Tag: Cal

Backup QB caps Hawaii’s rally past Cal in Hawaii Bowl

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Backup quarterback Luke Weaver threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds remaining Wednesday night, rallying Hawaii to a 35-31 victory over California in the Hawaii Bowl at Honolulu.

After Cal freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele had snuck in from a yard out with 1:57 remaining to give the Golden Bears (7-6) a 31-28 lead, the Rainbow Warriors (9-4) drove to the Cal 22 but saw starting quarterback Micah Alejado got injured on a 13-yard completion to Cam Barfield and had to leave the game.

With no timeouts left and one of the nation’s top kickers, Kansei Matsuzawa, awaiting a chance to send the game into overtime, Weaver stunned the Golden Bears with a deep ball down the right side to Cenacle, who caught the pass in the end zone.

Hawaii trailed 21-0 before scoring on its final six possessions, including a 17-yard pass from Alejado to Brandon White for a 28-24 lead with 7:25 to go.

But Sagapolutele, a Hawaii native, then led Cal on a 10-play, 75-yard drive, which he culminated with a sneak into the end zone on the first play after the 2:00 warning.

Alejado finished 32-for-46 for 274 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with Pofele Ashlock from 13 yards out as the Rainbow Warriors scored the final 10 points of the first half to get within 21-10. The same pair combined for a 3-yard TD strike to draw Hawaii even at 21-all early in the fourth quarter.

Sagapolutele went 28-for-39 for 323 yards and one score, a 41-yarder to Jacob De Jesus on Cal’s first drive of the game.

Neither quarterback threw an interception in a game in which Cal outgained Hawaii 468-395.

Ashlock was the game’s leading receiver with 14 catches for 123 yards, while De Jesus countered for Cal with nine receptions for 137 yards.

Cal’s Kendrick Raphael was the contest’s top rusher with 91 yards on 18 carries. He scored from 19 yards out and Anthony League ran in from 8 yards out during the Golden Bears’ fast start.

Matsuzawa kicked 29- and 39-yard field goals for the Rainbow Warriors, who finished the season on a two-game winning streak.

Hawaii has won each of its past three bowl games, matching a school record. Cal lost a bowl game for the third year in a row.

–Field Level Media

Island connections abound when Cal meets Hawaii at Hawaii Bowl

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Cal quarterback and potential 2026 Heisman Trophy candidate Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele hopes to enjoy a homecoming when Cal takes on Hawaii at the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve in Honolulu.

The matchup pits Cal (7-5), which clinched a winning season with a 38-35 home upset of then-No. 21 SMU on Nov. 29, against a Hawaii team (8-4) that opened its season with a 23-20 home win over the Golden Bears’ rival, Stanford.

The Cardinal beat Cal 31-10 in the annual Big Game on Nov. 22, which led directly to head coach Justin Wilcox’s firing the next day. The Golden Bears and Rainbow Warriors have one other common opponent: Hawaii thumped San Diego State 38-6 in November, seven weeks after the Aztecs stunned Cal 34-0.

Cal replaced Wilcox with Tosh Lupoi, a former assistant who currently serves as Oregon’s defensive coordinator in the Ducks’ pursuit of a national championship in the ongoing College Football Playoff.

Lupoi has been splitting his time between working on the Ducks’ playoff run (they beat James Madison in the first round Saturday) and attempting to keep key pieces of the Cal roster and coaching staff in place, while also importing new faces as assistants.

Nick Rolovich, who coached Cal’s win over SMU in the wake of Wilcox’s firing and will be retained as the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2026, will lead the team in Hawaii, giving him an opportunity to match wits with former Hawaii teammate Timmy Chang, the Rainbow Warriors’ head coach.

Sagapolutele, a Hawaii native, ranked among the top freshman quarterbacks in the nation in his first season at Cal. He has thrown for 3,117 yards and 17 touchdowns, becoming just the second quarterback in FBS history to start a college career with 12 straight 200-yard games.

Lupoi admitted his first goal at Cal was to keep Sagapolutele from following in the footsteps of Fernando Mendoza, who left Cal for Indiana after last season en route to winning the Heisman this year.

Noting the success Cal has had with quarterbacks, including Aaron Rodgers and Jared Goff, Lupoi recorded his first win as Golden Bears’ coach when Sagapolutele announced on Dec. 5 that he’d be staying in Berkeley.

