California Golden Bears Fall Short, Miss Bowl Eligibility in Thrilling Match Against Virginia Cavaliers
The Cal Bears' bid for bowl eligibility slipped away as they suffered a 31-21 defeat at the hands of the visiting Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The loss marked California's second straight game without earning a bowl berth, leaving the team one win shy of securing ninth-year coach Justin Wilcox's job security.
Cal struggled to find its footing early in the contest, trailing 10-0 as it tried to muster consistency on offense against the Cavaliers' stingy defense. Meanwhile, Virginia capitalized on the Cal errors to build an early lead, which they never relinquished en route to a seven-game winning streak this season.
Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who had played turnover-free in his previous two games, threw two interceptions and was sacked three times, contributing to the Bears' paltry 263 yards of offense. The Virginia defense's suffocating pressure forced Cal into a series of desperate throws, ultimately leading to the game-sealing interception by linebacker Kam Robinson with 29 seconds remaining.
The decisive play came after Sagapolutele's late-game Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete on fourth-and-2 from the Bears' 14-yard line. Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris then attempted an onside kick, which was recovered by Cal, but ultimately led to the game-sealing interception return for a touchdown.
Despite a spirited effort by star running back Raphael Kendrick, who scored three touchdowns in the game, Cal's inability to capitalize on its chances and maintain consistency on offense ultimately proved costly. The loss dropped the Bears' record to 5-4 overall and 2-3 in the ACC, leaving them one win shy of bowl eligibility.
The Bears will look to bounce back next week against No. 16 Louisville, which is now undefeated at 7-1 following a convincing 28-16 victory over Virginia Tech.
The Cal Bears' bid for bowl eligibility slipped away as they suffered a 31-21 defeat at the hands of the visiting Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The loss marked California's second straight game without earning a bowl berth, leaving the team one win shy of securing ninth-year coach Justin Wilcox's job security.
Cal struggled to find its footing early in the contest, trailing 10-0 as it tried to muster consistency on offense against the Cavaliers' stingy defense. Meanwhile, Virginia capitalized on the Cal errors to build an early lead, which they never relinquished en route to a seven-game winning streak this season.
Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who had played turnover-free in his previous two games, threw two interceptions and was sacked three times, contributing to the Bears' paltry 263 yards of offense. The Virginia defense's suffocating pressure forced Cal into a series of desperate throws, ultimately leading to the game-sealing interception by linebacker Kam Robinson with 29 seconds remaining.
The decisive play came after Sagapolutele's late-game Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete on fourth-and-2 from the Bears' 14-yard line. Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris then attempted an onside kick, which was recovered by Cal, but ultimately led to the game-sealing interception return for a touchdown.
Despite a spirited effort by star running back Raphael Kendrick, who scored three touchdowns in the game, Cal's inability to capitalize on its chances and maintain consistency on offense ultimately proved costly. The loss dropped the Bears' record to 5-4 overall and 2-3 in the ACC, leaving them one win shy of bowl eligibility.
The Bears will look to bounce back next week against No. 16 Louisville, which is now undefeated at 7-1 following a convincing 28-16 victory over Virginia Tech.
. Their inability to execute under pressure has been a recurring issue throughout the season, and it ultimately led to their downfall against Virginia 
. The defense did its part in containing the Cavaliers' offense, but Cal's offense just couldn't get into gear 
. It's a classic case of the law of averages – they've had some bad breaks, but unfortunately, that wasn't enough to propel them over the line 
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especially with Morris and Co. looking fierce on the other side 
hopefully Sagapolutele can get his turnovers under control soon 
#GoldenBears #CalFootball
meanwhile, louisville looks like it's on fire they're like the only undefeated team left can cal turn their season around with a win against them? idk but wilcox needs to get his offense together ASAP 
. And that last play by Kam Robinson? Unbelievable pressure from the defense 
. But at the same time, it's a tough pill to swallow for the team and fans. You gotta feel for Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, he was playing turnover-free and then just had a couple of mistakes that sealed their fate 
?
but just couldn't get it done 
can't let one game slip away like this and not learn from it 
. Their offense has been all over the place this season and it's just frustrating to watch. They can't even get their QB right, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele had two picks? That's just not it, coach Wilcox needs to make some changes ASAP 
. But yeah, Virginia played solid defense and capitalized on Cal's mistakes. Not surprised they won, but still disappointed for the Bears 
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they were so close too... like only one win away 
and then they go and blow it in the last minute of the game 
that Hail Mary attempt was a heartbreaker for sure 
meanwhile, Louisville is looking good to roll undefeated now 
gotta give credit where credit is due 
It's just not believable. I mean, if the Cal Bears were really so bad, why did Raphael Kendrick have 3 touchdowns today? 
that's gotta hurt their stats were pretty low too 263 yards of offense is not what you wanna see in a big game like this 
but still i think they showed heart beating raphael kendrick's three touchdowns was a highlight