Built in Berkeley

[YaBoyRobRoy]

Orange you feeling good about this one?

loved Syracuse when I did a pit stop there in 25, ngl

I like our chances on paper, just gotta make sure we execute!

Them boys sorry as hell, run through them

[YaBoyRobRoy]

WEEK 2, 2026
CALIFORNIA (1-0) @ SYRACUSE (1-0)
9/12/26 • 12 PM
JMA Wireless Dome • Syracuse, NY



Syracuse, NY • After surviving a tense rivalry battle with UCLA in Week 1, California left no doubt in its ACC opener.

Behind another brilliant performance from quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and a defense that produced game-changing takeaways, the Golden Bears overwhelmed Syracuse 52-28, improving to 2-0 and announcing themselves as an early team to watch in the conference race.

Ironically, Syracuse actually outgained Cal 458-437 in total offense and averaged the same 7.9 yards per play, but the difference came in the biggest moments. The Golden Bears capitalized on every Orange mistake while delivering explosive plays on both sides of the football.

Syracuse struck first with a one-yard touchdown run by Ahmad Miller, but the Bears responded immediately.

Sagapolutele found Adam Mohammed on a 15-yard touchdown pass before connecting with Dorian Thomas for a five-yard score late in the opening quarter to give Cal a 14-7 lead.

From there, the Golden Bears seized complete control.

Early in the second quarter, Sagapolutele hit Ian Strong for an eight-yard touchdown to extend the lead before the defense delivered the play of the game.

With Syracuse driving, defensive back Marquis Groves-Killebrew stepped in front of a pass and raced 81 yards for a pick-six, pushing Cal's lead to three touchdowns.

The Bears weren't finished.

Sagapolutele added his fourth touchdown pass of the afternoon on a four-yard strike to Dajuan McKinley, who hurdled a defender on his way to the endzone, sending California into halftime with a commanding 35-14 advantage.

Any hopes of a Syracuse comeback disappeared after the break.

Cal opened the third quarter with another touchdown before running back Adam Mohammed powered into the end zone from one yard out, giving the Bears a 49-21 lead. A late field goal in the fourth quarter capped off a dominant offensive afternoon as California cruised to a 52-28 victory.

While Syracuse piled up nearly 460 yards of offense, the Orange repeatedly sabotaged themselves.

California forced two interceptions, including Groves-Killebrew's momentum-shifting touchdown return, and finished +2 in turnover margin.

The Cal defense also stiffened when it mattered most, holding Syracuse to 60% red-zone touchdown efficiency, while the Bears converted six of seven red-zone trips into touchdowns.

It was a textbook example of complementary football—creating takeaways, cashing them in, and forcing the opponent to chase the game.

Two weeks into the season, the identity of this California team is becoming clear.

Against UCLA, the Bears proved they could survive a heavyweight fight. Against Syracuse, they proved they can overwhelm an opponent with explosive offense and opportunistic defense.

The new coaching staff now sits at 2-0, the offense has scored 73 points over its last two games, and confidence is building quickly in Berkeley.

The Golden Bears haven't just started the season undefeated. They've started to believe that something special is brewing.
















STATS

► Show Spoiler

Code: Select all

BOX SCORE

TEAM		1	2	3	4	FINAL
CALIFORNIA	14	21	14	3	52
SYRACUSE 	7	7	7	7	28


GAME STATS

UCLA		STAT		CAL
25	      1ST DOWNS		19
55	     TOTAL PLAYS	58
437	      TOTAL OFF		458
136	      RUSH YDS		176
5.9	      YDS/RUSH		7.3
301	      PASS YDS		282
9.4	      YDS/PASS		8.3
0	      TURNOVERS		2
25:32	       T.O.P.		22:28


PLAYER STATS

CALIFORNIA

QB J. SAGAPOLUTELE • 24/29, 293 YDS, 5 TD
RB A. MOHAMMED • 12 ATT, 125 YDS, TD, 2 REC, 28 YDS, REC TD
TE D. THOMAS • 10 REC, 131 YDS, TD
WR D. MCKINLEY • 4 REC, 29 YDS, 2 TD
WR I. STRONG • 3 REC, 31 YDS, TD


SYRACUSE

QB S. ANGELI • 15/25, 215 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT
RB A. MILLER • 12 ATT, 125 YDS, TD
RB J. JOHNSON • 7 ATT, 45 YDS, TD, 5 REC, 74 YDS
TE D. BACHEYIE • 4 REC, 97 YDS, 2 TD
LB A. DESLAURIERS • 11 TKLS

[YaBoyRobRoy]

WEEK 2, 2026


NOTABLE GAMES

• #1 Ohio State defeats Texas on the road, 38-14

• Oklahoma survives the Big House, defeats Michigan 27-21

• #2 Oregon beats Oklahoma State in a shootout, 56-42

• #10 Bama fends off Kentucky, 35-32

• Clemson falls to 0-2 after losing to Georgia Southern, 35-27

TOP 25 RANKINGS

01. Ohio St (36) (2-0)
02. Oregon (27) (2-0)
03. Georgia (3) (2-0)
04. Indiana (2-0)
05. Miami (2-0)
06. Texas A&M (2-0)
07. Oklahoma (2-0)
08. LSU (2-0)
09. BYU (2-0)
10. Alabama (2-0)
11. USC (3-0)
12. Louisville (2-0)
13. Texas Tech (2-0)
14. Notre Dame (1-1)
15. Ole Miss (1-1)
16. Utah (2-0)
17. Michigan (1-1)
18. Tennessee (2-0)
19. Houston (2-0)
20. SMU (2-0)
21. Washington (2-0)
22. Florida (2-0)
23. Missouri (2-0)
24. South Carolina (2-0)
25. Auburn (2-0)

Others Receiving Votes: Iowa, Duke, JMU, Minnesota, Navy, Virginia Tech, California, Texas
Dropped From Rankings: #15 Iowa, #23 Texas



ACC PLAY

• Miami 52 - FCS 0

• Louisville 48 - FCS 0

• Boston College 44 - Rutgers 21

• Tennessee 47 - Georgia Tech 0

• SMU 63 - FCS 3

• Virginia Tech 17 - Old Dominion 14

• Georgia Southern 35 - Clemson 27

• UCF 33 - Pittsburgh 27

• NC State 43 - FCS 7

• Duke 35 - Illinois 3

• Wake Forest 23 - Purdue 10

• Virginia 28 - FCS 7

• North Carolina 35 - FCS 7

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

NATIONAL

OFF: Trey Owens, QB #9, Arkansas State
vs FCS (W 56-7) -- 25/38, 293 yds, 5 TD, 8 car, 115 yds, 2 rush TD

DEF: Dylan Dixson, CB #9, Missouri State
vs FCS (W 55-47) -- 6 tkl, INT, 3 PBU, def TD

ACC

OFF: Jalen Hale, WR #2, SMU
vs FCS (W 63-3) -- 9 rec, 184 yds, 3 TD

DEF: Melkart Abou-Jaoude, DE #9, North Carolina
vs FCS (W 35-7) -- 6 tkl, sack, 3 TFL, FF, 2 FR

[redsox907]

JUICED DEM BOYS

stepped on their throat and never let up