Berkeley, CA—It was a cold night in Berkeley, as the Cal hosted the San Diego State Aztecs in their Week 3 college football matchup.
It was slow rolling for the offense at first, but a consistent rushing attack led by Jaivian Thomas allowed them to explode in the second half. The Golden Bears beat the Aztecs with a final score of 31-10 and improved to 3-0 on the season.
A Slow First Half for Cal Football
The Golden Bears started the first quarter slow on offense. Cal had difficulty moving the football for their first two drives, until they got things going with the run on their third drive.
Jaivian Thomas had a huge 37-yard run that set up Fernando Mendoza for a rushing touchdown. Both teams had plenty of penalties early, but the most notable was the targeting call on Cal defensive back Craig Woodson that ended his night early.
Cal would end the first quarter up 7-3 on the Aztecs.
The second quarter was filled with nothing but penalties. Early in the quarter, Cal went for a 4th and 1, but the pass was deflected and returned for a touchdown by the Aztecs. However, a block in the back on the return wiped out the touchdown.
The Aztecs would attempt a fourth down conversion of their own on their following drive. San Diego State attempted a fake punt but were unable to do anything with it after multiple penalties.
Despite the defensive success, the offense for Cal still struggled and gave up three sacks in the first half.
San Diego State would get the ball after the two-minute timeout. Quarterback Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson would throw an interception to none other than Nohl Williams – marking his fourth on the season.
After getting the ball past midfield and with little time, kicker Ryan Coe came out for a 62-yard field, but missed badly. Cal would head into the locker room at halftime up 7-3.
Cal Pulls Away in the Second Half
The third quarter was much better for the Cal offense.
Jaivian Thomas ripped off a 57-yard run that set the Bears up perfectly. Running back Kadarius Calloway would score a touchdown from seven yards out to make it a 14-3 contest.
The Aztecs’ offense struggled to really get any momentum in the quarter. That’s when Mendoza would lead the Bears on a 90-yard drive for another score. This time, he found tight end Corey Dyches for a 20-yard touchdown pass to add to the lead. Cal would lead 21-3 at the end of the third quarter.
The Bears started the fourth quarter with great field position after the Aztecs failed to convert a fourth down on their own 33-yard line. Unfortunately for Cal, Mendoza would get sacked and Golden Bears would settle for a field goal.
The Aztec offense would finally score a touchdown to make things tighter. Yet the Golden Bears’ offense would answer almost immediately with a huge run by Calloway, capped off by a touchdown pass from Mendoza to Nyziah Hunter. That would be the last score of the game.
Cal Football Game Balls
It’s obvious that the first game ball would go to running back Jaivian Thomas. Stepping in and filling in for Jaydn Ott is not an easy task. Yet the East Bay native ran for 169 yards on 16 attempts.
Thomas’ longest run of the night came in the third quarter, when he took off for 57 yards. He did not record a touchdown, but he averaged almost 10 yards per carry. His big night earned him a game ball.
His counterpart, Kadarius Calloway, had been mostly quiet to start of the season. Yes, another running back gets a game ball; but when you run for as many yards as the offense does, they deserve it.
Calloway had 87 yards on nine carries, including a huge 60-yard run to start the fourth quarter. He also tacked on a touchdown run from seven yards out on a critical third and goal in the third quarter. The one-two punch of Thomas and Calloway was key for this offense.
Defensively, outside linebacker Xavier Carlton had a huge game. He was flying all over the field and causing havoc. The defense generated three sacks, and Carlton is credited for two and a half of them.
He would finish the game with five total tackles and was consistently putting pressure on the quarterback. His efforts were dually noted and that’s why he gets a game ball.
Game Overview
There were a lot of positives, but also some negatives for Cal in this football game.
Being able to run the ball the way they did without Ott was quite impressive.
Nohl Williams’ interception makes him the leader in all of college football with four total. Following the game, Cal also has the most takeaways in the nation.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza played well despite the penalties that derailed several drives. Penalties were a problem for both teams, with 27 total penalties were called in the game.
The offense did not convert a single fourth down conversion and gave up six total sacks. It was back and forth all night, but the running game is what sealed the victory for Cal. A win is a win and that makes Cal 3-0. They head to Florida State next weekend for their first ACC matchup.
Postgame Media
Head Coach Justin Wilcox started the press conference talking about how his team needs to clean up the penalties and sacks.
He goes on to mention momentum-changing plays, and how the program needs to learn how to win by doing the little things right.
Running back Jaydn Ott looked ready to go in pregame warmups, but Wilcox said he was ruled out just before gametime by the doctors. He praised Jaivian Thomas and Kadarius Calloway on their big games.
Cal has a long tradition of the student section holding up placards, but students kept throwing them on the field. The team received multiple warnings and was given two penalties. Wilcox stated that he does not plan on asking the rally committee to remove the placards despite that.
Wilcox credited the defense for playing well, minus one drive that had some miscues.
He ends the presser talking about a crucial play that Cal appeared to have a first down on. They wanted to hurry up to not give the officials time to review it, but the headset went out and they couldn’t get a play call in. Wilcox had to take a timeout, and it caused the officials to spot the ball behind the marker.
Jaivian Thomas and quarterback Fernando Mendoza tag teamed for their postgame media.
Thomas opened the presser talking about his 57-yard run; and how he’s disappointed in himself for not finishing the run.
Meanwhile, Mendoza starts his presser by giving credit to Thomas for his play. Mendoza then mentions that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win, even if it means sacrificing himself.
Both players talked about how much better they need to play next week against Florida State.
Mendoza spoke about the connection he has with Nyziah Hunter, and how it formulated last season.
Thomas spoke about the impact Ott made on him while he was on the sideline. He credits Ott for providing him with plenty of help and advice. He went on to talk about how he got his body in shape for the season and how it’s helped his playing ability.
Finally, Mendoza talks about his brother getting snaps as a true freshman for Indiana; and how it’s important for his brother to get his feet wet. Mendoza ends the presser talking about the next two games which are against FSU and Miami. Mendoza is from Miami and mentioned how cool it will be to have friends and family in the stands.
Linebacker Cade Uluave is the last player to speak in the press conference. He starts the presser talking about how he and the rest of the team are excited to play against FSU. He thinks Cal is ready, but the football team need to clean some things up.
Cal has played three really good running backs this football season and have held them in check. He spoke about the mentality the defense plays with when it comes to stopping the run, and how each team in the ACC runs the ball well.
Uluave then mentions David Reese, who has yet to play this season besides a few snaps against Auburn. He talked about how important Reese’s leadership has been from the sideline and that he gave the team a speech at halftime.
Uluave ended his press conference talking about what was said at halftime and how he’s ready to play against FSU next week.
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.