Lupoi flew to Hawaii to meet Sagapolutele’s family as part of his recruiting mission.

“It’s really a testament to how great of a coach (he is) and what he wants to do for this program. How much I meant to him,” Sagapolutele told reporters during his preparation for the Hawaii Bowl. “That meant so much to me and I’m grateful.”

Hawaii has received similar good news from its star quarterback, Micah Alejado, the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year after throwing for 2,832 yards and 21 touchdowns.

The news was all the more calming in that it followed the announcement that top receiver Jackson Harris had left the program to enter the transfer portal.

The matchup of Sagapolutele and Alejado not only pits a pair of freshman left-handers but also childhood friends.

“We were always together,” Alejado said. “Every night we were throwing to Coach Galu, Tua (Tagovailoa)’s dad. Just watched him grow up. Happy for him, all the success that he’s had. There’s a lot of upside to him and just (awesome) to see him grow.”

–Field Level Media

Former Raiders coach Mike White dies at 89

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Mike White, who had stints as the head coach of Cal, Illinois and the Oakland Raiders, died at the age of 89 on Sunday in Newport Beach, Calif.

News of his death was announced Monday by the Cal athletic department.

Born in Berkeley, Calif., White was a star end and halfback for the Golden Bears in the 1950s.

Appropriately, he began his coaching career at Cal, and after a successful detour at rival Stanford, returned to become his alma mater’s head coach in 1972.

His Golden Bears managed a first-place tie in the Pac-8 in 1975 after going 8-3. Cal again went 8-3 in 1977, and White finished his time there with a 35-30-1 record.

A two-year run as an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers led White back to another top college job, this time at Illinois from 1980-87. His tenure — in which he went 47-41-3 — peaked with a 10-2 Big-Ten championship and Rose Bowl season in 1983.

White eventually served as an offensive assistant with the Los Angeles Raiders under Art Shell for five seasons before taking the head coaching reins in 1995, coinciding with the team’s return to Oakland. That tenure lasted two seasons and resulted in a 15-17 record.

“The Raiders family is saddened by the passing of Mike White, former head coach of the Silver and Black and a long-time NFL and college coach and mentor,” a statement from the Las Vegas Raiders read. “The prayers of the entire Raider Nation are with Mike’s family at this time.”

White’s coaching career ended in 1999 when he won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams as an offensive assistant.

In later years, he served as a founding board member of the Lott IMPACT Trophy, awarded to college football’s top defender and named for former defensive back Ronnie Lott.

“The Lott IMPACT Trophy is saddened to learn of the passing of Mike White, an integral board member, who served as he coached, with fervor, determination and joy,” the organization stated. “We extend our condolences to his wife Marilyn and children Chris, Matt, and Carrie.”

–Field Level Media

Reports: Cal plans to hire Oregon DC Tosh Lupoi as coach

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Cal is working toward hiring Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi as its next head coach, The Athletic and ESPN reported Tuesday.

Lupoi played at the school and soon afterward served as its defensive line coach. He has been Oregon’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under Dan Lanning since 2022, and he was named a Broyles Award semifinalist in 2024 and 2025 for the top assistant coach in college football.

Lupoi would replace Justin Wilcox, whom Cal fired 11 games into the season following a 31-10 loss to rival Stanford. Wilcox went 48-55 on the job over parts of nine seasons.

It would also mean two Oregon coordinators are leaving Eugene for head-coaching jobs in the same cycle. Kentucky hired Oregon offensive coordinator and Kentucky native Will Stein as its next coach this week.

It’s a similar sort of homecoming for Lupoi, 44, who hails from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Lupoi was a defensive lineman for the Golden Bears from 2000-05 and became their defensive line coach in 2008, but his tenure on the job was marked by multiple controversies. He was suspended for a game in 2010 after he instructed a player to fake an injury in an effort to slow down Oregon’s offense.

And in 2011, he left his alma mater for the same position at Washington and fans accused him of telling recruits to decommit from Cal. Future NFL linebacker Shaq Thompson switched from Cal to Washington ahead of signing day that year.

Lupoi also worked at Alabama from 2014-18, winning two national championships on that staff and rising to the defensive coordinator position, before spending 2019-21 with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars.

