Cal didn't wear their special yellow pants for their trip to face Stanford. But it sure looked like it after the Bears pissed all the way down both legs as they fell 35-28 to the Cardinal in the latest edition of the Big Game.
Cal led 28-14 midway through the third quarter, and after a sack Stanford faced a third and 18 at their own 13 yard line. But the Bears secondary decided to drift off into space and allowed a deep bomb over the top right down the middle of the field. A few plays later, quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw a touchdown pass to the wrong team to tie the game, and the Bears would never recover.
Chandler Rogers and Jaydn Ott were suspended again for smoking the ganja, and their absence was felt heavily on the road. Mendoza was rattled much of the second half after Jaivian Thomas took some big hits, which killed off the effective Cal ground game.
"We can't win a big game like this on the road against a rival when we make such stupid mistakes," Coach JasonUK said. "We dropped a touchdown pass in the first quarter that cost us four points. We let a defensive end come untouched around the end for a sack on third and goal from the two, which cost us four points. We gave up two deep touchdowns from blown coverages. I thought we were past these dumb mental errors but apparently not."
Coach JasonUK credited Coach Ninjanano for limiting the run game. "We had some success early on, but Thomas took some hits and they realized he didn't have that burst. They started loading up the box and then dropping everyone into coverage to force us into tough throws. We had no answers down the stretch."
Cal has one game left with Wake Forest, which has been postponed a few times but plays a key role in determining the outcome of the ACC Championship participants.
In a heated rivalry matchup, the Stanford Cardinal edged out the California Golden Bears with a final score of 35-28. The game was a display of explosive plays, defensive resilience, and clutch moments.
California struck first with a field goal, but Stanford responded at the end of the first quarter with Ashton Daniels connecting with Tiger Bachmeier on an 87-yard touchdown. Both teams traded blows throughout the game, with Daniels showcasing his arm with three passing touchdowns, including two to Ismael Cisse.
Stanford's ground game, led by Sedrick Irvin's 133 rushing yards and a touchdown, complemented the aerial attack, keeping the Golden Bears' defense on their toes. Defensively, Mitch Leigber and Anthony Franklin spearheaded the Cardinal effort, with critical stops and a combined 4.5 tackles for loss.
California quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw for 216 yards and two touchdowns but was also picked off three times, including a pivotal interception in the fourth quarter that sealed the game for Stanford. The Golden Bears' rushing attack was stifled, managing just 70 yards on the ground.
The victory propels Stanford into bowl contention and solidifies their dominance in the rivalry. California, despite a strong effort, couldn't overcome Stanford's balanced attack and timely defensive plays.
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