Cal Sports Report

Cal Football Game Summary: Bears lose to Stanford in the Big Game

Turnovers doom Cal, which saw its four-game winning streak against Stanford come to an end
Jake Curtis|
Cal wide receiver Jordan King (4) catches a pass during Saturday's game
Cal wide receiver Jordan King (4) catches a pass during Saturday's game | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

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California Golden Bears

Stanford beat Cal 31-10 before a crowd of 50,039 at Stanford Stadium on Saturday in the 128th Big Game, ending Cal's four-game winning streak against Stanford.

Cal lost three fumbles, two of which were returned for Stanford touchdowns and one that set up a third Cardinal touchdown.

Stanford's Jay Green returned one Cal fumble 49 yards for a touchdown, Darrius Davis returned another Cal fumble 17 yards for a touchdown in the second period, and a Stanford recovery of a Cal fumble at the Bears' 20-yard line led to the Cardinal's third touchdown.

Cal had lost just two fumbles in its previous 10 games this season.

Penalties also hurt Cal, which committed a season-high 13 penalties for 128 yards.

The summary:

STANFORD 31, CAL 10

RECORDS: CAL (6-5, 3-4 ACC),  STANFORD (4-7, 3-5 ACC.)

PLAYER OF THE GAME:  Stanford running back Micah Ford. He had 150 yards rushing, although no particular player stood out in this game.

TURNING POINT:  Cal led 10-7 when Cal running back Kendrick Raphael fumbled at the Cal 14-yard line late in the first half. Stanford's Darrius Davis scooped up the fumble and returned it 17 yards for a Stanford touchdown that gave the Cardinal a 14-10 lead with 58 seconds left in the first half. Stanford never gave up the lead after that.

CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Linebacker Cade Uluave, who missed the past two games, started Saturday’s game. Wide receiver Mark Hamper and starting defensive back Cam Sidney did not play.

STANFORD PLAYER AVAILABILTY: Starting defensive end Wilfredo Aybar did not play.

KEY PLAY 1: Abram Murray kicked a 40-yard field goal to give Cal a 3-0 lead with 6:10 left in the first quarter. The key play in the possession was a trick play in which tight end Mason Mini took the snap, and lateraled to Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele. Sagapolutele then threw a long lateral to Mini, who has drifted near the right sideline.  Mini then threw a pass to Jordan King for a 17-yard completion that put the ball at the Stanford 24-yard line and set up the field goal.

KEY PLAY 2: Stanford’s Jay Green scored a touchdown on a 49-yard fumble return after Cal’s Jacob De Jesus fumbled at the Stanford 49-yard line and Green scooped it up and scored. It gave Stanford a 7-3 lead with 12:57 left in the second quarter.

KEY PLAY 3: Cal punted on a fourth-and-1 play from its 34-yard line, but Stanford was penalized 5 yards on the play for an equipment violation, giving Cal a first down at the 39-yard line and leading to Cal’s first touchdown, as noted in Key Play 4.

KEY PLAY 4: Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele ran 7 yards for a touchdown on a quarterback draw to give Cal a 10-7 lead with 4:38 remaining in the second quarter.

KEY PLAY 5: Cal’s Dru Polidore Jr. blocked a 23-yard field goal attempt by Emmet Kenney, giving Cal the ball at the Stanford 11-yard line with 1:11 left in the first half

KEY PLAY 6: Stanford’s Darrius Davis returned a fumble 17 yards for a Cardinal touchdown after Davis scooped up a fumble by Cal running back Kendrick Raphael. It gave Stanford a 14-10 lead with 58 seconds left in the first half.

KEY PLAY 7: Stanford kicker Emmet Kenney missed a 35-yard field goal attempt wide right with 10:56 left in the third quarter. Stanford's lead remained 14-10.

KEY PLAY 8: Stanford's Kenney made a 36-yard field goal to increase Stanford's lead to 17-10 with 2:18 left in the third quarter. A 15-yard pass interference penalty of Cal's Hezekiah Masses had moved the ball to the Cal 20-yard line.

KEY PLAY 9: Cal's Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele fumbled at the Cal 20-yard line and it was recovered by Stanford's 20-yard line by Stanford's Matt Rose with 1:31 left in the third quarter. It led to a Stanford touchdown as noted in KEY PLAY 10.

KEY PLAY 10: Stanford's Micah Ford scored a touchdown on a 4-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter to give Stanford a 24-10 lead.

