Bears Keep the Axe With Inspiring Rally in 127th Big Game Win

BERKELEY - It was looking gloomy for much of the game for the Bears this afternoon in Memorial Stadium but a spirited comeback in the tradition of Big Game lore gave the Bears an inspiring 24-21 win in front of a sold out crowd of Bears faithful at Memorial Stadium.

Wide receiver Jonathan Brady was the star of the game, pulling in two late game touchdowns, hauling in 5 catches for 64 yards overall.

"It's just a blessing, man," Brady said after the game. "I just want to help my team win and however I can do that, that's what I want to do. And just to see (guys) like Craig and Nohl, it's just a blessing just competing against those guys every day and just knowing this was their last one at Memorial Stadium, I'm just happy. We all came together to send them out with a win."

QB Fernando Mendoza completed 25-of-36 passes for 299 yards and 3 TDs with no interceptions in the win but none of his highlights from the win can surpass his late-minutes, game-winning drive.

“It was a phenomenal drive, the best we put together all season - 98 yards,” Mendoza said. "It was a great Stanford punt (pinning the Bears back at their 2 to start the drive). It was incredible, a special moment, and it was a Big Game moment. And I would say that credit to our entire offense, our coaching staff, for putting together an amazing drive, and we ended up winning, especially when the lights turned bright, we all turned brighter. So it was very special moment for the offense and for all of us."

Senior safety Craig Woodson led the defense with 10 tackles in the game.

"Man, honestly, personally, I just want to say, just give God all the glory during this game," Woodson added. "We were down 21-7 at one point and I just really had to lean on God in that moment and just just ask for for him to give me peace in the moment, just for us to settle down and settle in. Just with the trajectory of the game, I was like, bro, I can't go out like this, like I told everybody on the sideline, I'm selling out. Like I might crash out today, because I'm selling out, bro, ain't no way. Stanford's gonna get that win. So I think when I look back at this game years from now, I'm gonna just really be like, thinking about how much God in that moment came through for me."

The Bears honored their graduating seniors before the game, though many will choose to return next season to make use of remaining eligibility. They also honored the 7th-ranked 2004 team with Aaron Rodgers, Geoff McArthur, Jeff Tedfford and many other members of the 10-2 team from 20 seasons ago in attendance.

Reminiscent of their miserable start against Syracuse last week where they found themselves in a 27-7 halftime hole, the Bears first quarter start was no better as the Cardinal drove for two effortless touchdowns while the Cal offense struggled to get a first down, falling behind 14-0.

The Bears finally showed signs of life to start the second quarter. Mendoza came up with the biggest play of the half, eluding pressure and scrambling for 50 yards to the Stanford 32. A Stanford holding penalty on the play added 10 yards to the run. Two plays later, Mendoza threw a perfect back-shoulder pass hauled in by receiver Trond Grizzell for the 16-yard TD to pull within 7 at 14-7 11:02 left in the half after the Derek Morris PAT.

The Bears missed a perfect opportunity to stop Stanford at midfield on 4th-and-3 at the Cal 46 with 2:21 left in the half and a chance to tie it with good field position but with no outside contain, QB Ashton Daniels was able to elude OLB Xavier Carlton on the rush and pick up 12 yards for the first down.

A defensive stop and a missed Emmet Kenney field goal attempt gave the Bears another shot at a final half score with the Bears driving to the Stanford 32 with ;22 remaining but kicker Ryan Coe resumed his early season struggles, missing wide right on the field goal attempt, giving the Cardinal a 14-7 lead heading into the locker room.

The second half started no better than the first, with the Bears going 3-and-out and Stanford putting together an 11-play, 57-yard TD drive, culminating on a 4th-and-2 tailback pass to receiver Emmet Mosely on their first possession to go up 21-7. To make matters worse, for the second straight kickoff, returner Nohl Williams opted to forego the touchback and a ball on the 35 for a return. The first one was stopped at the Cal 19 and the next one ended with a Wiliams fumble, recovered at the Cal 18. 

The Bears were able to stave off more damage, forcing a turnover on downs and taking over at their 18 as Stanford bobbled the field goal snap and threw incomplete.

On the first play of the drive, Mendoza hit a streaking Jack Endries for a 19-yard gain to move the ball to the 40. Then facing 4th-and-2, Mendoza narrowly picked up the first down at midfield. A holding penalty pushed the Bears back 10 but Mendoza countered with a 30-yard completion to Grizzell to move the ball to the 25. A 9-yard sack derailed the drive and Coe came on for the 46-yard field goal to narrow the deficit to 21-10 with :47 left in the quarter.

Not content to lay down, the Bears stopped Stanford on their next possession and strung together an 11-play, 71-yard TD drive with the big play coming on a 30-yard TD Mendoza TD pass to receiver Jonathan Brady. Yet another in a long string of 2-point conversion attempt futility on an incomplete pass attempt to Grizzell left the Bears trailing 21-16 with 10:09 remaining.

The Bears’ D came up big on the next drive, forcing a Stanford punt at midfield they downed on the Cal 2. Undaunted, Mendoza led the Bears on an 11-play, 98-yard TD drive, hitting Brady for a 22-yard TD to give the Bears the lead. 

Stanford took over at their 35 after a touchback with 2:40 to make something happen but a Cheik Fall sack and three straight Daniels’ incompletions with tough coverage by the Bears’ backfield forced a 4-and-out turnover on downs, leaving the Bears to run out the final 2:14.

 A Chandler Rogers 7-yard run on a critical 3rd-and-4 possession sealed the win for the Bears as they were able to kneel down and run out the clock with joyous Bear Territory chants ringing out throughout Memorial Stadium as Stanford fans stood stunned in their seats after the final whistle.

The Bears moved to 6-5/2-5 after the win, gaining bowl eligibility in their second straight season, though by a far smaller margin than most Cal fans hoped for or expected heading into this season.