Can One Play Change Cal’s 2025 Football Season?

It was just one play that took just 4.48 seconds. But did those 4.48 seconds dramatically change Cal’s season?

We won’t know for sure until Cal (4-1 overall, 1-0 ACC) plays its remaining seven games, but it is this kind of game-changing play that can launch a team to success and prevent a nose dive.

Let’s consider the potential impact of Luke Ferrelli’s interception with 15 seconds left that preserved Cal’s 28-24, road victory over favored Boston College Saturday afternoon.

Before that play, Boston College seemed to be on its way to and exhilarating, last-second victory that would send Cal to a crushing defeat.

Had Ferrelli not intercepted that pass and Boston College had won, it would have been Cal’s second straight loss following the embarrassing 34-0 defeat against San Diego State – a combination that would be difficult to dismiss.

Losing in the closing seconds to a middling ACC opponent would have been particularly demoralizing, not only because it would have wiped away the Bears’ impressive late-game scoring drive that put them ahead, but it would have been another devastating, close loss, like the ones that ruined Cal’s 2024 season. The Bears went 1-4 in games decided by five points of fewer last year, including losing their first four ACC games by a combined margin of nine points.

Not only did Cal win a close game on the road with a clutch play when it mattered most, but it avoided a loss that would have begun the here-we-go-again fears. The Bears won their first three games last season, then lost four in row. They began the 2022 season 3-1, then lost six straight. The Bears won their first four games in 2019, then proceeded to drop four consecutive games. In both 2017 and 2018, Cal started 3-0, then lost the next three games in both of those years.

Instead, Cal avoided those discouraging thoughts and is now 1-0 in a conference where no team other than Miami seems unbeatable. And Cal doesn’t play Miami this season.

The Bears play their next two games at home after a character-building, emotion-lifting win made possible by a defensive play in the final 20 seconds.

This was a case of things looking darkest before the dawn for Cal, because the buildup to Ferrelli’s pick was not encouraging for the Bears.

With Boston College trailing by four points after Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele’s 51-yard touchdown pass to Mason Mini had put Cal ahead 28-24, Eagles quarterback Dylan Lonergan completed 5-of-7 passes during a 70-yard drive that started with 1:25 left and gave the Eagles a first down at the Cal 5-yard line with 22 seconds remaining.

After an incompletion on first down, Lonergan, who entered the game having completed 73.2% of his passes with just one interception, took a snap from the shotgun formation. He looked over the middle, and faced little pressure as he fired confidently over the middle.

LUKE FERRELLI WITH THE INT!@CalFootball D comes up big with the redzone stand 😤

📺 @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/lahU80ue9t
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) September 27, 2025

“I was just lined up in the middle of the field,” said Ferrelli, a redshirt freshman, who had never intercepted a pass as a collegian, “It was a passing down, they had a passing formation out, so just kind of playing off the vision of the quarterback, just melting. And they were in mesh [a pass play where two receivers run intersecting crossing routes], so it was perfect for me. I was just sitting in the middle of the field. I’m not sure which route he threw but it was a crosser for sure, just played off the ball.”

And intercepted it about 3 yards deep in the end zone.

“It just came right to me,” he said.

Ferrelli ran out to the 2-yard line, fell down on purpose, threw the ball down in celebration, got an excessive celebration penalty called on him.

And won the game.

Cal had called a timeout just before that play was run, and Bears coaches apparently came up with the correct defensive call.

“It was a zone coverage,” said Cal coach Justin Wilcox. “I haven’t looked at it on the IPad yet, But depending on how the route developed, [Ferrelli] has an opportunity to get his eyes on the quarterback as a low-zone player. It looks like that’s what happened.

“It’s a visual coverage for him in most instances, and I think that’s what happened. And he made a great play.”

A game-saving play for sure.

But was it a season-saving play?

If nothing else it changed the complexion of Cal’s 2025 season until Cal faces Duke next Saturday in Berkeley.

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