Cal Football Summary: Bears Let 14-Point Lead Get Away in Loss to USC

Bears lose on a failed two-point conversion try in the final minute, falling 50-49 to No. 24 Trojans

Cal let a 14-point fourth-quarter lead slip away in a 50-49 loss to No. 24 USC on Saturday before a crowd of 43,716 in Berkeley.

Cal scored with 58 seconds left to get within a point, and opted to go for two points and the lead instead of a tying extra-point kick.  Fernando Mendoza's pass on the conversion try fell incomplete.

Cal held a 43-29 lead with 14:06 left in the fourth quarter, but a fumble by Jeremiah Hunter at the Cal 18-yard line helped USC score the game-tying touchdown.

USC then scored the go-ahead touchdown with 3:33 left, before Cal scored its touchdown on a 13-yard Mendoza pass to freshman Jaivian Thomas.  But the two-point try failed.

The game included a student protest that delayed the start of the game and an officiating oddity at halftime, which you can see below in Key Play 9.

Game summary:

No. 24 USC 50, CAL 49

RECORDS: CAL (3-5, 1-4 Pac-12), USC (7-2, 5-1 Pac-12)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: USC running back MarShawn Lloyd.  He rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns, and caught three passes for 72 yards.

TURNING POINT: With Cal leading by seven points midway through the fourth quarter, Cal's Jeremiah Hunter fumbled the ball on a punt return.  USC recovered at the Cal 18-yard line and turned it into a game-tying touchdown with 6:11 remaining. 

TURNING POINT II: Cal failed on a two-point conversion attempt with 58 seconds left.

CAL INJURIES: Cal running back Jaydn Ott left the game with an injury early in the fourth quarter and did not return. Backup Cal QB Sam Jackson V was unavailable for the game because of injury.

KEY PLAY 1: USC’s Denis Lynch kicked a 23-yard field goal to complete a 69-yard drive that ate up 6:36 and gave the Trojans a 3-0 lead with 8:24 left in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY 2: On a second-and-1 play from the Cal 44-yard line, Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza fumbled at the Cal 42-yard line, and the ball was recovered by USC’s Jarrett Kingston at the Cal 42 with 8:00 left in the first quarter. USC turned the turnovers into a touchdown.

KEY PLAY 3: USC’s MarShawn Lloyd scored a touchdown on a 2-yard run to give the Trojans a 10-0 lead with 5:23 left in the first quarter. A 25-yard pass to Tahj Washington that put the ball at the Cal 17-yard line was the big play on that drive.

KEY PLAY 4: Cal’s Jaydn Ott burst up the middle on a 43-yard touchdown run, reducing USC’s lead to 10-7 with 3:55 left in the first quarter. A sizable hole was opened for Ott by the offensive line.

KEY PLAY 5: USC quarterback Caleb Williams completed a 56-yard pass to Tahj Washington that put the ball at the Cal 20-yard line. Four plays later Williams completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Austin Jones, giving the Trojans a 17-7 lead with 1:02 left in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY 6: Cal’s Jaydn Ott burst up the middle on a 61-yard touchdown run, reducing the USC lead to 17-14 with 12 second remaining in the first quarter. Ott rushed for 131 yards in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY 7: On a fourth-and-4 play from the USC 34-yard line, Cal’s Fernado Mendoza scrambled 12 yards for a first down at the Trojans’ 22-yard line. Mendoza followed that with a 16-yard run, and Jaydn Ott finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run that gave Cal a 21-17 lead with 11:55 left in the first half.

KEY PLAY 8: Cal’s Fernando Mendoza threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Trond Grizzell, increasing Cal’s lead to 28-17 with 8:58 left in the second quarter.

KEY PLAY 9: About 10 minutes after the players had left the field for halftime, officials ruled that there was one second left in the first half when USC’s Lake McRee was tackled at the Cal 16-yard line following a 29-yard completion. Originally officials ruled the clock had run out, and players left the field. But 10 minutes later, after review – and a lot of arguing by Cal head coach Justin Wilcox – officials ruled one second should have been on the clock. So when the players came out after halftime, USC was allowed to run one play that counted as the final play of the first half. USC kicker Denis Lynch came back on the field about 10 minutes before the end of the halftime intermission and practiced field-goal kicks from 33 yards out.

KEY PLAY 10: USC’s Denis Lynch missed a 33-yard field goal that was officially the last play of the first half even though it took place after halftime.

KEY PLAY 11: On a fourth-and-1 play from the Cal 45-yard line, Cal's Isaiah Ifanse was stopped for no gain, giving the ball over to USC with 13:09 left in the third quarter. USC scored a touchdown on the resulting possession.

