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In an oxymoronic Atlantic Coast Conference matchup between two teams situated on the Pacific Coast, a gritty Cal Golden Bears (6-5, 2-5) team fell behind its rival, the Stanford Cardinal (3-8, 2-6), but came back to prevail 24-21 in the 127th Big Game.
The Cardinal led for the vast majority of the game, but when it counted at the end, the Golden Bears were on top.
Big Game Summary
The Cardinal marched down the field 73 yards on the game's opening drive, possessing the ball for over seven minutes and scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run by senior Justin Lamson. After stopping the Golden Bears' first drive and forcing a punt, the Cardinal stormed back down the field and scored on another Lamson TD run.
Stanford thoroughly dominated Cal in the first quarter, outgaining the Golden Bears 127-23 yards and seizing a 14-0 lead.
Cal got going in the second quarter on a four-play, 82-yard drive highlighted by a lengthy scramble by quarterback Fernando Mendoza. It was capped by a 14-yard TD pass from Mendoza to redshirt junior Trond Grizzell.
With 1:44 left in the first half, Stanford attempted a 53-yard field goal, but placekicker Emmet Kenney pulled the kick left. It gave the Golden Bears the ball in some favorable field position. Although Cal then drove into Stanford territory, the Cardinal defense bowed up, holding the Golden Bears to a 50-yard field goal attempt that failed.
At halftime, the score was 14-7 in favor of Stanford.
The Cardinal stopped Cal's opening drive of the second half, then methodically marched down the field in a time-consuming drive. It was highlighted by solid passes to elite WR Elic Ayomanor and capped by a trick play—a pitch by Daniels to freshman running back Micah Ford, who then threw a TD pass to Emmett Mosley V, giving Stanford a 21-7 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, freshman Sam Mattingly delivered a jarring blow to Nohl Williams, resulting in a fumble recovered by the Cardinal. Although Stanford took control of the ball deep in Cal territory, the Golden Bears' defense stopped Stanford, forcing a field goal attempt which the Cardinal botched due to a poor snap.
Cal responded with a 12-play, 54-yard drive that culminated with a 46-yard field goal by redshirt senior placekicker Ryan Coe, narrowing the Stanford lead to 21-10 with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter. Then, after thwarting the next Cardinal drive, Cal mounted a 71-yard drive for a TD on a 30-yard pass from Mendoza to WR Jonathan Brady. The Golden Bears went for a 2-point conversion but failed, resulting in a 21-16 lead for the Cardinal with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game.
After stopping Stanford, Cal took over once again, then went on an 11-play scoring drive, capped by another TD pass from Mendoza to Brady. The Bears again went for a 2-point conversion and succeeded, taking a 24-21 lead with just under three minutes remaining in the game.
Next Up
The Cardinal concludes its season with a Nov. 29 matchup against another San Francisco Bay Area opponent, the San José State Spartans (6-5, 3-4 Mountain West Conference). The Spartans are led by one of the nation's top wide receivers, Nick Nash. The Golden Bears head to Dallas for their regular-season finalé against the conference-leading No. 13 SMU Mustangs (10-1, 7-0 ACC) on Nov. 30 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus.
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