Cal returns to .500 with dramatic win over Virginia Tech: Winners and losses

A shorthanded Cal football team found a way at home Saturday, beating Virginia Tech 25-20 on a late fourth quarter touchdown that gave the Golden Bears momentum after a losing streak.

Cal is without its starters due to injury. The Golden Bears are missing quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, defensive back Kingston Lopa and running backs Adam Mohammed and Carter Vargas. But they still won.

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Back-up quarterback Jackson Brousseau took over for Sagapolutele with poise and led Cal on a final drive that ended with a 2-yard score by sophomore running back Ashten Emory, who had 19 carries for 46 yards and two touchdowns on the day. Brousseau threw for 321 yards and one touchdown. He completed 29 of 43 passes.

“Just a perfect extension of us, our culture, his preparation, and the belief in him, right? And our offense to get it rolling,” head coach Tosh Lupoi said in a postgame interview when asked about Brousseau. “Just make these guys proud, man. Really prepare all week, and that’s a really good team that they just beat. There’s a lot of NFL players on that team, and our guys, our team, just coming together, and doing what it takes to get a dub.”

Cal’s defense came up big. The Golden Bears are without Lopa, starting inside linebacker Kamar Mothudi and defensive lineman Nate Burrell. Linebacker AJ Tuitele was ejected at 14:11 in the fourth quarter for targeting.

However, when it mattered most, the Golden Bears defense got the biggest stop of the game with everything on the line. Virginia Tech junior quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer attempted to intercept a pass to tight end Luke Reynolds and defensive back Cam Sidney delivered a game-sealing pass breakup in the back of the end zone.

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“This ability is without question, right? The drama that these people went through, until the opportunities for the next person, I couldn’t be more proud of these people for carrying out the standard when it matters most,” said Lupoi. “We’ve been in five games. Four of those games were tied, four winning, one game, we’re down by one score, and it’s time to finish. That’s exactly what we did today.”

Cal lost to UNLV and Clemson, both winnable games. Then a big change happened. Lupoi relieved offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville of his play calling duties during the loss at UNLV. Offensive pass game coach Pat McCann will take over the duties … and it’s about to be completely overhauled for Cal’s offense.

This was evident against the Rebels when the move was made, and was even more evident against Virginia Tech. Cal has 403 yards and is good at getting first downs when needed. They were 50% on third down conversions (8-of-16) and converted their only attempt on fourth down.

The Golden Bears offense looks more fluid. It’s more up-tempo and wide open. McCann used the entire field, drawing plays in the middle, on the sideline, and downfield with a combination of short, mid and deep passes.

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There is a newfound momentum building in Berkeley. The Golden Bears are feeling good about themselves as they get some of their injured players back.

There is confidence that the Golden Bears can still be as good as predicted entering the season. Cal moves back to .500 at 3-3, but big things are still possible with a 2-1 record in ACC games. Other schools with 2-1 ACC records include Pittsburgh, SMU and Clemson, which beat Cal on Sept. 25.

“We’re 2-1 in the ACC and we’ve got an awesome opportunity,” Lupoi said. “So we can enjoy it here. And as our health gets restored, you know, we had our two best productive players out on defense. Obviously, our quarterback, both running outs, and so what? Now, what?”

WINNERS and LOSSES

Here are the winners and losers from Cal vs. Virginia Tech:

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Winner: Pat McCann

McCann took over play-calling duties midway through last game, primarily in the second half after Cal trailed 24-7. The Golden Bears lost 39-31 but we got glimpses of what the Cal offense could look like under his direction. Virginia Tech was the ultimate test and McCann passed. Brousseau made him the backup quarterback because Sagapolutele was hurt. It doesn’t matter. They take more chances; McCann’s playbook looks like he’s not afraid to try something different.

However, credit Brousseau, he came prepared and did not look like a backup. He reminded people that he started eight games last year for Colorado State.