Cal's Fourth Quarter Meltdown Leads to 38-39 Loss to the No. 8 Miami Hurricanes
California gave up a 25-point lead in the second half of the game
The California Golden Bears (3-2, 0-2 ACC), which previously allowed its opponents to score only 14 points or fewer in each of its games this season, surrendered 21 unanswered points to the visiting No. 8 Miami Hurricanes (6-0, 2-0 ACC), losing its upset bid 38-39 Saturday evening.
Before the game's last period, California's defense had been successful, keeping Miami at bay despite the top-10 team running considerably more plays.
"They ran a lot more plays than we did," and we have to make another play in the game," California head coach Justin Wilcox said plainly in the post-game press conference, referring to Miami's 86-49 advantage in play count.
"We had opportunities. I mean, we all saw them, and we didn't make them," the coach continued.
The visiting Hurricanes gained only 12 yards on their first drive and scored only one touchdown in the first half. In contrast, Golden Bear quarterback Fernando Mendoza found Jack Endries for a 57-yard touchdown at the end of the first quarter and Jaydn Ott for a 66-yard reception in the middle of the second period. The latter gave Cal a 21-10 lead, as Ott added a five-yard rushing touchdown at the start of the second quarter.
Mendoza finished the game with 285 passing yards, two touchdowns thrown and one interception. He did not earn a single passing yard in the entire fourth quarter.
Miami senior quarterback Cameron Ward threw for 437 yards, collecting 238 in the fourth quarter alone. He also added two touchdowns thrown and one score on the ground.
After California kicker Ryan Coe landed a 37-yard field goal to bring the Bears' lead to 38-18 at the start of the fourth quarter, Ward found Isaiah Horton on a short pass to the left, which the wide-out brought in for an 18-yard touchdown to the cut the visiting team's deficit to 25-38.
Miami's defense would hold the Bears on the next drive.
Ward then moved the Hurricanes down the field in short order, stringing together short pass after short pass, which his receivers would extend with considerable yards after each catch. With 4:19 remaining in the fourth quarter, the signal-caller would reach the end zone on a 24-yard run, essentially untouched.
The score that would bring the visiting team ahead came with 32 seconds left in the game. On a second-and-goal from Cal's five-yard line, Ward connected with Elijah Arroyo on a short pass to the left to tie the game at 38. Miami's point-after would give the Hurricanes the decisive 39-38 lead.
Read the insta-reactions for the Cal v. Miami game. Don’t forget to rate the game!
Hey everyone
I know it was a tough loss
We should have won this and the last game too
But we can beat anybody. We just got to continue to progress.
Year is far from over and we are on schedule to win 8 or 9 games. Please let’s stay level and continue to support our Golden Bears.
On the back of this tough loss, I wanted to share a testimonial:
I was at the game in Texas in Austin in 2015 when TX missed an extra point in a game that TX frankly should have won. So we eked out a narrow victory.
As I was deliriously celebrating, I saw TX fans gather to sing to their players. Instead of boos, it was serenades
And then it occurred to me that a winning culture is relentless, whether in victory or in defeat.
From then on, that memory started to marinate in me until now. So I will now choose to be supportive of our sturdy golden bears
Of course we should criticize and analyze. That’s what we do. But underneath it all, love for the university that we are so proud of