–Field Level Media

Cal’s late TD denies No. 21 SMU spot in ACC title game

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Kendrick Raphael scored on a 2-yard run with 43 seconds remaining as Cal, in interim coach Nick Rolovich’s debut, stunned No. 21 SMU 38-35 on Saturday night in Berkeley, Calif., denying the Mustangs a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

A 1-yard plunge by T.J. Harden with 2:22 remaining capped SMU’s run of touchdowns on four consecutive second-half possessions for a 35-31 lead, putting the Mustangs (8-4, 6-2 ACC) in the driver’s seat for a shot at Virginia for the ACC title next Saturday.

But freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who threw four touchdowns, completed five consecutive passes to quickly move the Golden Bears in scoring position. Raphael then capped a 111-yard rushing night with his scamper that barely broke the plane of the goal line, sending Duke into the ACC title game.

SMU had a chance to force overtime, but Sam Keltner missed wide right from 52 yards on a potential game-tying field goal with three seconds left.

One game after being held to 10 points in a blowout loss to rival Stanford that resulted in coach Justin Wilcox’s firing, Cal (7-5, 4-4) ran up 452 yards against the Mustangs.

Sagapolutele accounted for 330 of those yards, completing 31 of 40 passes. He threw four TD passes to four different receivers – Jaiven Plummer and Jacob De Jesus in the second quarter, Cole Boscia in the third quarter and QuaRon Adams on the first play of the fourth quarter, the latter giving the hosts a 31-14 lead.

However, SMU rallied behind Kevin Jennings, who ran 3 yards for a score and had a 20-yard TD connection with Jordan Hudson to get the Mustangs within 31-28 with 7:59 to go.

Jennings finished 24-for-36 passing for 250 yards with two TDs and one interception. Chris Johnson Jr. rushed for a game-high 128 yards and a first-quarter score for SMU, while Matthew Hibner caught five passes for 87 yards and a third-quarter TD.

Raphael’s 111 rushing yards came on 33 carries for the Golden Bears, who are bowl-eligible thanks to their seven-win regular season. De Jesus led all receivers in the game with 12 catches for 97 yards and his one score.

–Field Level Media

No. 21 SMU thinking playoffs while Cal is in tumult

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Two teams at opposite ends of the college football emotional spectrum go head-to-head Saturday night in Berkeley, Calif., when 21st-ranked SMU hopes to take another step toward an Atlantic Coast Conference championship at the expense of a Cal team more concerned about its next coach.

The Mustangs (8-3, 6-1 ACC) and Golden Bears (6-5, 3-4) have both clinched bowl invitations, but streaking SMU is seeking the best of the bunch — one they’ll still have to earn — while staggering Cal is no sure thing to accept.

Among six teams still alive for two spots in the ACC Championship Game, SMU and Virginia are sitting prettiest. Each can advance simply by winning its regular-season finale Saturday.

Virginia wraps up at home against Virginia Tech in a game that is scheduled to kick off an hour before SMU’s game on the West Coast.

While others in the logjam will have to win and get help, the Mustangs can be single-minded in Berkeley.

“I mean, we just have to do our job,” senior wide receiver Jordan Hudson assured reporters. “It’ll play itself out.”

Part of playing itself out includes the ramifications of a win next Saturday in the ACC title game, which does not assure a spot in the 12-team, season-ending playoffs, and hoping for a bid from the selection committee the next day.

SMU has put itself in the conversation with an impressive three-game winning streak against Miami (Fla.), Boston College and Louisville. The first and third wins of the run were at home.

Kevin Jennings was the star of last week’s 38-6 blitzing of Louisville, throwing for 303 yards and three touchdowns.

Jennings had similar success — 225 yards and two scores — in, coincidentally, a 38-6 home win over Cal last November that propelled the Mustangs into the ACC title game against Clemson.

Jennings caught a break that day when Cal star Fernando Mendoza, the hero of the previous week’s rivalry win over Stanford, came up ill and missed the quarterback showdown. Mendoza has since transferred to Indiana, where he is considered a Heisman Trophy candidate.

This time around, Cal freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is coming off a shaky effort in a loss to Stanford and now finds himself engulfed in questions about his future at the university.

The Golden Bears brought that upon themselves when they fired coach Justin Wilcox one day after their 31-10 debacle at Stanford.

Instead of possible freshman records for Sagapolutele and seizing a seventh win that could provide greater incentive to accept a bowl bid, Cal has seen the attention of fans, students and even football general manager Ron Rivera this week focused on possible coaching candidates and the process for selecting one.

Rivera took time to address why an in-season decision was made on Wilcox, and why the Golden Bears would go into the regular-season finale — and potentially a bowl game — with an interim coach, Nick Rolovich.

