Cal Football Game Summary: Bears Lose to Syracuse

Orange score on its first six possessions while ending the Bears' two-game winning streak

Cal running back Jaivian Thomas / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Cal had its two-game winning streak halted in a 33-25 loss to Syracuse before a crowd of 33,493 at Cal's Memorial Statdium on Saturday afternoon. The Bears, who were 10-point favorites in the game, failed to get the sixth win needed to become bowl-eligible and have two games remaining.

The summary:

SYRACUSE 33, CAL 25

RECORDS: CAL (5-5, 1-5 ACC), SYRACUSE (7-3, 4-3 ACC)

PLAYER OF THE GAME:  Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord. McCord, who entered the game leading the nation on passing yards per game, passed for 323 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.

STAT OF THE GAME:  Syracuse scored on each of its first six possessions -- three touchdowns and three field goals. The first time Syacuse did not turn a possession into points was in the fourth quarter when Syracuse punted with 14:52 left in the game on the Orange's seventh possession.

STAT OF THE GAME II: Cal committed more turnovers than its opponent for the first time this season. Syracuse committed no turnovers, the first time this season Cal did not force an opponent to commit a turnover. Cal committed two turnovers, both on Fernando Mendoza interceptions.

STAT OF THE GAME III: Syracuse was 4-for-4 on fourth-down plays, coverting all four into first downs.

TURNING POINT:  On the Syracuse possession after Cal got within 13-7 on Jaivian Thomas’ 75-yard touchdown run, Orange quarterback Kyle McCord completed passes of 24 and 26 yards on consecutive plays in a touchdown drive that put the Orange ahead 20-7 with 9:52 left in the first half.

CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY:  Bears inside linebacker Cade Uluave did not play Saturday because of a lower-body injury.

KEY PLAY 1:  Syracuse’s Jackson Kennedy kicked a 24-yard field goal to complete a 13-play, 69-yard drive that gave the Orange a 3-0 lead with 8:54 left in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY:  On a second-and-19 play from the Cal 44-yard line, Cal’s Fernando Mendoza threw a pass that was intercepted by Syracuse’s Marlowe Wax at the Syracuse 39-yard line and returned 21 yards to the Cal 40-yard line with 6:14 left in the first quarter. That led to Jackson Kennedy’s 42-yard field goal that gave Syracuse a 6-0 lead with 4:19 remaining in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY 3:  On a first-down play from the Cal 32-yard line, Cal’s Fernando Mendoza threw a pass that was intercepted by Syracuse’s Davien Kerr at the Syracuse 31-yard line with 3:45 left in the first quarter. That led to Syracuse’s first touchdown (See Key Play 4).

KEY PLAY 4:  Syracuse’s LaQuint Allen Jr. ran 30 yards for a touchdown that gave the Orange a 13-0 lead with 13:37 left in the second quarter. The Orange converted two fourth-down plays into first downs on that 69-yard drive.

KEY PLAY 5:  Cal’s Jaivian Thomas ran 75 yards for a touchdown that reduced the Syracuse lead to 13-7 with 13:30 to go in the first half.

KEY PLAYS 6:  Syracuse’s Kyle McCord completed passes of 24 and 26 yards on consecutive plays to set up LaQuint Allen Jr.’s 1-yard touchdown run to give the Orange a 20-7 lead with 9:52 remaining in the first half.

KEY PLAY 7:  Syracuse’s Kyle McCord completed a 40-yard pass to Justus Ross-Simmons to the Cal 19-yard line, and that led to McCord’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Meeks, which increased Syracuse’s lead to 27-7 with 4:06 left in the first half.

KEY PLAY 8: Cal's Jaydn Ott scored on a 15-yard touchdown run to complete a 92-yard drive that cut the Syracuse lead to 27-14 with 8:54 left in the third quarter.

KEY PLAY 9: On a fourth-and-2 play from the Cal 49-Yard line, Kyle McCord completed a 20-yard pass to Oronde Gadsden II for a first down that eventually led to Jackson Kennedy's 43-yard field goal. That extended Syracuse's lead to 30-14 with 4:53 left in the third quarter.

KEY PLAY 10: Jaydn Ott had a 53-yard run that put the ball at the Syracuse 27-yard line and set up Ryan Coe's 44-yard field goal that reduced Syracuse's lead to 30-17 with 12:43 left in the fourth quarter

KEY PLAY 11: Fernando Mendoza completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Brady, then completed a pass to Jack Endries for the two-point conversion to reduce the Syracuse lead to 33-25 with 1:01 remaining in the game.

KEY PLAY 12: Syracuse recovered Cal's on-side kick attempt with 1;00 left.

INDIVIDUAL STAT OF THE GAME:  Syracuse running back LaQuint Allen rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 25 yards.

QUARTERBACK STATISTICS: Cal's Fernando Mendoza was 22-for-34 for 225 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Syracuse’s Kyle McCord was 29-for-46 for 323 yards, one touchdown and no onterceptions.

WHAT IT MEANS:  With its fifth ACC loss Cal is guaranteed to have a losing conference record for a 15th consecutive season. That is the longest active streak in the country. The Bears failed to get the sixth win needed to become bowl-eligible, and they need two wins to have their first winning season since 2019.

CAL'S BOWL BAROMETER:  Cal's bowl chances stand at about 50%. Cal needs to win one of its final two games to become bowl-eligible for a second straight year with two regular-season games left, next week against Stanford in Berkeley, and a November 30 game at SMU, which began this weekend alone in first place in the ACC. Stanford's 38-35 victory over Louisville seems to make next week's Big Game a bigger challenge for Cal.

NEXT GAME: Cal (5-5, 1-5 ACC) faces Stanford (2-7, 2-5 ACC) in Berkeley, California, on Saturday, November 23. Kickoff time: 12:30 p.m. TV: ACC Network. Stanford’s Saturday result: Stanford upset 19th-ranked Louisville 38-35 on Saturday afternoon when Emmet Kenney kicked a 52-yard field goal with four seconds left..

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