KEY PLAY 12: USC's Caleb Williams completed a 33-yard pass to Kyron Hudson giving USC a first down at the Cal 8-yard line. Two plays later Caleb Williams scored on a 6-yard touchdown run.  A two-point conversion try failed, leaving Cal's lead at 28-23 with 11:59 left in the third quarter.

KEY PLAY 13: A pass by Cal's Fernando Mendoza was intercepted by USC's Eric Gentry at the Cal 22-yard line with 8:20 left in the third quarter.

KEY PLAY 14: On the first play after the turnover, Caleb Williams threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Brenden Rice, giving USC a 29-28 lead. (The extra point was missed.) 

KEY PLAY 15: On a fourth-and-4 play from the USC 28-yard line, Fernando Mendoza scrambled 13 yards to the 15-yard line for a first down. Six plays later Mendoza scored a touchdown on a 2-yard run. Mendoza passed to Trond Grizzell for the two-point conversion, giving Cal a 36-29 lead with 4:42 left in the third quarter.

KEY PLAY 16: Cal's Fernando Mendoza completed a 25-yard pass to Jeremiah Hunter, putting the ball at the USC 1-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Two plays later Mendoza scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak, giving Cal a 43-29 lead with 14:06 left in the fourth quarter.

KEY PLAY 17: USC's Caleb Williams completed a 53-yard pass to MarShawn Lloyd, putting the ball at the Cal 6-yard line. Three plays later Caleb Williams scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak, reducing Cal's lead to 43-36 with 11:16 remaining in the fourth quarter.

KEY PLAY 18: Cal's Jeremiah Hunter fumbled the ball on a punt return and it was recovered by USC's Tackett Curtis at the Cal 18-yard line with 7:30 left in the fourth quarter.  Curtis also caused the fumble.

KEY PLAY 19: Three plays after recovering the fumble, USC's MarShawn Lloyd scored a touchdown on a 9-yard run. That tied the score 43-43 with 6:11 left in the fourth quarter.

KEY PLAY 20: Cal's Ashton Stredick fumbled at the Cal 47-yard line and it was recovered by USC.

KEY PLAY 21: On the very next play USC's Caleb Williams fumbled and Cal's Kaleb Elarms-Orr at the USC 41-yard line. Pat McMorris forced the fumble. Cal failed on a fourth-and-6 play from the USC 37-yard line.

KEY PLAY 22: On the first play of USC's resulting possession, USC's MarShawn Lloyd ran 56 yards to the Cal 7-yard line, and on the next play Austin Jones ran 7 yards for a touchdown that gave USC a 50-43 lead with 3:33 remaining.

KEY PLAY 23: On a third-and-9 play from the USC 13-yard line, Fernando Mendoza threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jaivian Thomas, reduce USC's lead to 50-49 with 58 seconds left.

KEY PLAY 24: Cal went for two points and the lead after the touchdown, but Fernando Mendoza's pass fell incomplete

STAT OF THE GAME: Cal allowed 50 points or more for the third time this season.

STAT OF THE GAME II: Cal committed four turnovers but still came within a failed two-point conversion of pulling the upset.

STAT OF THE GAME III: Cal piled up 527 yards of offense, but lost.

INDIVIDUAL STAT OF THE GAME: Cal’s Jaydn Ott rushed for 131 yards in the first quarter. His two long touchdown runs of 43 and 61 yards in the first quarter were run over the spot that would have been occupied by USC defensive tackle Bear Alexander, who was suspended for the first half after being penalized for targeting in the second half of the previous game. Alexander played in the second half against Cal. Ott finished with 153 yards.

QUARTERBACK STATISTICS: Cal's Fernando Mendoza was 25-for-39 for 292 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and also ran for 48 yards and two scores.  USC’s Caleb Williams was 23-for-40 for 369 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

WHAT IT MEANS: Cal missed a golden opportunity to come up with a season-changing win.  Instead the Bears must win all four of their remaining games to avoid a 14th straight losing record in conference games.

CAL'S BOWL BAROMETER: The Bears' bowl chances decreased to about 10%. They have to win three of their final four games to become bowl eligible and two of the games -- Oregon and UCLA -- are against ranked teams.

NEXT GAME: Cal (3-5, 1-4 Pac-12) vs. No. 8 Oregon (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday, November 4. Kickoff time: 2:30 p.m. TV: Pac-12 Network. Oregon will be coming off a 35-6 victory over No. 13 Utah in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Cover photo of Fernando Mendoza by Darren Yamashita, USA TODAY Sports

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