Cal v. UCLA Football 2026: Bears Fall to Bruins, 24-45

image courtesy of @CalFootball

The start of the 2026 season marked the first sellout crowd in Cal Memorial Stadium since 2024’s Big Game.

Cal’s first drive was a success off the back of RB Adam Mohammed, who finished the game with 120 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Wayne Knight handled the punt return and first play for the Bruins, with receiver Brian Rowe Jr. acting as the focal point for the next two plays, taking a backfield handoff for 20 yards. The Bruins made use of most of their pass catchers on their first drive down the field, facing almost no resistance from the defense; finally, a defensive penalty got UCLA to the Cal 9 yard line, where QB Nico Iamaleava ran it in on a keeper.

The next few possessions fizzled out for both sides, with Cal’s defense finding its footing, batting down passes and containing the Bruins’ excellent run game. While the Bruins found fewer opportunities to get to the quarterback, Cal found themselves stymied and unable to create momentum until the end of the first quarter, which ended on a first down that brought them to UCLA’s 29 yard line. Finally Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele found Ian Strong to get the team within field goal range, and the Bears took a three point lead.

The Bruins bounced back, with RB Anthony Woods bouncing off the scrum and finding open field for a 31 yard touchdown run. Soon after, UCLA was back in Bear territory with seven minutes left in the first half. A combination of Javian Thomas and Wayne Knight finished the job, the latter making it a two score lead with three minutes and change left in the half.

Things were looking grim once again for the Bears, before DB Kingston Lopa picked off the Bruins, saving the game from getting out of hand before the end of the first half. On 3rd and 10 deep in their own backfield, JKS connected with Ian Strong for a 50 yard gain. JKS then connected with Chase Hendricks to get it within range and Mason Mini for the touchdown, making it 21-17 going into the half.

UCLA’s opening drive of the second half sputtered out, with the only features of the drive being an injury to their WR Landon Ellis. Cal responded with a scoring drive to tie the game, marked largely by grinding drives by Adam Mohammed, but also featured an injury to center Bastian Sweeney.

The second half became a slog, with both teams tamping down their run defense and both teams amassing the sort of penalties that kill drives. Looking to build momentum, Cal went for it on 4th and 3, failed, and gave UCLA the ball back at midfield with 11 minutes left to play. UCLA was called for unsportsmanlike conduct shortly after that, which helped kill the opportunity handed to them. Shortly thereafter, a pass bounced off Ian Strong’s hands, giving the Bruins back the ball at the California 30, as if the whole thing had never happened. Wayne Knight ran 31 yards for a touchdown the next play, and the game quickly went from close to out of hand.

On the following drive, Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele threw another interception to give UCLA the ball back at midfield once more, and energy began to leave the stadium. On 3rd and 1 on the next set of downs, UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava went down with an apparent lower body injury, and was replaced by his freshman brother Madden Iamaleava. Wayne Knight’s ability to stay upright helped keep the drive alive, and he found the endzone once again, making it 38-24 after the extra point, with under three minutes remaining. After another ill-fated Cal possession, Anthony Woods ran 53 yards for another touchdown, bringing the final score to 45-24.

Cal had possession a full ten minutes more than their opponent, and 51 fewer penalty yards, but ultimately could not account for the efficiency and inventiveness of UCLA’s run game in a disappointing start to a season that still promises excitement.