Bears Defeated by Bruins 45-24 To Start Tosh Lupoi Era

BERKELEY — As UCLA running back Anthony Woods tiptoed down the Cal sideline for a 53-yard touchdown in garbage time, Cal fans unhappily trickled toward the exits, realizing an Old Blue’s nightmare in Berkeley.

The Golden Bears, in the first game of the hyped Tosh Lupoi era, were defeated 45-24 by Bob Chesney’s Bruins before the first maximum-capacity crowd at Memorial Stadium since the 2024 Big Game.

Lupoi has no choice but to find a silver lining.

“I couldn't ask for anything better as far as the sting of having a competitive loss early,” Lupoi said. “All this hard work puts us in a position to compete and we’ve got to execute to the standards.”

UCLA’s rushing attack headlined the night by averaging 8.7 yards per carry and accounting for the Bruins’ six touchdowns; Cal was beaten on the line of scrimmage all night, both offensively and defensively.

Bruins running back Wayne Knight led his team with 71 yards and three scores, and Woods finished with 118 yards and two touchdowns.

“We got a lot of guys in there that can make plays," Knight said. “It’s never going to drop off with any of us. That’s gonna be a huge testament for a lot of games that we win this season.”

“We lost the perimeter game,” Lupoi added. “Starting with me, making sure we’re putting guys in the right position.”

Ta'Shawn James was UCLA’s defensive MVP in the secondary with a pair of interceptions that helped spark Knight’s points.

The Golden Bears, in their special Joe Roth uniforms, had their shots.

Cal led 7-0 in the first, then 10-7 in the second and later erased an 11-point deficit to tie the game at 24 in the third. But the Bruins outscored the Golden
Bears 21-0 in a devastating fourth quarter, which was the difference.

“We had our opportunity, and we didn't take advantage of it,” Lupoi said, referring to how the Golden Bears forced punts on the Bruins’ first three possessions of the second half.

Cal running back Adam Mohammed led his team with a career-high 120 yards — and a score — on a career-high 28 carries.

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The Washington transfer also collected a career-high seven receptions for 46 yards.

“Mo, I mean, unbelievable player,” quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele said. “He kept the chains moving. He kept running hard for us.”

Sagapolutele finished 24-for-41 passing with 271 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions — one wasn’t really on him. He also had a pivotal fumble due to a fourth-down miscommunication with backup center Ashton Rivera.

The sophomore connected with new wideouts Chase Hendricks and Ian Strong, completing six passes to the former for 66 yards and a score and five passes to the latter for 94 yards. Sagapolutele also hit tight end Mason Mini for a touchdown.

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“Definitely didn’t play to the standard,” Sagapolutele said. “Turned the ball over three times. I need to put the offense in a better position, and I got to do better myself.”

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who exited late with an ankle injury, completed 14 of 22 passes for 184 yards and an interception — Cal safety Kingston Lopa got him in the red zone late in the first half, fueling an 87-yard Golden Bears touchdown drive that took 38 seconds.

Iamaleava also rushed for 29 yards and a score on nine carries.

“We’ve seen our potential out there with this first game, and it’s on us to go out there and put in the work,” Iamaleava said.

Cal had no option but to win on Saturday night.

From the various storylines to looming realignment, the Golden Bears needed to put their best foot forward against the program that stabbed Berkeley in the back.

But they had too many lapses. Too many mental mistakes. Too many duds. 

And all Cal can do is shift its attention to Week 2 at Syracuse.

“We take it on the chin, but, you know, now we flush it,” Sagapolutele said. “We learn from the mistakes, and we focus on Syracuse. This is a great opportunity for us to move forward.“ 

Notes: 

• Running back Carter Vargas and center Bastian Swinney exited with injuries
• Linebacker AJ Tuitele was ejected for targeting in the second half
• Cornerback Daniel Harris recorded his first-career sack
• Defensive lineman Nate Burrell recorded his first sack since 2024 against Miami
• Lopa’s interception was the first of his career