“This is hard what we’re doing,” the former Washington Commanders head coach admitted at a press conference Tuesday. “It’s hard on Justin, it’s hard on the players, it’s hard on the staff, coaches, everybody, because there is a big question mark for all of us.”

Cal has lost three of its last four games, including 31-21 to Virginia in its only home date since Oct. 17.

–Field Level Media

Cal fires coach Justin Wilcox after nine years

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Cal fired coach Justin Wilcox on Sunday, one day after the Golden Bears were routed by fierce rival Stanford in the “Big Game.”

Wilcox compiled a 48-55 record in nine seasons with Cal. The Golden Bears are 6-5 overall and 3-4 in Atlantic Coast Conference play entering Saturday’s regular-season finale against visiting SMU.

Cal general manager Ron Rivera announced Wilcox’s dismissal.

“I want to thank Justin for all of his contributions to our football program, our athletic department and our university,” Rivera said in a news release. “He has always comported himself with class and professionalism. After careful consideration, we believe the time has come for new leadership. We wish Justin the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Rivera is a former Golden Bears star linebacker and was a player and head coach in the NFL. He was hired to run the football program in March.

Wilcox is reportedly owed $10.88 million on a contract that ran through the 2027 season.

Senior offensive assistant Nick Rolovich will serve as interim coach.

Rolovich has a 33-33 record as a head coach at Hawaii (2016-19) and Washington State (2020-21). He was dismissed from the latter school during the 2021 campaign because he refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin also has head-coaching experience. He has an 85-36 record at Arkansas State (2013), Boise State (2014-20) and Auburn (2021-22).

Wilcox’s top season was an 8-5 mark in 2019 when the Golden Bears beat Illinois 35-20 in the Redbox Bowl. That was Wilcox’s lone bowl win in four opportunities.

This season, Cal started 3-0 before being smashed 34-0 by host San Diego State. The Golden Bears were also routed 45-21 at home by Duke and were badly outclassed by host Stanford on Saturday when they committed three turnovers and were flagged for 13 penalties for 123 yards.

The Golden Bears’ highlight victory of the campaign came on Nov. 8 when they won 29-26 at then-No. 15 Louisville.

Freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has displayed promise with 2,787 yards and 13 touchdowns against nine interceptions. That was a big development for the program after standout Fernando Mendoza transferred to Indiana after last season.

–Field Level Media

Micah Ford, Stanford’s defense overwhelm Cal

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Micah Ford rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown, Stanford’s defense scored twice and set up a third score and the Cardinal took advantage of Cal mistakes to run away with a 31-10 victory in the 128th annual Big Game late Saturday afternoon in Stanford, Calif.

Elijah Brown threw a touchdown pass to CJ Williams, Jay Green and Darrius Davis turned fumble recoveries into scores and Emmet Kenney added a field goal for the Cardinal (4-7, 3-5), who snapped a four-game losing streak in the San Francisco Bay Area rivalry and took over ownership of the ceremonial “Axe” for the next calendar year.

In a complete reversal of form, the Cardinal dominated both sides of the ball in the final 30 minutes while extending a 14-10 halftime advantage — built on the fumble returns — into the final margin.

After being held to 71 yards in the first half, the Cardinal got a 36-yard Kenney field goal to cap a 31-yard drive, a 4-yard TD run by Ford after a Matt Rose fumble recovery at the end of a 20-yard possession and a 34-yard Brown-to-Williams TD hook-up to complete a 58-yard drive on consecutive possessions bridging the third and fourth periods.

Ford’s 150 yards were seven fewer than the 157 he ran up in a career-best performance against Boston College in September. Brown finished 10-for-20 for 123 yards without an interception.

Jacob De Jesus caught 14 passes for 96 yards, and Trond Grizzell had nine for 104 yards for the Golden Bears (6-5, 3-4), who have already gained bowl eligibility. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele completed 33 of 49 passes for 269 yards without a touchdown or interception.

Seeking a second straight win after upsetting Louisville in its most recent outing, Cal controlled much of the first half, outgaining the hosts 196-71, but the team found itself down 14-10 at the break thanks to the fumble-return TDs by Green and Davis.

De Jesus had eight of his catches for 60 yards in the half, and Sagapolutele ran for a 7-yard score, but the Golden Bears were overpowered by the two mistakes.

