BERKELEY — Cal has misplaced two video games in a row for the primary time this season, once more lacking an opportunity to earn bowl eligibility in a 31-21 setback to No. 15 Virginia in entrance of 30,893 at Memorial Stadium on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
Trailing 24-21, Cal acquired one final probability after Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris threw incomplete on fourth-and-2 from the Bears’ 14-yard line.
Cal took over with 45 seconds left and on first down Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw down the sector into double protection. He was picked off by linebacker Kam Robinson, who returned it 35 yards untouched into the top zone with 29 seconds left.
The Bears (5-4, 2-3 ACC) journey subsequent week to No. 16 Louisville, which improved to 7-1 with a 28-16 win over Virginia Tech. Cal nonetheless is one win shy of securing bowl eligibility for the third straight season, and its likelihood is dwindling to place collectively the sort of season that may guarantee ninth-year coach Justin Wilcox has job safety.
Cal fell behind 10-0 early and couldn’t muster sufficient consistency on offense to overhaul the Cavaliers (8-1, 5-0), whose first victory ever within the Pacific time zone offers them seven straight wins this season.
The Bears completed with a season-low 263 yards. Sagapolutele was 19 for 30 for 213 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He performed turnover-free the 2 earlier weeks. He was sacked thrice, contributing to Cal’s internet dashing whole of 8 yards.
The Bears performed a lot of the sport with out star linebacker Cade Uluave, who had one move breakup however no tackles earlier than popping out with an undisclosed damage. He was on the sidelines along with his helmet off the entire second quarter and was in a T-shirt after halftime.
The ACC’s main tackler had a career-best 19 tackles every week in the past within the Bears’ 42-34 double-overtime loss at Virginia Tech.
Cal drew inside three factors for the second time within the second half, thanks partially to a 14-yard punt that skidded off the foot of Virginia’s Daniel Sparks. That arrange the Bears on the 25-yard line and so they wanted simply two performs to get into the top zone.
Sagapolutele accomplished a 24-yard move to tight finish Mason Mini to the 1-yard line, however the Cal freshman QB stayed on the bottom afterward and needed to come out of the sport for one play.
Redshirt freshman EJ Caminong got here on and handed off to Raphael Kendrick, who powered in from the 1 for his third landing of the sport, his sixth in two weeks. That enabled the Bears to shut inside 24-21 with 12:57 left within the fourth quarter.
The Bears had used some razzle-dazzle to get inside 17-14 halfway by way of the third quarter.
Jacob De Jesus set the Bears up on the Virginia 42-yard line with an 18-yard punt return.
Sagapolutele then threw a lateral move to the left flat to Mini, who uncorked a deep ball down the suitable aspect of the sector to Raphael, who took it in with 6:08 left within the interval.
Virginia answered instantly, assembling an 11-play, 75-yard drive, climaxed by Chandler Morris throwing a lateral move to tight finish Eli Wooden, who ran in from the 4-yard line for a 24-14 lead with 1:51 left within the third interval.
The Cavaliers scored on their first possession and by no means trailed on the best way to a 17-7 halftime lead.
Cal was down 10-0 when it assembled its solely scoring drive of the half a 14-play, 75-yard march that was capped by a 2-yard run by Raphael, who took a direct snap on a first-down play with 13:00 left within the second quarter.
