The California Golden Bears’ four-game winning streak ended with a 31-10 defeat to Stanford in the annual Big Game at Stanford Stadium on Saturday. Cal, which had won five of the previous six matchups against its rival, took an early 10-3 lead late in the second quarter but did not score again for the remainder of the contest.
Wide receiver Jacob De Jesus led Cal’s offense with 14 receptions for 96 yards, marking his second consecutive game with double-digit catches. De Jesus entered the game as the ACC leader in average catches per game.
“It’s extremely frustrating and painful,” Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox said. “We are all in this together – coaches and players. I think they were ready to play in terms of energy and excitement. Unfortunately, want-to doesn’t equal good football.”
Trond Grizzell contributed nine catches for 104 yards, while quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele completed 33 of 49 passes for 269 yards.
On defense, linebacker Luke Ferrelli recorded a team-high 10 tackles, and defensive tackle Derek Wilkins broke up two passes.
Cal defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina commented on the significance of the rivalry loss: “It’s heartbreaking. This is the Big Game and it’s important to our team, our coaches and our alumni,” Keanaaina said. “It’s a legacy game, and it hurts for all of us. I thought we came into the week juiced to play and felt ready.”
The Golden Bears (6-5 overall, 3-4 ACC) will conclude their regular season next Saturday against SMU at California Memorial Stadium. The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. PT kickoff and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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