Freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw a 3-yard landing go to Jacob De Jesus on fourth down within the first extra time and Cal shocked host No. 15 Louisville 29-26 on Saturday night time.
“That was our moment, that was our time to shine,” Sagpolutele stated. “I had so much confidence in Jacob that he was going to make a play. He got open and he scored.”
Sagapolutele threw for a career-high 323 yards and two touchdowns and De Jesus caught 16 passes for 158 yards because the Bears (6-4, 3-3 ACC) snapped a two-game dropping streak, and earned bowl eligibility for the third straight yr.
Sagapoutele accomplished passes of 8 and 9 yards to operating again Kendrick Raphael in extra time, to achieve the 8-yard line. Raphael then ran the ball twice to the 3-yard line earlier than a trick play on third down went nowhere.
Louisville (7-2, 4-2) acquired the ball first in extra time however settled for a 49-yard discipline objective from Cooper Ranvier for a 26-23 lead. The loss drops the Cardinals out of what would have been a five-way tie for first place within the ACC.
The sport went into extra time at 23-all after neither crew might rating on its ultimate 4 possessions of regulation.
Cal rapidly added to its four-point halftime lead when cornerback Hezekiah Lots made his fifth interception of the season, establishing a career-long 45-yard discipline objective by Chase Meyer for a 20-17 margin with 11:34 left within the third quarter.
Louisville responded with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that was fueled by two 15-yard penalties towards the Bears — a flag for roughing and one for a facemask. Miller Moss scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak to tie the rating at 20-20 with 7:43 left within the third.
Cal went again in entrance 23-20 when Meyer made his third discipline objective of the sport — a 26-yarder with 23 seconds left within the third interval. However the drive might have offered the Bears with extra, besides for 3 false begin penalties.
Louisville tied the sport for the fourth time, at 23-all, when Randvier delivered on a 39-yard discipline objective with 11:08 left within the fourth quarter.
Cal performed one in all its finest halves of the season to forge a 17-13 lead on the break.
The Bears took their first lead on Raphael’s 2-yard TD run with 7 seconds left within the second quarter, which capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive. It was Raphael’s twelfth landing of the season, his eleventh on the bottom.
Cal gained 272 yards within the half towards a Louisville squad that was main the ACC in complete protection, permitting simply 280 yards per recreation. The Bears had seven performs of not less than 20 yards within the half.
The Bears made adjustments on the offensive line, with Bastian Swinney taking up at on the troubled middle place.
Sagapolutele was 15 for 22 for 202 yards with a landing and no turnovers within the first two quarters. De Jesus caught eight of these passes for 95 yards and in addition accomplished a 23-yard go to Trond Grizzell on a trick play to open the sport. That promising drive ended with a missed 40-yard discipline objective strive by Meyer.
Louisville answered instantly with a landing drive earlier than Cal tied the rating when Sagapolutele delivered an ideal 20-yard back-shoulder TD go to tight finish Landon Morris with 40 seconds left within the first quarter.
The groups then traded discipline targets — Meyer changing this time from 27 yards with 5:59 left within the half — for a 10-10 rating. Louisville crept again in entrance, 13-10, on Ranvier’s 49-yard discipline objective with 2:34 left within the half.
With restricted time however three timeouts in his again pocket, Sagpaolutele calmly took the Bears down the sphere. He hit De Jesus for a 21-yard acquire and Raphael for a 23-yard pickup to get into the crimson zone. On third-and-goal from the two, Raphael plowed throughout to place Cal in entrance.
