Cal vs UCLA College Football 2026 Recap: A Rough Start To The Lupoi Era

Berkeley, CA – The long-awaited Tosh Lupoi era is finally here, and what better way to start it than against longtime rival UCLA in front of a sold-out crowd. It was a beautiful night for football in Berkeley, and the Joe Roth jerseys were popping. Unfortunately, the team was not, as Cal lost a 45-24 contest to Bob Chesney and the Bruins.

Cal vs UCLA 2026 Recap

Disappointing Start

Cal started this game on offense and went down the field effortlessly to score a touchdown on their opening drive. UCLA would match it with an opening-drive touchdown of their own. It looked like it was going to be the shootout we all thought it was going to be, but UCLA quickly got out to an early lead and almost went up big at halftime before Bears safety Kingston Lopa intercepted a pass.

JKS would lead Cal down the field in three plays with under a minute to go to make it a one-score game. Unfortunately, Cal gave up a last-second field goal before the half to head into the locker room down 17-24. The Bruins had over 300 yards of total offense at the break.

Tackling Woes and Miscommunication

The Bears started the second half strong, forcing a punt, and then scoring on their opening drive to tie the game. Cal’s defense looked much better until three Cal turnovers doomed them. Two of them were interceptions thrown by JKS, one of which bounced off the hands of wide receiver Ian Strong, and the other? I’m not sure.

None of it really matters, though, because the defense couldn’t tackle whatsoever.

The Bruins rushed for 280 yards on offense, and the defense couldn’t tackle any of them. The third turnover actually came before the interceptions, though.

Cal was driving and decided to go for it on fourth down, but was turned away when the backup center snapped the ball to JKS, who obviously wasn’t expecting the snap. Those types of turnovers just can’t happen in a tight game like this. The momentum completely flipped, and UCLA “ran” away with it.

Another Letdown

It felt like things were finally changing. Cal took the tarps down, the crowd was loud, and it just seemed like everything was falling into place. I’m not sure why they decide to do this when the lights are the brightest. They get all this momentum, and then proceed to rip your heart out.

I’m not one to be overdramatic and say that the season is over; it’s still game one. However, I would be lying if I said this team looks any different from previous years.

There’s a lot the Bears need to work on, but they need to work on it fast. The team I watched tonight quit on defense, and that’s a recipe for disaster for the rest of the season if that’s the type of effort they’re going to give. Oh, and the offensive line needs to play much better, too.