LA Bowl Game Thread: Cal Goes Cold in 2nd Half, Loses 24-13 to UNLV

Bears fail to complete their first winning season since 2019

Cal running back Jaydn Ott / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Cal's 2024 season ended with a 24-13 loss to No. 24 in the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Wednesday night.

The defeat leaves the Bears at 6-7, denying them their first winning season since 2019.

CJ Harris, Cal's third-string quarterback all season, got the start but was injured in the third quarter. The Bears finished with freshman EJ Caminong, who saw his first action as a college player. Caminong finished 6 for 19 for 57 yards.

Here's the thread:

COIN FLIP: Cal won the toss and deferred. The Bears kicked off.

7:45 1st Q: A 48-yard scamper around right end by Jaydn Ott sets up a 43-yard field goal by freshman Derek Morris and gives Cal an early lead. Cal 3, UNLV 0

5:04 1st Q: Hajj-Malik Williams throws a 49-yard TD pass to wide-open freshman WR Kayden McGee on a third-and-10 play, giving UNLV the lead. The Rebels went 75 yards in nine plays. UNLV 7, Cal 3

0:19 1st Q: A holding penalty wipes out a kickoff return by Kadarius Calloway into UNLV territory but the Bears respond with a nine-play, 89-yard scoring drive. Freshman WR Josiah Martin gets the TD on a 29-yard reverse during which he made a couple of cuts to elude tackles. On the previous play, Harris completed a 22-yard middle screen to TE Jack Endries to the UNLV 29. Cal 10, UNLV 7

13:17 2nd Q: A wild one at SoFi. Cal forces an apparent punt, but punter Marshall Nichols delivered a perfect shovel pass to Greg Burrell, who runs 52 yards for a first down at the Cal 9-yard line. QB Williams then shovels a forward lateral pass to Manteca native Jacob DeJesus, who runs it in from the 9. UNLV 14, Cal 10

8:56 2nd Q: A wasted opportunity by Cal with Morris missing wide left on a 41-yard FG try. Ott rushed for 25 yards on the drive, giving him 7 carries for 81 yards - his best game of the season. UNLV 14, Cal 10

1:50 2nd Q: Ryan Coe kicks a 30-yard FG and the Bears creep within a point. Looked like the Bears had the lead after a quick pass from Harris to Endries, who appeared to stretch the ball over the goal line before going down. An official review said he did not get into the end zone. Jaivian Thomas lost 2 yards on the next play before Harris was sacked for a 9-yard loss to the 12. Harris had a pair of first-down conversion passes to Josiah Martin on the drive, set up by Isaiah Crosby's 24-yard punt return. UNLV 14, Cal 13

HALFTIME: UNLV 14, Cal 13. The Bears actually have upperhand statistically, outgaining the Rebels 229 yards and 176 with 12 first downs to 6. And the yardage disparity would be much greater except for a 52-yard UNLV gain on a fake punt and a 49-yard TD pass on a broken coverage. Other than those two plays, Cal has outgained UNLV 229 to 75.

Cal has rushed for 133 yards against a stout UNLV run defense, with Jaydn Ott picking up 81 on seven carries. Harris, the Bears' third-string QB all season, is a very solid 12 for 16 for 96 yards without an interception. UNLV dual-threat QB Williams is 4 for 11 for 67 yards and the Bears have limited him to 18 rushing yards.

2:13 3rd Q: A disastrous play by Cal freshman QB EJ Caminong - in for his second series of the second half - sets up UNLV for a sudden TD. Caminong threw a backward pass that was deflected and recovered by UNLV's Jett Elad at the Bears' 23. Kylin James then dashed 23 yards into the end zone, extending the Rebels' lead. UNLV 21, Cal 13.

14:08 4th Q: ESPN just showed CJ Harris being walked to the locker room with a towel on his head. He came out of the injury tent, which explains why the Bears had gone to freshman EJ Caminong, their fourth-stringer all season. UNLV 21, Cal 13

8:09 4th Q: Cal has had the ball 6 times in the second half and has five punts and a turnover. The Bears have totaled just 72 second-half yards. Jacob DeJesus just returned a Cal punt 38 yards to the Bears' 26-yard line. UNLV 21, Cal 13

6:01 4th Q: Cal's defense forced UNLV to try a 48-yard FG but freshman Caden Chittendon slipped it just inside the left upright. Now a two-score margin. UNLV 24, Cal 13