Skip to main content
Cal Sports Report

Cal Football Game Summary: Bears Lose to UNLV; Sagapolutele Injured

Cal rallies from a 24-7 halftime deficit to take the lead, but still suffers its second straight loss
Jake Curtis|
Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele
Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In this story:

California Golden Bears

Cal rallied from a 24-7 halftime deficit to take the lead, but ultimately the Bears lost to UNLV 39-31 on Saturday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Cal was without quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele for the entire second half after he left the game in the final minute of the second quarter when he hit his head hard on the turf. He was cleared medically to return, but Cal coach Tosh Lupoi opted not to put him back in the game with a head injury.

Jackson Brousseau was the Bears' quarterback in the second half.

Cal played the game without injured running back Adam Mohammed, the team’s leading rusher with 336 yards.

Cal safety Kingston Lopa left the game with an injury three minutes into the first quarter and did not return. Bears starting nickel back Cam Sidney was ejected from the game for targeting in the first quarter. Cal defensive back Daniel Harris was ejected for targeting in the fourth quarter.

The game summary:

UNLV 39, CAL 31

RECORDS: CAL (2-3, 1-1 ACC), UNLV (3-2, 1-0 Mountain West)

Player of the Game

UNLV quarterback Jackson Arnold. Although he passed for just 158 yards, he threw touchdown passes of 70, 36 and 10 yards and ran for a 55-yard touchdown. He also had a key 42-yard run and finished with 110 rushing yards.

Turning Point

With Cal leading 25-24, UNLV quarterback Jackson Arnold ran 42 yards to the Cal 12-yard line, which led to Arnold's 10-yard touchdown pass for a 32-25 UNLV lead with 9:38 left.

KEY PLAY 1: On a fourth-and-2 play from the UNLV 47-yard line, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele completed a pass to Tyree Sams, but it was a half-yard short of a first down. It turned the ball over the UNLV with 12:20 left in the first quarter with the game scoreless.

KEY PLAY 2: Cal safety Kingston Lopa, who leads the nation in interceptions with five, left the game with an injury three minutes into the first quarter.

KEY PLAY 3: Sagapolutele completed a 91-yard touchdown pass to freshman tight end Taimane Purcell, who covered most of the ground himself. It gave Cal a 7-0 lead with 11:30 remaining in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY 4: Cal starting safety Cam Sidney was ejected for targeting with 11:25 left in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY 5:  On a third-and-8 play from the UNLV 30-yard line, Rebels quarterback Jackson Arnold completed a 70-yard touchdown pass to Kayden McGee to tie the score 7-7 with 5:31 to go in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY 6: With Cal facing a second-and-7 play from the UNLV 30-yard line, Sagapolutele threw a pass that was intercepted by UNLV’s Quandarius Keyes at the UNLV 28-yard line and returned it 44 yards to the Cal 28-yard line with 34 seconds left in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY 7: On UNLV’s third-and-7 play from the Cal 25-yard line, UNLV attempted a double pass, and Matt Byrnes’ pass was intercepted by Cal safety Aiden Manutai in the end zone on the first play of the second quarter.

KEY PLAY 8: On a third-and-3 play, UNLV quarterback Jackson Arnold ran 55 yards for a touchdown to give the Rebels a 14-7 lead with 11:18 remaining in the second quarter.

KEY PLAY 9: Cal kicker Towns McGough was well short on a 51-yard field-goal attempt midway through the second quarter.

KEY PLAY 10: On a fourth-and-5 play from its own 36-yard line, UNLV ran a fake punt, and Rebels punter Matthew Choules ran 13 yards for a first down with 4:36 left in the second quarter. That led later in the same possession to Ramon Vallela’s 31-yard field goal, giving UNLV a 17-7 lead with 1:52 left in the first half.

KEY PLAY 11: UNLV quarterback Jackson Arnod threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Taz Reddicks, increasing the Rebels’ lead to 24-7 with 51 seconds to go in the first half.

KEY PLAY 12: Cal quarterback Sagapolutele left the game with 43 seconds left in the half after he hit his head hard on the turf after being tackled.

KEY PLAY 13: Cal opens the second half with a successful onside kick, giving the Bears the ball at the Cal 48-yard line. However, it did not lead to a score, as indicated in KEY PLAY 14.

KEY PLAY 14: On a Cal fourth-and-2 play from the UNLV 23-yard line, Cal's Ashten Emory was stopped for no gain, giving the ball back to UNLV with 12:33 left in the third quarter and the Rebels holding a 24-7 lead.

KEY PLAY 15: Cal's Jackson Brousseau threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Carson Perry-Smith, and Brousseau completed a two-point conversion pass to Cooper Perry to reduce the UNLV lead to 24-15. with 4:40 left in the third quarter.

