Cal football starts the season with a win at home against UC Davis.
It’s a new era for Cal football, and they start it off right with a win. It was a classic tale of two halves for the Golden Bears who looked out of sorts early on, but finished the game strong. They would go on to win their first game at home against UC Davis to start the season off with a 1-0 record.
Cal’s First Half Woes
From the sound of it, you would think Cal was losing during the first half. They entered halftime with a narrow one-point lead, but it didn’t feel good for anybody.
The Aggies defense played incredibly well, especially in the first half. Running back Jaydn Ott had a mere 11 yards rushing on just seven carries. Cal’s offense as a whole had just 109 total yards heading into halftime.
The Bears struggled to put together any offense in the first half. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza started the game and looked shaky early on. He put together a nice drive in the first quarter that led to an Ott touchdown near the goal line, but that was all the scoring the offense would do in the first half.
Mendoza played the entire first quarter and most of the second. Chandler Rogers got two drives in the second quarter, but failed to pick up a first down. He didn’t get back onto the field until there was about a minute left in the half.
The Bears’ Second Half Success
As mentioned earlier, it was a tale of two halves.
The defense led by Cade Uluave and Teddye Buchanan provided a much-needed spark to a team that seemed lethargic. UC Davis had some success moving the ball in the first half, but not in the second.
The first three drives coming out of the half for the Aggies were an interception followed by two quick three-and-outs. This provided the offense with a short field to work with for the majority of the half.
The Cal offense was able to finally find success on early down to sustain drives. It looked like the offense was still in the locker room until Mendoza converted a 4th and 4 from midfield to Mikey Matthews. That seemed to wake the offense up as they would go down and score for Ott’s second rushing touchdown of the day.
Cal would only score on two more possessions in the second half, but Mendoza made a fantastic throw on 4th and two in the endzone to Nyziah Hunter for a touchdown. It’s worth mentioning that in the middle of the third quarter, Ott suffered a lower-body injury that sidelined him the rest of the game.
Cal Football Game Balls
The most obvious choice to receive a game ball tonight was defensive back Nohl Williams. The senior had an electric 80-yard kickoff return to put Cal back in the lead. He would then make a major contribution on defense by getting a big time interception. Williams would also finish with four tackles.
This second game ball really goes to two players. The linebacker duo of Uluave and Buchanan has the chance to be special. Both players were flying around the ball today and involved in several tackles. Buchanan especially impressed with his tackling where he finished with a team high nine total tackles. Uluave, of course, has a nose for the ball. He intercepted Miles Hastings in the third quarter. Both players finished with a pass deflection and half of a tackle for loss.
Whenever a starter goes down, it’s always the next man up. Starting wide receiver Tobias Merriweather did not participate in warmups and was seen in a boot on the sidelines. That meant that someone had to step up. Hunter stepped up in a big way.
The redshirt freshman finished the game with four catches for 47 yards. He also had huge touchdown catch on a crucial 4th down in the endzone falling to his side.
Cal Football Game Overview
The biggest take away from this game is Ott’s health going forward. He is the best player on the Cal football team. When he goes, the team goes. The Bears head to Auburn next week and they will need to be able to run the ball on the ground. If Ott can play, their chances of winning are much better. Cal also needs to have starting center Will McDonald and the aforementioned Merriweather healthy.
It was good for Cal to start the season off with a win. There was certainly a little panic going around to start the game, yet looking around the league it seemed the underdogs played well. A Justin Wilcox-led Cal team has never lost to an FCS school, but they also never blow them out either.
The second half showed a lot of promising things for the football team, and flashes of what Cal wants to do on offense. The defense only gave up one score throughout the game and played with a bend don’t break style. It is yet to be determined to see if Cal will continue to rotate quarterbacks. Their next game is at Auburn and will be a much bigger test to see where this team is at.
Media Quotes
The post game press conference starts off with head coach Justin Wilcox. He discusses not being in any type of rhythm to start the game, with the team having five or six drives that had three plays or less. The offense didn’t rack up that many yards overall, but Wilcox mentioned that they want to push the ball down the field more.
Wilcox had no update on Ott’s injury.
Return man Nohl Williams was an X-factor today, and Wilcox liked his competitiveness and mentioned that he received a game ball.
Even though they started out slow, he did not think the team came out flat, stating that it was a multitude of factors but that the second half felt different.
He also mentioned how Auburn will be a step up from the competition they played and that they will practice the silent count while cranking up the crowd noise in practice.
Wilcox finished the presser talking about Buchanan and Uluave and how well he thought they played.
Mendoza started the presser talking about going up tempo and being anxious the first couple of drives. He goes on to talk about converting a crucial 4th down near midfield and how it gives him confidence for the coaches to send him out there.
Later, quarterback gives his thoughts on alternating with Rogers, and how that will pan out going forward.
Cal was missing multiple starters on offense especially on the offensive line and receiving corps, but Fernando talks about how he has chemistry with everyone on the offense.
Mendoza goes on to talk about how he has to mentally stay engaged with the quarterback situation. He would finish his presser talking about playing at Auburn and how he is used to humidity since he grew up in Miami.
Nohl Williams was a major X-factor for the team today. He talks about his ability to score touchdowns for Cal and that he loves to contribute to the team. Williams mentions that his performance was based off his preparation and work he puts in with the coaches.
The cornerback was not targeted too often last season, but with an improved secondary, he talks about how he goes into every game expecting to be challenged.
His kickoff return for a touchdown was a major momentum change in favor of the Bears, rather than be insulted when they kick it to him, he sees it as an opportunity. He finishes his presser talking about being consistent, physical, and having good technique.
Nyziah Hunter stepped up in a huge way today for the offense. He starts his presser talking about how he didn’t think he would play today – and how scoring a touchdown boosted his confidence.
The wide receiver mentions that it does not matter who plays quarterback because he trusts his abilities to make it work.
He goes on to talk about the depth of the wide receivers room and how he sees himself as a ballplayer. When asked about scoring a touchdown he mentions that he feels like he’s apart of the team and that he blacked out. He finishes his presser talking about the kickoff return for a touchdown and how those types of plays boost the team’s confidence.
Linebackers Teddye Buchanan and Cade Uluave end the presser as a duo. Cade talks about how they started out slow due to first game jitters but that they ended that in the locker room at half.
Teddye played for UC Davis last season, and talks about how playing against his former team was a positive experience.
Both players mention that it was fun to play together for the first time and how their chemistry has come a long way in such a short time. Cal has a long history of having great linebackers, and they discussed the legacy of linebackers at Cal and how they want to build on that.
Cade mentions that they have a lot of trust in the rest of the defense and how reassuring it is to have that faith. He would also go on to talk about getting that first interception and Teddye came around to celebrate with him.
Teddye finished with more tackles than Cade, and both players mention that they have a competition with another regarding stats. This game allowed both players to work out any kinks and how they’re preparing to play at Auburn in such a tough environment.
Cody Henderson
I root for teams that only let me down. Talking all things Las Vegas Raiders and Cal Bears football. Follow me on X where I post my dramatic takes.