Three Things We Learned About Cal In The Minnesota Win

We didn’t really learn much new about freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele during Cal’s 27-14 victory over Minnesota on Saturday night.

He was terrific and, yes, we already knew that.

Sagapolutele was 24 for 38 for 279 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers. He probably should have thrown the ball away rather than take a 16-yard sack early in the third quarter, but that’s nit-picking.

“We don’t really sit there on the sidelines and say, `I don’t know if Jaron can handle that.’ That doesn’t even come out of our mouths because he’s prepared,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. “He obviously can handle it and he’s doing a heck of a job.”

As for the team, it’s only three games so let's not overreact to a 3-0 start that includes two home games.

But there were things the Bears revealed about themselves in their most significant win of the young season.

Here are three of those:

Avoiding the close ones

We all remember Cal lost four straight games by a combined nine points last season, prompting Wilcox to suggest the Bears either need to learn how to win close ones or stop playing those kinds of games.

So far, they have chosen the second option, winning three games in a row by double-digit margins for the first time since 2009. That three-game run also was punctuated by a victory over Minnesota. Go figure.

“You’ve got to do everything you can to carry momentum,” Wilcox said. “They never flinched.”

In other words, this game was close — Cal trailing 14-10 in the third quarter — but didn’t stay that way. The Bears made big plays in the second half and the visitors from the Big Ten, now 2-1, committed key gaffes that allowed Cal to pull away.

Defense thrives without Uluave

The Bears’ big jump this season has been on offense but no complaints about the defense. Cal’s 10.7 points per game allowed leads all ACC teams that have played at least three games.

Against Minnesota, with star linebacker Cade Uluave tethered to the sideline in the first half after being ejected for targeting the week before, others stepped up.

First-year starter Luke Ferrelli had 11 tackles from his linebacker spot, transfer cornerback Hezekiah Masses intercepted a pass for the third week in a row (to go with eight tackles and two pass breakups Saturday), and linebacker Aaron Hampton turned Minnesota’s attempted double-pass trick play into a nine-yard loss.

Uluave liked what he saw, just didn’t enjoy the vantage point.

“I was itching pretty bad on the sidelines. They took away my helmet. I was just on the sidelines going a little stir crazy,” he said. “But the guys played great and it was super-awesome to see. It fired me up.”

Wilcox was encouraged by getting contributions from a range of players. “Obviously, we got Cade back and he flies around and does what Cade does,” he added, alluding to his nine second-half tackles.

Bears a leg up on special teams

We’ll start with placekicking, often the Bears’ undoing a year ago. After missing 12 field goals in 2024, Cal is 6 for 6 this season, with Abram Murray and Chase Meyer each connecting on three of those.

Four of the six field goals have come from at least 40 yards.

Cal’s punt game vs. Minnesota was consequential. Sophomore Michael Kern averaged 47.0 yards on five kicks, but that doesn’t tell the story.

The Bears pinned the Gophers back at their 2-yard line twice and freshman Aiden Manutai recovered a muffed punt return attempt at the 8-yard line, setting up the Bears’ final, clinching touchdown.

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