Cal vs. North Carolina State Game Thread: Bears Fold in 24-23 Defeat

Bears led 23-10 in the fourth quarter before dropping their fourth straight, by a combined total of nine points.

Fernando Mendoza drops back to pass against Pitt / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Cal hoped to snap a three-game losing streak and pocket their first-ever win in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

It didn't happen in a 24-23 defeat to North Carolina State after the Bears led 23-10 early in the fourth quarter.

Freshman kicker Derek Morris, who had successfully kicked three earlier field goals, missed wide right from 28 yards with 1:34 left and the Bears (3-4, 0-4 ACC) lost for the fourth straaight game by a combined margin of nine points.

The Wolfpack (4-4, 1-3) escaped with a victory in their first game on the West Coast since 1960.

In the video above, Cal coach Justin Wilcox addresses the Bears' biggest issue on offense - allowing 24 sacks of quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

PERSONNEL UPDATES: We're 30 minutes from kickoff and there are some conspicuous absences among Cal players warming up on the field. Not dressed are RB Jaydn Ott, TE Corey Dyches, NB Matthew Littlejohn and OG Sioape Vatikani.

THIS JUST IN: The 9th-ranked Cal men's water polo team just completed a 13-11 upset No. 1 Stanford.

COIN FLIP: NC State wins the toss and elects to defer. Cal will receive the opening kickoff and defend the north goal.

13:47 1st Q: Cal strikes first, with Jaivian Thomas dashing 49 yards up the middle, untouched for a touchdown. Big block by left guard Rush Reimer helped open a huge hole. Capped a four-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Freshman kicker Derek Morris converts the PAT. Cal 7, NC State 0

0:23 1st Q: NC State is on the board thanks to a 27-yard FG by Kanoah Vinesett. But the Cal defense stiffened to force the field goal after the Wolfpack used a penalty to get a first-and-goal at the 2. NC State QB CJ Bailey lost a yard on a keeper on first down. Then he tried to shovel an underhand pass that was deflected back to him for a catch and a six-yard loss to the 9. On third down, his pass was batted down at the line of scrimmage by Nate Burrell. Cal 7, NC State 3

END OF 1ST QTR: Cal dominating the stats. The Bears have 128 total yards to 64 for the Wolfpack. Passing yards are 75 to 45, rush yards are 53 to 19, first downs are 7 to 4 and and yards per play are 8.5 to 4.6. Mendoza was 9 for 10 for 75 yards passing. CJ Bailey was 6 for 7 for 45 yards for NC State. No turnovers by either team. Cal 7, NC State 3

3:20 2nd Q: KC Concepcion takes a direct snap and plows 2 yards for a touchdown on second down and the Wolfpack takes the lead for the first time. The PAT kick is good. Key play with a 31-yard pass from CJ Bailey to Jalen Joly to the 1-yard line. The six-play, 34-yard drive was set up by a fumble by Jaivan Thomas, forced by safety Bishop Fitzgerald and recovered by nickek Isaiah Crowell at the 34. NC State 10, Cal 7

1:12 2nd Q: Cal answers as freshman Derek Morris delivers with a 41-yard field on his first try as a collegiate kicker. But the possession should have netted more -- Nohl Williams returned the kickoff 40 yards to the 40 and Mendoza completed his first three passes of the possession for 27 yards and a first down at the NC State 21. But a couple false start penalties and the Bears had to settle for the field goal. Cal 10, NC State 10

0:07 2nd Q: Cal used three timeouts and stout defense to force a punt with less than a minute left in the half. The ball took a Cal bounce and settled at the Bears' 48. Mendoza dumped a pass off to RB Byron Cardwell, who ran 22 yards for a first down at the 17. Three plays later, Morris came on and converted a 26-yard FG for the lead. Cal 13, NC State 10.

HALFTIME: Cal 13, NC State 10. Cal has 247 yards at halftime to 171 for the Wolfpack. The breakdown: 153 pass and 94 rush for the Bears, 155 pass and 16 rush for NC State. Cal has 13 first downs to eight and is averaging 7.7 yards per snap to 5.0 for the visitors. Big stats: Cal has not allowed a sack after giving up 24 through six games. The Cal defense has four sack, including 2 by Xavier Carlton. Teddye Buchanan has 12 tackles.

Mendoza is 16 for 20 for 153 yards, including five to TE Jack Andries for 50 yards. Bailey is 13 for 15 for 155 yards for the Wolfpack but has absorbed those four sacks.

9:10 3rd Q: Morris is now 3 for 3 on field goals after making a 24-yarder to cap a 12-play, 27-yard drive that began with Cam Sidney recovering an NC State fumble caused by a hit on Noah Rogers by Marcus Harris and Teddye Buchanan. The Bears had the ball at the 33 and converted first downs on a 4-yard run by 225-pound freshman RB Jamaal Wiley and a 4-yard completion from Mendoza to Mikey Matthews at the 9. Cal 16, NC State 10

0:24 3rd Q: Liam Johnson recovered a muffed punt return by the Wolfpack at the 16-yard line and two plays later Jaivian Thomas ran it in from 7 yards. Morris converted the PAT, giving Cal its biggest lead of the afternoon. Cal 23, NC State 10.

11:33 4th Q: Just when it looked like Cal had a stranglehold on the game, the Wolfpack answers with an eight-play, 75-yard drive, triggered by Bailey completions of 29 yards to Justin Joly and 28 yards to Dacari Collins, the latter setting them up at the Cal 1. Bailey went right back to Collins in the right corner of the end zone for a 1-yard TD. Cal 23, NC State 17.

6:32 4th Q: Anyone else thinking about the Miami collapse? NC State just went 80 yards in seven plays with Bailey passing to Hollywood Smothers for a 41-yard TD. Smothers caught the ball in the left flat and Nohl Williams missed an open-field tackle before the redshirt freshman running back dashed to the end zone. That 155 yards on 15 plays for the Wolfpack this quarter. And everything has changed. NC State 24, Cal 23

1:34 4th Q: The Bears drove from their own 25 to the NC State before being pushed backward by a holding penalty. They moved back to the 10-yard line on Mendoza's 10-yard completion to Endries, bringing Morris onto the field for a 28-yard field goal try. He was 3 for 3 in his debut as the Bears' kicker but he missed this one, pushing it wide right. NC State 24, Cal 23