NFL
By: Ashmere Prasad
The Golden Bears’ offense was on full display Saturday afternoon. They beat another New York opponent 49-7.
Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapoulutele exited the game in the third quarter after an explosive outing: three passing touchdowns, career-high 413 yards, and an 82% completion rate. He is the first Cal Bear to throw for at least 400 yards in a game since Jack Plummer on Nov. 5, 2022 (Cal Bears PR)
“His thirst and ask and questions all stand out. His preparation; he takes a lot of pride in that. He took some roughing-the-passer, late-hit plays today and rubbed it right off with an attitude play. His leadership and preparation are what stand out. He prepared at a high level and played at a high level.”
Sagapoulutele told NBS Media that he spent the offseason focusing on the X’s and O’s so he could fully understand the playbook. His main goal this season was to take each game one at a time and “focus on winning efficiently.”
Running back Ahmed Mohammed, who transferred from Washington, was also unstoppable. He scored his first hat trick as a Golden Bear. He had two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown in the first quarter, giving the Bears a 29-0 lead. Mohammed scored on the opening drive with a 28-yard run, breaking through multiple tackles. His second touchdown came on a six-yard run, with defenders attached to him until he found the end zone.
“He’s been a lead-by-action individual,” Lupoi said. He also slightly compared Mohammed to Marshawn Lynch; “he had a unique ability to ignite the defense. That’s what I think Adam can do at times. The physicality he runs with, pumping his legs through contact, breaking tackles and the explosive touchdown…that’s what you call a home run back.” run with physicality but take a misfit or a run and finish it with a touchdown.”
Kingston Lopa, the current standout on defense, secured his fifth interception in the third quarter and now leads the country in interceptions. He also led the defense with five total tackles, four solo, and has helped build chemistry on the back end.
Tigers in Primetime
Next week, the Golden Bears face a much tougher opponent in a primetime matchup: the Clemson Tigers. After a 2 1/2 hour rain delay in the fourth quarter, the Tigers overcame a 14-point deficit and beat UNC 28-20. Clemson’s defense took over after the rain delay and held UNC’s offense multiple times, forcing a field goal.
Friday will be an opportunity for the Cal offense to showcase its growth over the last three weeks, and for the defense to build on its current momentum.
Lupoi closed his postgame press conference with a message calling out the entire Bay Area: “Friday night is a huge opportunity for our fanbase and for our student body. It’s the full expectation that this stadium is sold out Friday night; I’ll be extremely disappointed if it’s not. Friday night, if you have any plans that are not coming to the Cal game, you should cancel them. We want butts in the seats when kickoff happens.”
