Cal Football Game Summary: Bears Lose to Florida State

Cal fails to score a touchdown and loses its first ACC game by five points

Cal head coach Justin Wilcox / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Cal lost to Florida State 14-9 Saturday night in Tallahassee, Florida, in the Bears' first ACC game.

The Bears have a bye next weekend, then host No. 8 Miami on Saturday, October 5.

Here is a summary:

FLORIDA STATE 14, CAL 9

RECORDS: CAL (3-1, 0-1 ACC), FLORIDA STATE (1-3, 1-2 ACC)

PLAYER OF THE GAME:  Florida State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. Uiagalelei did not have a great game, but his perfectly placed 36-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Khi provided the game-winning points.

STAT OF THE GAME I: Cal had 410 yards of offense, but failed to score a touchdown. Cal outgained Florida State by 126 yards, but lost.

STAT OF THE GAME II : Cal kicker Ryan Coe missed two field goals of less than 40 yards.

STAT OF THE GAME III: Florida State's defense recorded 12 tackles for loss for 48 negative Cal yards.

TURNING POINT: With Cal leading 9-7, Florida State's DJ Uiaga;lelei threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Khi Douglas, giving the Seminoles a 14-9 lead with 11:08 left in the fourth quarter.

CAL PLAYER INJURY: Cal guard Sioape Vatikani, who had missed the first three games but was a starter Saturday, was carted off the field while strapped to a stretcher late in the third quarter after taking a blow to the head area. Cal players took a knee during the long delay while Vatikani was being attended to by medical personnel. Vatikani was able to move his arms before he was taken off.

CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Cal running back Jaydn Ott was the starting lineup after missing last week’s game.  Vatikani and center Will McDonald, both projected starters, were available for the first time this season. Wide receiver Tobias Merriweather and wide receiver Kyion Grayes missed their fourth straight game. Outside linebacker David Reese played after missing last week’s game.

KEY PLAY 1: Florida State’s Lawrance Taofili scored a touchdown on a 2-yard run to complete a 60-yard drive and give the Seminoles a 7-0 lead with 7:47 left in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY 2: On Florida State’s third-and-15 play from the Cal 18-yard line, Cal safety Miles Williams intercepted a DJ Uiagalelei pass at the Bears’ 11-yard line and returned it 14 yards to the 25-yard line with 12:52 left in the second quarter.

KEY PLAY 3: Cal’s Fernando Mendoza completed a 46-yard pass to Mikey Matthews, putting the ball at the Florida State 29-yard line. It led to Ryan Coe’s 25-yard field goal that cut the Seminoles’ lead to 7-3 with 10:10 left in the second quarter.

KEY PLAY 4:  On a fourth-and-7 play from the Cal 38-yard line with 27 seconds left in the first half, Florida State opted not to attempt a field goal and DJ Uiagalelei threw an incompletion to turn the ball over. Cal turned the resulting possession into a 29-yard Ryan Coe field goal on the final play of the first half to reduce the Florida State lead to 7-6.

KEY PLAY 5:  Cal's Ryan Coe missed a 36-yard field-goal attempt, allowing Florida State to keep a 7-6 lead with 9:49 left in the third quarter.

KEY PLAY 6: Cal's Ryan Coe made a 51-yard field goal that gave Cal a 9-7 lead with 1:30 remaining in the third quarter.

KEY PLAY 7: Florida State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Khi Douglas, giving the Seminoles a 14-9 lead with 11:08 left in the fourth quarter.

KEY PLAY 8: Cal's Ryan Coe missed a 38-yard field-goal attempt with 6:07 to go in the fourth quarter, keeping the Florida Sate lead at 14-9.

KEY PLAY 9: On a fourth-and-16 play from the Florida State 23-yard line, Cal's Fernando Mendoza was sacked by Edwin Joseph and Darrell Jackson Jr. for a 12-yard loss with 54 seconds left.

INDIVIDUAL STAT OF THE GAME:  Cal kicker Ryan Coe was 3-for-5 on field-goal attempts, and although he made a 51-yarder he had two misses of less than 40 yards.

QUARTERBACK STATISTICS: Cal's Fernando Mendoza was 22-of-36 for 303 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Florida State’s DJ Uiagalelei was 16-for-27 for 177, one touchdown and one interceptions..

WHAT IT MEANS: Cal missed a chance to become an early-season contender in the ACC title chase, but they showed enough to suggest the competition in the ACC won't overwhelm the Bears.

CAL'S BOWL BAROMETER:  Cal has a 60% chance of getting a bowl berth, needing three wins to become bowl eligible.

NEXT GAME: Cal (3-1) vs. No. 8 Miami (4-0), Saturday, October 5 at Cal’s Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. Kickoff time: TBA  TV: TBA. Cal has a bye this coming week and will host Miami the following week. The Hurricanes beat South Florida on Saturday night (September 21) and host Virginia Tech on Friday, September 27, on ESPN. Game time and TV coverage for the Cal-Miami game will be announced in the next few days.

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