavily towards the pass against Minnesota and from my perspective, surprisingly so. Midway through the third quarter, Cal’s running backs had totaled three total rushing attempts, a stunning number.

With a freshman quarterback against a really good defense, the lack of running at first could have been misguided but ultimately was a correct process against the Gophers. Cal QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele referenced Bryan Harsin’s gameplan of attacking the Minnesota defense and by the end of the night, the pass set up the run for the Bears.

In doing so, the receivers were given ample time to shine and for the most part, they delivered. A group that hadn’t necessarily played to its potential so far, there were many pass catchers who made their presence felt with plenty of firsts and clutch receptions.

Jacob de Jesus continued his solid start to the year, getting in the end zone for the first time as a Golden Bear. More of the theatrics went to Jordan King and Jaiven Plummer, two upstart receivers who have earned more and more reps over the years. This was a growing up game for Kyle Cefalo’s group.

Lastly, the offensive line gave JKS a good amount of time to throw against Minnesota. Considering its first test, this group easily gets a pass. Curiously, they started their third different starting lineup against the Gophers with Frederick Williams III getting the nod at left tackle. Braden Miller replaced Jordan Moko in the second half at LG, potentially leaving Cal without a concrete starting five for the moment. It hasn’t bit the Bears yet but something to note.

Conclusions

That’s a really good win against a very solid program. With Cal royalty in Jahvid Best in the building, the team rose to the occasion with an eerily reminiscent feel of some late 2000’s Golden Bear squads.

Now the question becomes, can Cal make this more than just a blip on the radar? We posed that question after Auburn last season and I’ll bring it back around today.

Is Cal going to be different in close games? Scene one without a doubt is a success. Now the Bears get a San Diego State team that they should beat if they are who they say they are, as Cal looks for their first 4-0 start since 2019.

You can listen to my podcast thoughts here.