Quarterback Fernando Mendoza said there will likely be “no sulking” on the two,200-mile flight home from Tallahassee to the Bay Area following Cal's 14-9 loss to Florida State on Saturday night.

“Woulda, woulda, coulda … I feel terrible,” he said after the Bears (3-1) suffered their first lack of the season of their first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference game. “I could have done a lot more to help us win this game, the offense could have done a lot more. It hurts and it sucks, but we have to make sure we turn the tide.”

The Seminoles (1-3) avoided their fourth straight loss after ending 13-1 last 12 months and entered this season ranked No. 10 within the AP Top 25 rankings.

Cal has loads to do within the upcoming off week before facing No. 7 Miami on Oct. 5.

The offense was penalized for five false starts before the snap. Kicker Ryan Coe made three field goals, including a 51-yarder that gave the Bears a 9-7 lead late within the third quarter, but he also missed from 36 and 38 yards within the second half.

The defense held the opponent to not more than 14 points for the fourth time in a row, but allowed big plays at crucial moments. And the offense couldn’t rating a touchdown despite the return of the healthy Jaydn Ott (16 carries, 73 yards).

“When you play against a team like Florida State with so much talent, you don't make mistakes like that and you still win,” said Cal coach Justin Wilcox. “We had a lot of chances. We didn't take advantage of them.”

Here are the takeaways from Cal’s first lack of the season:

Mendoza's big numbers

Returning to his home state, Mendoza played in front of family and friends, completing 22 of 36 passes for a career-high 303 yards. His 26-yard run on third down kept a late-game offense alive that gave the Bears a probability.

But in the ultimate minute, on third-and-16, he threw an incomplete pass to Trond Grizzell from the 23-yard line and was then sacked for the seventh time, ending the Bears' possibilities.

“We have to throw the ball. We can't eat the sack,” Wilcox said.

“I would rather have the worst stats in the world and win this game,” Mendoza said. “When we got into the red zone, we shot ourselves in the foot. A big minus for me.”

Problems before the snap

The Bears proceed to have trouble snapping the ball with out a penalty flag being waved.

“We have to start the game offensively without getting penalized. That's bad football,” Wilcox said.

When asked to what extent crowd noise contributed to the issue, Wilcox said the Bears had practiced with pre-rehearsed crowd noise.

“The neighbors hate it,” he said. “And obviously the message isn't getting through. We're not communicating it well enough and executing it well enough. That's unacceptable. That's going to be addressed until we get it right.”

Field Goal Adventure

Coe, who got here to Cal this season after successful stints at North Carolina, Cincinnati and Delaware, has missed six of his 11 field goal attempts.

Wilcox suggested that others may very well be given the prospect to compete for the kicker's job in the course of the off week.

“We'll discuss every position,” Wilcox said. “He's got a lot of talent and was really impressive in practice. He hit the 51-yarder like it was nothing and then missed from 36 and 38 yards.”

The Vatican's shock moment

Junior offensive guard Sioape Vatikani, who missed the primary three games with a foot injury, returned to the lineup but went down late within the third quarter after colliding with an FSU defender and remained on the bottom for about 10 minutes.

He was strapped to a board that immobilized his head, loaded onto a cart and driven out of the stadium. Before he left, Vatikani raised his arm and gave the fans a thumbs up.

Wilcox said Vatikani was being evaluated at an area hospital and was capable of move his extremities. “That's good news,” he said, “but that's all I know.”

Next

The Bears promise there will likely be no hangover after the loss.

“We should have won this game,” said linebacker Cade Uluave, who had 11 tackles. “But it's over. Now we're looking forward.”

Mendoza said the loss could make the Bears a greater team as they prepare for Miami.

“We may have thrown a punch,” he said. “We're going to come back and uppercut them.”

Originally published: September 21, 2024 at 19:54

A brand new era of ACC football begins this fall with the arrival of Cal, Stanford and SMU, but will the race for the conference deviate from the trail so often taken?

Either Florida State or Clemson have won 12 of the last 13 ACC championships, excluding Pittsburgh's surprising run in 2021.

The Seminoles and Tigers are once more clear favorites. But challengers are lurking.

Our predictions for the conference race:

1. State of Florida: The absolute class of the conference, unless there are dark clouds hanging over the playoff defeat, losing streaks dominate the season, the whole lot goes haywire and the Noles find yourself in the course of the pack relatively than at the highest.

2.Clemson: The Tigers have a lower ceiling than FSU but a better floor. They visit Tallahassee on October 5, so we'll know the leader two months before the sport is over.

3. Miami: A pivotal 12 months for coach Mario Cristobal, who posted a 6-10 conference record in two seasons at his alma mater. Will he get the most effective out of quarterback Cam Ward, the transfer from Washington State? Don't count on it.

4. SMU: We'd be barely surprised but not shocked – definitely not shocked – if the Mustangs won the conference of their rookie season. They're tough, well-coached and play without the burden of expectations.

5. Virginia Tech: The Hokies return 21 starters, including quarterback Kyron Drones, from a team that finished fourth last 12 months, and there's no reason they will't compete again.

6. NC State: Dave Doeren is one of the vital underrated coaches within the country. In fact, we could also be underestimating the Wolfpack here. They are 16-8 within the conference during the last three years.

7. Cal: While he doesn't get the identical attention, Jadyn Ott could be the best tailback within the ACC — higher than Miami's Damien Martinez and UNC's Omarion Hampton. If the Bears can pair Ott with a good passing game, a top-half finish — and a bowl berth — is entirely possible.

8.Louisville: The Hotline isn't as bullish on Louisville as other pundits, mostly because we way back developed a “believe it when we see it” attitude toward quarterback Tyler Shough. If he proves us mistaken this season, good for him.

9.North Carolina: Does coach Mack Brown, who’s over 70 years old, have yet one more run to go before him to win? No, he doesn't. The Tar Heels are nowhere near adequate on the lines of scrimmage.

10. Wake Forest: The ACC season is sure to supply a handful of positive surprises and just a few disappointments – all relative to expectations, after all. Don't bet on Dave Clawson and Co. delivering one in every of the previous in Winston-Salem.

11. Syracuse: The Orange have a brand new coach, Fran Brown, and a brand new quarterback, Kyle McCord, the previous Ohio State starter. But we expected more of the identical from a team that sometimes finishes under .500 in league play.

12.Georgia Tech: No one within the ACC has a tougher schedule than Georgia Tech, which opens against Florida State (at Ireland), closes against Georgia (at Athens), and plays Miami and Notre Dame. Good luck with .

13. Pittsburgh: The lines of scrimmage are solid – not in the highest tier of the ACC, but definitely not in the underside. In our opinion, the dearth of quality playmakers is the Panthers' most important problem.

14.Stanford: Second-year coach Troy Taylor will profit from the modest talent he has at his disposal, nevertheless it's difficult to get greater than 4 or five wins when you might have 4 cross-country trips in seven weeks in the course of the season.

15. Boston College: If the Eagles someway manage to make it to the bowl, Bill O'Brien can be named ACC Coach of the Year — they don't have enough talent on either side of practice to win six games. Maybe not enough for 4.

16. Duke: By the time the basketball season begins (November 4), the Blue Devils football program could have a 0-5 record in ACC play, with little likelihood of reversing that trend.

17. Virginia: With 17 teams and only eight conference games, the ACC race will inevitably be tied between three or 4 teams in the underside third of the standings. If the Cavs find yourself at the underside of the standings, they'll likely have company.

---

Originally published: August 17, 2024 at 7:50 am