Replay shows blatant missed fumble call in Gophers’ loss to Cal

Minnesota received no favors from the refs on Saturday night.

Sep 13, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck prepares for a game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

We're coming up on 72 hours removed from Minnesota's first loss of the season at California in Week 3. Upon further review, a missed call could've had a serious impact on the result of the game.

Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press shared a replay of a play from late in the third quarter, where Cal running back Brandon High appears to clearly fumble the football before he was down due to a perfect punch from Gophers linebacker Devon Williams, who proceeded to recover the loose ball. The play was not reviewed, and the Golden Bears went down to score a TD on the same drive and take a 17-14 lead.

Video: In #Gophers-Cal game, U linebacker Devon Williams forces a fumble on Bears’ Brandon High while High’s knee lands on Koi Perich’s chest. Williams recovers ball as U led 14-10.

But referee Nate Black said High was down and the ACC does not stop the game for further review. pic.twitter.com/5qQrSSCRS9

— Andy Greder (@andygreder) September 16, 2025

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There are missed calls in every football game, but this one was came an incredibly pivotal point of the game. Minnesota had just taken its first lead, and momentum seemed to be shifting.

Instead of being rewarded with a fumble recovery around the 36-yard line, Cal scored six plays later to take a 17-14 lead. Had Minnesota been rewarded the turnover, they would've had the ball with a 14-10 lead and a chance to do some damage. Instead, the Gophers unraveled.

On the ensuing Minnesota drive, the Gophers ran the ball on 3rd-and-7 and settled for a 51-yard field goal attempt, which was missed. Then, after the defense stopped Cal, Koi Perich muffed a point to set up the Golden Bears for a game-sealing touchdown with under eight minutes to go in the game.

The big question here is why Minnesota didn't challenge the play. Was coach P.J. Fleck unaware of the forced fumble and clear recovery? It's a moot point now, but the Gophers never challenged the play.

The Gophers will get some extra time to recover from their loss with a bye this week before their Big Ten opener against Rutgers on September 27.