It wasn’t easy, but when is it ever easy for the California Golden Bears?
Despite trailing for over 50+ minutes, three crucial interceptions from Kingston Lopa in the second half (including the game-winning pick-six) gave the Bears a 21-18 victory on the road in Syracuse. Steve Angeli was able to move Syracuse into position to score multiple times in the second half, but only scored once. Lopa thwarted three of those Syracuse drives, which included the final possession, and the Orange also missed two crucial field goals that could’ve made the difference.
Cal won this game despite being outgained by nearly 200 yards (436-249), giving up 27 first downs to 16, and the Cal offense managing only one drive of over 40 yards and punting most of the first quarter and second half. 15 Syracuse penalties killed multiple scoring opportunities, and the +3 turnover advantage negated most of those per play advantages.
In the run attack, Adam Mohammed churned his way to 74 yards and probably should have had the game-clinching first down if not for a poor spot, but Syracuse did a good job of early penetration on Cal’s struggling offensive line and prevented second-level explosions.
The Cal wide receivers again struggled with drops from Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, stalling multiple drives. Chase Hendricks proved again to be a stable target, catching JKS’s one touchdown throw and hauling in five receptions. Ian Strong also had a huge 45-yard catch to set up the Hendricks tocuhdown, and Mason Mini had a 38-yard catch, and Jordan King grabbed the second score as well, but the Cal passing offense slogged its way to a sub-200 yard performance.
After a disastrous season-opener against UCLA though, the Cal defense adjusted and mustered a much-needed clutch bend-don’t-break performance. Syracuse entered the red zone five times and the Cal 30 seven times but only managed 21 points. Aside from conceding an early Tylik Hill run for 55 yards, and a touchdown from Angeli to Daunte Bacheyie on an overaggressive angle, the Cal defense was mostly stable, making Angeli make tough decisions as his completion rate dipped under 50% and he nearly threw up multiple interception opportunities. After the early big play, the Syracuse run game was held to under 2 yards per carry.
After being out of place against UCLA, then getting outgained 214-65 and falling behind 12-0 to start Saturday, the Bears stiffened their resolve. Cal provided a great deal of pressure from multiple angles against Syracuse, as Jayden Wayne, Daniel Harris, AJ Tuitele, Solomon Williams, and Isaiah Crosby all notched sacks and TFLs, and many of the new transfers along with JD McKinley notched four tackles-plus.
But the star of this game was Lopa. He first intercepted Angeli with Syracuse threatening in the red zone, taking it 53 yards to set up a very short Cal scoring drive to go up 14-12. Lopa then made the biggest play of the game by perfectly reading an Angeli throw over the middle, pick-sixing Angeli to put Cal up 21-18. Lopa’s final diving pick on the final drive sealed the proceedings, as the Bears gutted out yet another road ACC win.
After taking his lumps in his first game at home, Tosh Lupoi earned his first victory with an epic playmaking defense. Games like these are exactly why we hired him, and it should provide the Bears a bit of spark after some tough early moments. Cal has a lot of talent that remains a bit raw, but can grab victories if they play their cards right.
There’s still room for significant improvement. It’s pretty obvious to any member of the Cal family that the offense has to get better. The drops need to be cleaned up, the line needs to create better holes for explosive runs, and the playcalling has to get sharper. Cal got very fortunate that Lopa had the game of his life. It’s always win at all costs and above anything, but there is always a cost to winning this way.
On the bright side, few teams have had a harder two-game entrance to this season than a home game with rising UCLA and a quick 3000 mile turnaround to Syracuse. To come out of that stretch 1-1 with a squad still learning to play together has to feel pretty nice, as the Bears will now spend four of their next five games at home with a brief Vegas interlude in-between.
It’s safe to say Cal should take wins in whatever form they can get them, especially away from the comfortable confines of Berkeley. The Bears clearly are not a finished product, with a lot of new pieces still learning to work as a unit, but after only two games, the defense seems to have found a winning formula for success. If the offense can match them and get on the same page, there could be a real opportunity for something special this season.
A tune-up against Wagner will hopefully prepare them for another must-win opportunity on Friday vs. struggling Clemson. There is still time for the Bears to produce a great season, but the fundamentals must continue to improve.
For now, Cal is 1-0 in ACC play! Let’s move forward and Go Bears!
One of the ugliest overall games by both teams I've seen in a while. Biggest play of the game for me was Daniel Harris not giving up and chasing down the RB in their first drive of the game. I was watching and noticing him come from the other side of the field and turning to my buddy after their FG and wondering if that's the play that wins the game.
Outside of a few big plays, the defense yesterday looked better than last year. Love the blitzing pressure defense producing sacks and TFLs. The offense is a mess so far but it usually takes longer for a new offense to come together than a new defense. If the offense can get on the same page with their new coordinator Cal can go on a run. Biggest concern is the OL continues to underperform, again. Maybe they just need new players and a new OL coach, because they don't look improved so far at all. Let's hope they can get much better as the season goes on.