The Cal soccer staff stays 0-for-the-Atlantic Coast Convention after one other nail-biting defeat rooted in errors and what-ifs.
The Bears misplaced 17-15 to No. 22 Pitt at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday afternoon in one other outing they actually might have gained.
Cal (3-3, 0-3 ACC) has dropped three straight convention video games by a complete of eight factors in its debut season within the ACC. Shedding shut video games is the Bears’ means, it appears. Relationship again to the 2020 season, they’re 6-17 in one-score outcomes.
The Bears’ protection pitched a second-half shutout towards a Pitt staff (6-0, 2-0) that was averaging 45 factors and is undefeated by six video games for the primary time since 1982.
Finally, Cal couldn’t overcome its self-inflicted wounds, beginning with 12 penalties for 110 yards. There was a little bit of every part — two cross interference penalties on the identical drive, unsportsmanlike conduct, a personal-foul facemask, a personal-foul fingers to the face, an unlawful substitution together with the standard holding and false-start infractions.
“How do you win a one-score game today?” Cal coach Justin Wilcox requested. “Cut the penalties in half, start there. Or just take care of the ones that take no talent.”
The protection held quarterback Eli Holstein — who had three landing passes in every of Pitt’s first 5 video games — to 133 yards and no touchdowns, intercepting him twice.
However the protection additionally gave up a 72-yard TD run by Des Reid on a fourth-and-1 play from the Panthers’ 28-yard line on the primary play of the second quarter, permitting Pitt to ratchet its result in 14-6.
“Fourth-and-1 — everybody’s doing their job and one guy makes kind of a selfish decision and gets out of his gap and it goes 72 yards for a touchdown,” Wilcox lamented.
Cal’s Fernando Mendoza accomplished 27 of 37 passes for 272 yards, together with eight for 119 yards and a 19-yard TD to tight finish Jack Endries that obtained the Bears inside two factors with 10:30 to play.
However Mendoza additionally was sacked six occasions, 5 of them within the second half — the third time prior to now 4 video games he’s been taken down at the very least six occasions.
“There’s one or two I remember that were for sure on me,” stated Mendoza, declining to throw his offensive line underneath the bus. “I’m a little banged up. I feel fine, to answer your question. That’s what everybody signed up for playing football. As long as I have a pulse, I’m going to make sure I’m being a warrior out there for my teammates.”
Regardless of all of it, the Bears have been positioned to win after driving late within the sport from their very own 20-yard line to the Pittsburgh 22. However placekicker Ryan Coe, who grew up 19 miles from Pittsburgh, missed a 40-yard subject aim with 1:50 left. Coe beforehand missed two from inside 40 within the Bears’ 14-9 loss at Florida State.
Cal scored first, placing collectively a 10-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by Jaivian Thomas’ 5-yard TD run with 8:56 to go within the first quarter.
Surprisingly, the Bears went for a two-point conversion, with punter/holder Lachlan Wilson overthrowing lengthy snapper David Chicken in the long run zone.
Wilcox stated going for 2 was a part of the sport plan in what they anticipated can be an in depth contest.
“Thought we had a pretty good opportunity for a chaos play — we didn’t convert it,” he stated. “Obviously, after it’s over, bad call. We had a good chance to convert it, we didn’t do it.”
Failing to transform the primary two-point strive compelled the Bears to try one other one to tie the rating within the fourth quarter. Mendoza lateraled the ball to fellow QB Chandler Rogers, however he was instantly swarmed by the Pitt protection.
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The Bears performed with out preseason All-America candidate Jaydn Ott, who continues to battle with a season-long ankle damage. The junior operating again aggravated the damage final week whereas dashing for simply 2 yards within the Bears’ 39-38 loss to Miami however was listed by Wilcox as possible early within the week.
His availability appeared much less and fewer possible because the week went on, defined Wilcox of the choice made by Cal’s medical workers and Ott.
