Calovercame five turnovers and an early 14-0 deficit to beat the Pitt Panthers in overtime, with a 38-35 win giving the Bears six wins and making them bowl eligible.
Despite giving up 547 yards of total offense, the Bears came up with four turnovers of their own. Jaydn Ott ran for 144 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, but did cough up the ball twice including on Cal's second possession.
Pitt would score a touchdown after that fumble, adding onto an early pick-6 to put Cal down 14-0. But the Bears refused to cave, and they rallied from down 21-7 to tie the game. Cal's secondary would get a pick in the endzone in the dying seconds to send the teams into the locker room tied at 28-28.
The Panthers would never score another offensive point. Cal would force a fumble on the first play after halftime and take a 35-28 lead a few plays later. The Panthers threw a pick inside the Cal five yard line later in the quarter, but Cal gave it right back with a pick-6.
Pitt had a chance to take the lead twice in the fourth quarter. First, they faked a field goal with four minutes to go, which Cal easily stuffed. Then after a long drive to burn the clock, they'd miss a 19-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
Cal was able to stop a quarterback scramble and force a field goal attempt. That's when Xavier Carlton stepped up to make one of the biggest plays of the season, as he broke through the middle and blocked the attempt.
Ott would pick up a first down on the next play, and after another run to center the ball, Ryan Coe split the uprights from 22 yards to give the Bears the win and send their fans into a frenzy.
Coach JasonUK was limited in his comments post game, but he praised his players for never giving up, overcoming so many mistakes, and finding a way to gut out a very difficult and emotionally draining win. The win moves the Bears to 6-2, making them bowl eligible and giving them an outside shot at playing in the ACC title game.
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