After a 40-yard field goal by Abram Murray had given Cal an early 3-0 lead, Omar Staples forced a De Jesus fumble and Green dashed 49 yards with a scoop-and-score to put the Cardinal on top in the third minute of the second period.

The same scenario unfolded later in the period when Sagapolutele’s TD run was offset by a Caden High hit on Kendrick Raphael, producing a fumble that Davis took 17 yards into the end zone with 1:05 left in the half for a 14-10 lead the hosts never relinquished.

Cal had the game’s only three turnovers.

–Field Level Media

Cal, Stanford set for 128th edition of the Big Game rivalry

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Highly decorated coach Frank Reich would love nothing more than to add to his impressive resume when he leads Stanford up against visiting Cal in the annual Big Game rivalry Saturday.

A two-time former NFL head coach who won a Super Bowl ring as offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018, Reich agreed to coach Stanford this season on a one-year interim basis after Troy Taylor’s April firing.

He’ll make his Big Game debut Saturday in his second-to-last game at the Stanford helm, seeking to add his name to a list of rivalry-winning Cardinal coaches that includes Pop Warner, Bill Walsh and Jim Harbaugh.

Despite Stanford (3-7, 2-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) already being assured of a losing record, Reich admits he’s learned that beating Cal can be how any Cardinal season is remembered.

“I’ve really enjoyed being part of this community and realizing how big this is,” he assured reporters this week. “I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Cal (6-4, 3-3) won last year’s 127th rendition of the Big Game 24-21 at home thanks to two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Fernando Mendoza to Jonathan Brady.

Mendoza has since transferred to Indiana, where he is a Heisman Trophy candidate this season, handing the ball off at Cal to freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who has thrown for 2,518 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.

Two of those TD’s and 323 of those yards came in Cal’s most recent outing, a 29-26 overtime win at 14th-ranked Louisville.

While Stanford acknowledges Reich’s agreement with the school is a one-and-done, Cal fans are hoping the same isn’t true for their freshman standout.

Pressed on the issue this week, the Hawaii native wasn’t promising anything.

“I’m just ready to take in the (Big Game) experience,” he said of his future this week. “My main focus is winning this game on Saturday. But I’m pretty sure (I’ll be back), yeah.”

Stanford is expected to counter with a freshman of their own. Elijah Brown replaced Ben Gulbranson for the second half of the Cardinal’s 35-20 home loss to Pittsburgh on Nov. 1, then threw for 284 yards and a score as the starter in a 20-15 loss at North Carolina in Stanford’s most recent game.

Both teams had a bye last week.

-Field Level Media

Cal pulls off road upset, handing No. 15 Louisville its second loss

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Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele passed for 323 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner on fourth down on the final play, and visiting Cal upset No. 15 Louisville 29-26 in overtime on Saturday night.

The Bears (6-4, 3-3 ACC), trailed by three points and faced fourth-and-goal from the 3 when Sagapolutele threw the winning touchdown to Kendrick Raphael. Jacob De Jesus caught 15 passes for 155 yards for Cal.

Miller Moss passed for 203 yards and Keyjuan Brown rushed for 136 yards to lead the Cardinals (7-2, 4-2), who took a 26-23 lead on a 49-yard field goal by Cooper Ranvier on the first possession of overtime.

On the second play of the second half, Moss was intercepted by Hezekiah Masses at the Louisville 37, leading to Chase Meyer’s 45-yard field goal that increased Cal’s lead to 20-13.

The Cardinals needed just eight plays to get even as Moss rushed 1 yard for a tying touchdown.

The Bears drove to the Louisville 3 before stalling and Meyer kicked a 26-yard field goal for a 23-20 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Ranvier’s 39-yard field goal tied the score with 11:08 remaining and neither team threatened to score the rest of the period, leading to overtime.

On Louisville’s first possession of the game, Moss threw a 40-yard completion to Caullin Lacy and two plays later, Duke Watson ran 1 yard for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Sagapolutele then threw a 39-yard completion to Quaron Adams and two plays later, he connected on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Landon Morris to tie the score at the end of the first quarter.

Ranvier kicked a 30-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead before Meyer kicked a 27-yard field to tie the score.

Ranvier kicked a 49-yard field goal to give the Cardinals a 13-10 lead, but Sagapolutele passed for 58 of the 75 yards on a touchdown drive that ended with Kendrick Raphael running 2 yards with seven seconds left, giving Cal a 17-13 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media