KEY PLAY 11: Stanford quarterback Elijah Brown threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to CJ Williams, increasing Stanford's lead to 31-10 with 10:01 left in the fourth quarter.

STAT OF THE GAME: Cal committed three turnovers, two of which were returned for Stanford touchdown. Stanford committed no turnovers.

STAT OF THE GAME II: Cal was penalized a season-high 13 times for 128 yards.

STAT OF THE GAME III: Cal had 196 yards of offense in the first half, and Stanford had 71, but Stanford held a 14-10 lead at halftime.

STAT OF THE GAME IV: Cal finished with 12 rushing yards for an average of 0.46 yards per carry. If you discount the 44 yards lost on five sacks, Cal still averaged just 2.67 yards per rush..

INDIVIDUAL STAT OF THE GAME: Cal wide receiver Jacob De Jesus had 14 receptions for 96 yards, but he also had one costly fumble.

INDIVIDUAL STAT OF THE GAME II: Stanford linebacker Matt Rose had 14 tackles, including one sack.

QUARTERBACK STATISTICS: Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was 33-for-49 for 262 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. He was sacked five times. Stanford’s Elijah Brown was 10-for-19 for 123 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

WHAT IT MEANS: Cal had its four-game wins streak against Stanford halted, and the Bears lost a game at Stanford Stadium for the first time since 2017. At 6-5, Cal now needs to win at least one of its two remaining games against SMU and a bowl-game opponent to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2019.

With a 3-4 ACC mark, the Bears must defeat SMU at home next Saturday to finish with a winning percentage of .500 or better in conference play for the first time since 2009. A loss to the Mustangs would give Cal its 16th straight season with a losing conference record, the longest such streak among FBS schools.

CAL'S BOWL BAROMETER: Cal remains bowl-eligible since it has six wins, but its chance to land in a bowl with high prestige was diminished. General manager Ron Rivera said before the season began that needed to get into a “solid” bowl game to consider the season a success. There remains a lot of uncertainty about which bowl Cal will go to and which team the Bears will face.

CAL’S ACC TITLE BAROMETER: Cal had no chance for an ACC title even if it had defeated Stanford, but with a 3-4 conference mark, Cal is in danger of finishing tied with Stanford near the bottom of the ACC standings. A victory in next week’s home game against SMU would at least guarantee the Bears a higher finish than Stanford. Cal had the advantage of a favorable ACC schedule since it does not play Georgia Tech, Miami, Pitt or Clemson this season.

JUSTIN WILCOX’S HOT SEAT READING

Wilcox’s seat got warmer after the Bears’ loss to archrival Stanford, which will finish the season with a losing record. This loss took much of the luster off the Bears’ impressive victory over 15th-ranked Louisville in their previous game. How Cal looks in next week’s home game against SMU may influence how Wilcox’s 2025 performance is viewed. If Cal finishes 6-6, Wilcox’s job may be in jeopardy. Even a win over SMU and a 7-5 record might not guarantee his return. There’s a chance Cal will determine Wilcox’s fate before its bowl game.

General manager Ron Rivera will decide whether Wilcox returns for another season, and Rivera said before the season started that eight or nine wins would constitute a successful season. Rivera and Cal Chancellor Rich Lyons have made success in football a major goal, so more is expected of Wilcox and his team this season than was the case in past years. Wilcox, now in his ninth season at Cal, has a 48-55 record as the Bears’ head coach, and will have taken Cal to bowl games in five of his nine seasons. His contract runs through the 2027 season.

NEXT GAME: Cal (6-5, 3-4 ACC) vs. SMU (8-3, 6-1 ACC) at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Saturday, November 29. Starting time: To be determined. TV: To be determined. SMU beat Louisville 38-6 on Saturday. Louisville starting quarterback Miller Moss and Louisville’s top two running backs did not play in that game. The starting time and television coverage for the Cal-SMU game will be announced Sunday or Monday.

Recent articles:

Our comprehensive Big Game preview

Big Game just part of a big week in ACC football

Jon Wilner answers our 5 Questions leading into the Big Game

The Big Game survives as a beacon of tradition in a changing college landscape

Cal freshman quarterback "pretty sure" he'll return next season

Who is Cal most likely to face in a bowl game?

Stanford coach Frank Reich talks about Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele

How Cal could finish as high as third place in the ACC standings

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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