KEY PLAY 16: On the ensuing kickoff, UNLV returner Peyton Zacahry fumbled, and it was recovered by Cal's Niles Davis at the UNLV 16-yard line with 4:32 to go in the third quarter. It led to a 31-yard field goal by Chase Meyer that cut the UNLV lead to 24-18 with 3:36 remaining in the third quarter.

KEY PLAY 17: Cal running back Ashten Emory scored a touchdown on a 7-yard run that gave Cal 25-24 lead with 11:38 left in the fourth quarter.

KEY PLAY 18: UNLV's Jackson Arnold runs 42 yards to the Cal 12-yard line. It led to Arnold's 10-yard touchdown pass to Keyan Burnett, which, after a two-point conversion Arnold run, put UNLV back in front 32-25 with 9:31 left in the fourth quarter.

KEY PLAY 19: On a fourth-and-5 play from the UNLV 48-yard line, Cal's Jackson Brousseau threw an incompletion after being hit with 7:43 left. It left UNLV ahead by seven points.

KEY PLAY 20: Jackson Arnold scored a touchdown on a 2-yard run to give UNLV a 39-25 lead with 3:25 left in the fourth quarter.

KEY PLAY 21: Cal's Jackson Brousseau threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Ian Strong with 28 seconds left in the game to reduce the UNLV lead to 39-31 after a two-point conversion try failed. But UNLV recovered the ensuing onside kick.

STAT OF THE GAME: UNLV had touchdown plays of 70 yards, 55 yards and 36 yards in the first half.

STAT OF THE GAME II: Cal committed 16 penalties, costing the Bears 147 yards.

STAT OF THE GAME III: Cal rolled up 464 yards of total offense, more than 100 yards more than UNLV, which had 331 yards of total offense.

INDIVIDUAL STAT OF THE GAME: Cal freshman Tyree Sams, who is listed as a wide receiver, was the Bears' leading rusher in the first half with 28 yards on three carries.

INDIVIDUAL STAT OF THE GAME II: Cal limited all-Mountain West running back Jai'Den "Jet" Thomas to 46 yards on 16 carries.

QUARTERBACK STATISTICS: Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was 19-for-27 for 195 yards, one touchdown and one interception; Cal's Jackson Brousseau was 19-for-32 for 200 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. UNLV’s Jackson Arnold was 10-for-21 for 158 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns.

CAL PLAYER AVALABILTY: Cal’s top two running backs, Adam Mohammed and Carter Vargas, did not play.  Freshman Tyree Sams, who is listed as a wide receiver, was the primary ball-carrier for Cal Saturday. Cal safety Kingston Lopa left the game early in the first quarter with an injury, and starting nickel back was ejected from the game for targeting in the first quarter. Defensive back Daniel Harris was ejected for targeting in the fourth quarter.

What It Means

This game was considered a tipping point for Cal’s season, and it tipped the wrong way. Cal’s second straight loss reduces Cal’s chances to finish the season with a winning record for the second straight season. Before the season began, a 4-1 Cal record after five games seemed possible and a 5-0 start was not out of the question. A 2-3 mark at this stage was not what Cal supporters had in mind. The Bears have little momentum heading into the heart of its ACC schedule, which starts next Saturday with a home game against Virginia Tech. The outside complaints from Cal fans will continue, and the Bears are on the verge of becoming irrelevant this season.

Cal’s Bowl Barometer

With the loss, Cal’s bowl chances dropped to about 30%. None of the eight college football experts we cited this past week projected Cal to get a bowl bid, and another loss sinks the Bears’ postseason hopes further. Cal now must win four of its remaining seven games, all against ACC competition, and the Bears will have to improve their play to get the necessary six wins to get a bowl berth for the fourth straight year.

Cal’s ACC Title Barometer

Cal’s chance to win an ACC title remains at 5%. Although losing to nonconference foe UNLV did not technically affect the Bears conference standing, Cal does not look like a contender for a Power Four conference title after losing its second straight game. Cal may need to win the rest of its games to earn a spot in the ACC championship game, and it’s possible that might not be enough. A lot of things would have to break in Cal’s favor for the Bears to be considered a title contender a few weeks from now.

Cal’s Next Game

Cal (2-3, 1-1 ACC) vs. Virginia Tech (4-1, 1-1 ACC)

Site: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, California

Date: Saturday, October 10

Starting time: 12:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN2 or ACC Network. The station will be determined after Saturday’s action is completed.

Most recent Virginia Tech result: Virginia Tech committed four turnovers and lost at home to undefeated Pitt 35-33 Friday night when Hokies kicker John Love missed a 36-yard field goal on the final play of the game.  Some thought the kick was good, but it was ruled wide left. Pitt played virtually the entire second half without starting quarterback Mason Heintschel, who left the game early in the third quarter with a torn ACL and is out for the rest of the season.

Follow us on California Golden Bears on SI on X: https://x.com/jakecurtis53

Find California Golden Bears on SI on Facebook by going to https://www.facebook.com/si.calsportsreport

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
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.

Home/Football