Cal Game Summary: Bears Beat UC Davis in Opener

After a poor first half, the Bears roll after halftime to take care of an FCS foe

Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Cal defeated UC Davis 31-13 on Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 32,275 at Cal's Memorial Stadium in both teams' season opener.

The Bears struggled in the first half against their FCS opponent, leading by one point at halftime, but they dominated play in the second half.

Game summary:

CAL 31, UC DAVIS 13

RECORDS: CAL (1-0), UC DAVIS (0-1)

PLAYER OF THE GAME:  Cal cornerback Nohl Williams. Williams returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown that put Cal ahead 14-13 in the second quarter. He also had one of Cal's three interceptions and broke up two other passes to go along with four tackles.

STAT OF THE GAME:  In the first half, UC Davis outgained Cal 234-109 and had 16 first downs to four for the Bears. In the second half, Cal outgained Davis 172-70 and had 12 first downs to four for the Aggies.

CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Offensive guard Sioape Vatikani, wide receiver Tobias Merriweather and wide receiver Kyion Grayes -- all potential starters -- did not play, presumably because of injuries. Cal running back Jaydn Ott suffered a foot or ankle injury and left the game with 3:58 left in the third quarter.

TURNING POINT: After UC Davis scored a touchdown to take a 13-7 lead, Cal’s Nohl Williams returned the ensuing Davis kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown that gave the Bears a 14-13 lead with 4:42 remaining in the first half.

KEY PLAY 1:  A 46-yard field goal attempt by UC Davis kicker Hunter Ridley was no good, wide right, with 9:46 left in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY 2: Cal running back Jaydn Ott scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run to give the Bears a 7-0 lead with 6:23 left in the first quarter.  That completed a 71-yard drive in which Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza had pass completions of 19 yards (to Mavin Anderson), 16 yards (to Corey Dyches), 23 yards (to Ott) and 16 yards (to Jonathan Brady).

KEY PLAY 3: UC Davis quarterback Miles Hastings threw an incompletion on a 4th-and-goal play from the Cal 2-yard line, keeping the score 7-0 with 23 seconds left in the first quarter.  UC Davis failed to score after having a first down at the Cal 4-yard line.

KEY PLAY 4: On the ensuing play, Cal running Kadarius Calloway fumbled at the Cal 4-yard line after being hit by UC Davis’ Kavir Bains. UC Davis’ Porter Connors picked up the fumble at the 6-yard line and ran 6 yards for a touchdown to reduce the Cal lead to 7-6 with 16 seconds left in the first quarter. Hunter Ridley missed the extra point.

KEY PLAY 5: UC Davis running back Lan Larison scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to complete a 66-yard scoring drive and give the Aggies a 13-7 lead with 4:42 left in the first half.

KEY PLAY 6: On the ensuing kickoff, Cal’s Nohl Williams scored a touchdown on an 80-yard kickoff return to give the Bears a 14-13 lead with 4:32 to go in the second quarter.

KEY PLAY 7: UC Davis quarterback Miles Hastings threw an incomplete pass on a fourth-and-6 play from the Cal 25-yard line with 1:03 left in the half to keep the score at 14-13 in favor of Cal.

KEY PLAY 8: On a fourth-and-4 play from the UC Davis 49-yard line, Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw a 7-yard completion to Mikey Matthews for a first down at the Davis' 42. Cal went on to score a touchdown on that drive.

KEY PLAY 9: Cal's Jaydn Ott scored a touchdown on a 6-yard run to give Cal a 21-13 lead with 7:18 left in the third quarter.

KEY PLAY 10: Cal kicker Ryan Coe booted a 25-yard field goal to increase the Bears' lead to 24-13 with 2:14 left in the third quarter.

KEY PLAY 11: Cal linebacker Cade Uluave intercepted a Miles Hastings pass as the UC Davis 35 yard-line and returned it to the Aggies' 29-yard line with 2:02 remaining in the third quarter. Cal scored a touchdown on that possession.

KEY PLAY 12: On a fourth-and-2 play from the UC Davis 3-yard line, Fernando Mendoza threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Nyziah Hunter, giving Cal a 31-13 lead with 14:15 remaining in the fourth quarter.

INDIVIDUAL STAT OF THE GAME:  UC Davis running back Lan Larison, the Big Sky Offensive player of the year in 2023 and a 2024 preseason FCS All-American, rushed for 57 yards in the first half but just 5 yards in the second half.

INDIVIDUAL STAT OF THE GAME II: Cal running back Jaydn Ott was limited to 49 yards rushing on 14 carries and left the game midway in the third quarter with a foot or ankle injury. He did score two touchdowns, though.

QUARTERBACK STATISTICS: Cal's Fernando Mendoza was 15-for-22 for 158 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions; Cal's Chandler Rogers was 3-for-6 for 21 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions and also rushed for 17 yards. UC Davis’ Miles Hastings was 24-for-48 for 221 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.

WHAT IT MEANS:  A loss to UC Davis would have meant a lot, but beating the Aggies does not tell us very much about the Bears. Cal has beaten UC Davis all 12 times the teams have met, so winning this time only delays drawing any conclusions about this Cal team.

CAL'S BOWL BAROMETER: The Bears have a 60% chance of getting a bowl berth. Winning the opener was almost a prerequisite to have a shot at a bowl, so that was accomplished.

NEXT GAME: Cal (1-0) vs. Auburn (0-0) at the Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama, on Saturday, September 7. Kickoff time: 12:30 p.m. Pacific time (2:30 p.m. Central time). TV: ESPN2. Auburn rolled up 628 yards of offense and scored 52 points in the first half of its 73-3 victory over Alabama A&M 73-3 in the Tigers' opener Saturday night.

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