BERKELEY — Cal has a bye week to digest the primary half of its soccer season and unravel how issues went so badly sideways Saturday evening in opposition to Duke.
The Bears are 4-2 total and 1-1 within the ACC, however their prospects definitely appeared brighter than that once they stormed to a 21-7 lead barely 2 minutes into the second quarter.
Then the Blue Devils annoyed a season-best crowd of 42,240 at Memorial Stadium, scoring the ultimate 38 factors of the sport in a 45-21 verdict. Duke put up 24 of these factors within the second quarter to eradicate what was briefly a 14-point deficit.
“We’ve got to grow up, that’s the overriding theme. We’re immature,” coach Justin Wilcox stated after the Bears squandered an opportunity to go 5-1 for the primary time in 10 seasons. “We have glimpses where we can play good football but it’s too much of a roller-coaster. Can’t play that way and win.”
Each the offense and the protection took activates that deflating amusement experience.
The offense assembled landing drives of 75, 55 and 80 yards on its first thrice with the ball. These totaled 210 yards, at a median of seven.8 yards per play.
The remainder of the evening, Cal managed simply 76 yards on 2.2 yards per snap. And that wasn’t all: The Bears allowed six sacks and dedicated 4 turnovers.
California Golden Bears working again Kendrick Raphael (1) is gang tackled by the Duke Blue Devils within the second half of their recreation at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. The Duke Blue Devils defeated the California Golden Bears 45-21. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Space Information Group)
“The first three drives of the game the offense played well,” Wilcox stated. “Then we went backwards — penalties, sacks, turned the ball over four times.”
Issues appeared to show abruptly after freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele acquired up limping from a failed scramble two performs earlier than Kendrick Raphael’s 4-yard landing run made it 21-7 early within the second quarter.
“I’m OK. My ankle’s good, everything’s good,” Sagapolutele stated afterward. “Just got to play through it and play better.”
“He was able to keep playing. There was nothing from the trainers,” Wilcox stated.
Maybe, however Sagapolutele was 13 for 16 for 168 yards, with no sacks or turnovers to that time. He was 7 for 15 for 77 yards with three interceptions after these first three drives. The defensive strain modified the whole lot.
“We’ve got to protect the quarterback,” Wilcox stated.
Sagapolutele declined to be vital of the boys in entrance of him. “The O-line . . . they were doing the best they could,” he stated, blaming himself for not all the time protecting his eyes downfield when strain got here.
His three interceptions, which give him seven on the season, included one which skipped off the palms of his supposed receiver.
Cal’s protection was as a lot the wrongdoer, permitting Duke 200 yards whereas it put up 24 factors within the second quarter. The Bears pressured Duke to go three-and-out thrice within the third quarter earlier than the Blue Devils added a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to ice the win.
Wilcox supplied a terse evaluation: “Terrible defense — eye control, communication, not playing the ball in the air, not rushing very well, didn’t tackle well.”
Linebacker Cade Uluave conceded the Bears wrestle with consistency.
“There’s times we’re doing what we need to do . . . and then there’s times we’re not,” he stated. “That’s a killer.”
UP NEXT: Cal’s subsequent two video games characteristic opponents with dropping information up to now. Let’s have a look:
— The Bears are again house every week from Friday in opposition to Invoice Belichick and North Carolina (2-3, 0-1), which was pounded 38-10 by Clemson on Saturday. The Tar Heels even have a bye this week.
— Every week later, on Friday, Oct. 24, Cal treks to Virginia Tech (2-4, 1-1), which misplaced 30-23 at house to Wake Forest. The Hokies play at Georgia Tech subsequent Saturday then get pleasure from their very own bye the week earlier than dealing with Cal.
Duke Blue Devils cornerback Chandler Rivers (0) fails to intercept a cross supposed for California Golden Bears vast receiver Jaiven Plummer (84) within the first half of their recreation at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Space Information Group)
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