Cal vs. Miami Football Insta-Recap & Rate the Game: Bears Can't Grab the Upset, Fall 38-39 to the 'Canes
Cal vs. Miami Football Insta-Recap & Rate the Game: Bears Can't Grab the Upset, Fall 38-39 to the 'Canes
Miami scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat Cal
After a solid defensive showing in the first half, the California Golden Bears (3-2, 0-2 ACC) gave up 21 unanswered points to the visiting No. 8 Miami Hurricanes (6-0, 2-0 ACC), failing in its upset bid, dropping the game 38-39.
California's defense held Miami to only 10 points in the first half, and the Golden Bears went into the break with a 21-10 scoreline, thanks to big plays from quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Mendoza found tight end Jack Endries for a 57-yard touchdown to tie up the score 7-7 in the first quarter, and running back Jaydn Ott landed a 66-yard reception to extend the Golden Bears' lead to 21-10. Ott had another score on a five-yard run at the beginning of the second quarter.
However, Miami senior quarterback Cameron Ward would lead his team back in the fourth quarter. Ward threw his only two touchdowns in the last period of the game and even ran 24 yards for a rushing touchdown with 4:19 remaining.
Since we won 3 of 4 quarters, my scores gravitate to 75. Lower for the rushing game which was not able to give us downs or clock time. Higher for the passing game that gave us some big plays, for a while anyway.
Cal’s Defense is good but 37.5 minutes on field is too much for any D. That is why their 1st half pressure was no longer there in the 4th quarter. They were out of gas. Uluave had 12 tackles 1st half, but only 3 second half. Though offense scored 38 points they have more problems with their offensive line protecting the quarterback than on the defensive side.
Cal’s best solution is to see if they can use a larger rotation of players on their defense. This way starters will have more energy left in the tank for the 4th quarter. Yes, this means taking your chances with having an extra D lineman playing into the regular starting mix, also 1 of 2 linebackers in the mix, and also an extra defensive back playing in the starting mix. But this is a better calculated risk to take as I don’t think they have as many options on the sideline to shore up the offensive line. The defensive side seems to have more options that can be applied. Unless there is an unknown offensive lineman that can suddenly fit in and start helping their blocking schemes. The Defensive side is where I think there is more leverage to apply.