Cal-SMU Game Thread: Outmanned Bears Buried by Mustangs, 38-6

This felt like a game that was before it started. And without quarterback Fernando Mendoza, sidelined by an overnight illness, Cal had no chance in a 38-6 loss at No. 9 SMU.

Cal (6-6, 2-6) already has secured bowl eligibility for the second straight season. The Bears were coming off a 24-21 come-from-behind win over Stanford in the 127th Big Game.

*** The big pre-game news, courtesy of Cal's pre-game radio show, is that quarterback Fernando Mendoza will not play today due to an illness. Chander Rogers will start in his place. Also, leading rusher Jaivian Thomas and OT Nick Morrow are out, unexpectedly. The details here.

SMU (11-1, 8-0) will play in next Saturday’s ACC championship game against Clemson.

COIN FLIP: SMU wins the toss and elects to receive the opening kickoff

8:36 1st Q: SMU on the board first with a seven-play, 54-yard drive capped by Kevin Jennings' 11-yard TD pass toTE Matthew Hibner. The big play was a 32-yard pass to RB Brashard Smith to the 2-yard line. SMU was flagged for false start penalties on consecutive plays, but Jennings didn't care, spanning away from the pass rush and delivering the TD pass to Hibner in the near left corner of the end zone. SMU 7, Cal 0

4:04 1st Q: The Mustangs add to their lead, marching 62 yards in seven plays with Rashard Smith powering 5 yards up the middle for the TD. Big plays were Jennings' 18-yard swing pass to fleet freshman Derrick McFall, his 26-yrd completion to WR Jordan Hudson and Jennings' 10-yard scramble to the 5. SMU 14, Cal 0

END OF 1ST QTR: SMU leading 14-0 and has a first down at the Cal 32. The Mustangs have 202 yards to 35 for the Bears. The big disparity is in the pass game, where SMU has 148 yards and Cal just 3 yards. First downs are 9 to 1, plays are 22 to 10 and yards per play is 9.2 to 3.5

13:02 2nd Q: Derrick McFall dashes around left end from 8 yards out, capping a nine-play, 88-yard drive by the Mustangs, who are looking downright unstoppable right now. Cal's defense entered the game atop the ACC in scoring defense at 20.7 points per game. SMU already has exceeded that in 17 minutes. SMU 21, Cal 0

9:37 2nd Q: Rogers completes a 37-yard pass to Tobias Merriweather to the SMU38 and Jaydn Ott ran 17 yards to the 18. An unnecessary roughness flag against SMU and a subsequent facemask flag got the Bearsto the 3. But they went backward from there and ultimately Derrick Morris missed a 38-yard field goal try. SMU 21, Cal 0

HALFTIME SUMMARY: Cal's defense toughened up in the second quarter, allowing only 49 yards, but the offense still can't put together anything consistent. The yards through 30 minutes: 251 to 105. SMU's defense has nine tackles for 34 yards of losses. Cal has just 7 first downs and 45 rushing yards. The Bears get the ball first to start the third quarter. SMU 21, Cal 0

9:13 3rd Q: Rogers appears to injure his left leg on a keeper for a first down and comes off the field. Third-stringer CJ Harris takes over at quarterback for the Bears. SMU 21, Cal 0

5:30 3rd Q: Harris, the redshirt sophomore tansfer from Ohio U, gets the Bears on the board. He has a pair of 7-yard runs and a 14-yard completion to Mikey Mathews, setting up a 40-yard field goal by Ryan Coe. Rogers, limping a bit on the sideline, appears to be done for the afternoon. SMU 21, Cal 3

END OF 3RD Q: Coe was lining up for a 53-yard FG when time expired in the third quarter. The Cal defense has held up nicely since the first quarter, allowing just 66 yards and four first downs in the second and third periods. First downs are now even at 13-13. A long way to go. SMU 21, Cal 3

14:54 4th Q: Coe nails the 53-yard field goal to cap a 5-play, 55 yard drive that featured a 60-yard pasas from Harris to Nyziah Hunter. SMU 21, Cal 6

9:25 4th Q: Collin Rogers kicks a 48-yard field goal for the Mustangs to cap a nine-play, 44-yard drive and make this a three-score game. SMU 24, Cal 6

8:28 4th Q: The Mustangs officially put this one out of reach when Jennings throws a 23-yard TD pass to Smith, the fleet running back. SMU 31, Cal 6

3:38 4th Q: Backup QB Preston Stone throws a 40-yard touchdown to Key'Shawn Smith, to cap a six-play, 62-yard drive to close the scoring. SMU 38, Cal 6

In the meantime, here's our game preview for today