Cal Football: Notre Dame In-Game Thread - Worn-Down Bears Fall, 24-17
Cal's first shot at Notre Dame in 55 years ended in disappointment for the Bears after a 24-17 loss on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium
The Bears led 7-0 early in the second quarter, 10-7 at halftime and 17-14 entering the final quarter.
But the Irish dominated the line of scrimmage most of the second half and Cal's final stab at a comeback failed.
Jack Plummer, facing fourth down from the Irish 35-yard line with 5 seconds left, heaved a pass into the end zone which bounced off the hands of players from both teams before falling to the ground.
Plummer passed for 184 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score, but was sacked six times and completed just 1 of his first 11 passes of the second half.
-- Cal wins the toss, defers. Notre Dame will get the football first.
8:57 1st Q: Each team has had two possessions and neither had made a first down. Notre Dame has 8 total yards, Cal has 12. Jack Plummer is 0-for-3 passing. Freshman RB Jaydn Ott got his first start and has carried the ball 3 times for 12 yards. Cal 0, Notre Dame 0.
0:16 1st Q: The Bears drive from their own 15 to the Notre Dame 27 before Dario Longhetto hits the left upright with his 45-yard field goal attempt. Jack Plummer got untracked on the possession, during which the Bears racked up the first three first downs of the game by either team. Plummer had a 17-yard completion to J.Mike Sturdivant (who made a nice diving grab) on third-and-6, then had completions of 12 yards to Mavin Anderson and 11 yards to Sturdivant. Cal 0, Notre Dame 0.
END OF FIRST QUARTER
Cal 0, Notre Dame 0: The Bears have 72 total yards and three first downs.; Notre Dame has 26 yards and no first downs. Plummer is 6-for-11 for 63 yards. Ott has carried the ball 6 times for 10 yards.
14:27 2nd Q: Plummer throws an 18-yard TD pass to Sturdivant, who made a diving 15-yard reception for a first down on the previous play. The first career TD reception for Sturdivant, who has 4 receptions for 61 yards in the game already. It also is Cal's first-ever lead against Notre Dame in their fifth all-time meeting. The Bears got possession when Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne fumbled the snap and linebacker Femi Oladejo recovered at the 33. Cal 7, Notre Dame 0.
8:54 2nd Q: Notre Dame knots the score on a 21-yard TD pass from Pyne to RB Chris Tyree. The scoring play came two snaps after the Irish missed 45-yard field goal, only to have Cal flagged for offsides, giving the Irish a first down at the 22. Linebacker Kyle Smith drew the penalty, but none of the Notre Dame announcers on NBC, including the sideline reporter, saw anyone offsides, so the Irish apparently got a big break. Replays showed no one offside. Notre Dame went 60 yards in 10 play. Cal 7, Notre Dame 7.
4:11 2nd Q: Dario Longhetto delivers a 24-yard field goal and Cal regains the lead. The big plays on the 10-play, 69-yard drive were Plummer's 21-yard scramble for a first down at the Notre Dame 43 and his 33-yard completion to Jeremiah Hunter to the 8-yard line. Cal 10, Notre Dame 7.
HALFTIME: The Bears got the best of the Irish for most of the half, outgaining them 184 yards and 118. Most of that offense came in the second quarter, when all of the scoring took place. Plummer is 11-for-20 for 141 yards and a touchdown. Ott has eight carries for 25 yards. Notre Dame's Pyne is 5-for-8 for 57 yards with a touchdown but also a lost fumble. Chris Tyree has nine carries for 33 yards for the Irish. The offside Cal that no one saw on the missed Notre Dame field goal looms large. The call had coach Justin Wilcox livid and gave the Irish a first down, which they turned into a touchdown two plays later. When the sideline TV reporter tried to ask Wilcox about the penalty as he came off the field at halftime, Wilcox said, "I'm not going to talk about that." The Bears will get the ball to open the third quarter. Cal 10, Notre Dame 7.
J-Kidd at Notre Dame Stadium: Cal hoops icon Jason Kidd is in South Bend, and seems excited about the game. "It's a dream come true, my first time here," he said on TV at halftime.
9:14 3rd Q: Notre Dame goes in front for the first time on a 1-yard plunge into the end zone by Audric Estime. The key play on the drive was a clear-cut roughing-the-passer penalty and targeting foul on linebacker Blake Antzoulatos after a third-down incomplete pass by Pyne. That led to the ejection but also gave the Irish a first down at the Cal 14. They ran four power players in a row, all of them to Estime. Notre Dame's offensive line was the difference on the 60-yard, 10-play scoring drive. Notre Dame 14, Cal 10.
4:48 3rd Q: Cal regains the lead on a 1-yard QB sneak by Plummer, capping a 10-play, 75-yard drive. Reserve RB DeCarlos Brooks had gains of 10, 24 and 11 yards on consecutive plays to get Cal into the red zone. An unnecessary roughness call against Notre Dame kept the drive alive early and Plummer escaped pressure to pick up 10 yards and a scramble to the Notre Dame 41. Cal 17, Notre Dame 14.
14:48 4th Q: The Irish pulls even on Grupe's 47-yard field goal, but Cal kept them out of the end zone after a drive that began at the Notre Dame 25-yard line. The Irish are running the ball was effectiveness against the Bears. Cal 17, Notre Dame 17.
9:16 4th Q: Notre Dame scores on a first-down pass from the 6-yard line, with Pyne beating the blitz to find tight end Michael Mayer alone in the end zone. A 36-yard pas and run play to Estime put the Irish at the Cal 6. Notre Dame 24, Cal 17.
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Some pregame reading, in case you’ve missed any of these stories this week:
— Our comprehensive game preview, with facts, figures and key players
— An intriguing look at how this game was scheduled after a 55-year wait
— Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman’s assessment of Cal’s defense
— Will a big performance by Jaydn Ott elevate the Cal freshman running back’s profile on the national scene?
— A game-by-game look back at the previous four meetings between these two programs
— Our Pac-12 game picks, including predictions on the outcome of this one
— Insights we got by asking 5 Questions to a Notre Dame beat writer
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Cover photo of Cal coach Justin Wilcox by Darren Yamashita, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
