BERKELEY, Calif. - Call it the largest comeback this season in the entire FBS. The 8th-ranked Miami Hurricanes faced two seemingly insurmountable deficits of 35-10 and 38-18 in the second half to the California Golden Bears.
But they did not give up.
The Canes seemingly only got faster, stronger, and more energized because of it. Led by senior quarterback Cam Ward (35-for-53, 437 yards, two touchdowns, one interception), the Canes reeled off the game’s final 21 points - all in the fourth and final frame - to sink the Golden Bears in an astonishing 39-38 win on the road Saturday night (Oct. 5).
Down 38-32 with 4:04 left, the Canes (6-0; 2-0 in ACC play) forced a Bears three-and-out that gave them less than two minutes to work with. And then, after a Bears punt to the Canes, Ward had 92 yards to go for the win. He found senior wide receiver Xavier Restrepo (seven catches, game-high 163 yards) for an electrifying 77-yard pass that got the Canes to the Bears 15-yard line.
After a couple of penalties, Ward completed a 22-yard pass to junior running back Damien Martinez on 3rd and 20, who got the Miami to the Cal 3-yard line. Just two plays after, Ward found junior tight end Elijah Arroyo (three catches, 14 yards) for a 5-yard touchdown pass that resulted in a celebratory moment in the end zone with 26 seconds left. An extra point made by senior kicker Andy Borregales (4-for-4 tonight; 151 career extra points; third all-time) accounted for the final score.
To officially seal the win, Canes senior linebacker Francisco "Kiko" Mauigoa picked off a pass from Bears sophomore quarterback Fernando Mendoza (11-for-22, 285 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) with five seconds left. On the next play the Canes took a knee. With the win - plus two SEC upset losses by No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Tennessee - No. 8 Miami should jump a few spots in the next AP Poll on Sunday (Oct. 6).
Looking at this game just from a numbers standpoint, Miami outplayed Cal by having the edge in first downs (30-13), total yards (575-370), passing yards (437-297), rushing yards (138-73), and time of possession (37:35-22:25). Miami and Cal (4-2; 0-2 in ACC play) committed just one turnover each in this game. Cal committed six penalties for 43 yards, while Miami had nine penalties for 110 yards.
After both teams traded punts to start the game, Miami got on the board first by way of a 3-yard touchdown run from running back Mark Fletcher Jr. He had runs of 28, eight, and six yards before his score happened at the 6:19 mark of the first quarter.
Cal went to work and engineered a seven-play, 89-yard drive that lasted a little over two minutes. Mendoza threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Jack Endries at 3:58. An extra point by senior kicker Ryan Coe tied the game up at 7-7. But after Miami turned the ball over on downs on its next offensive drive, Cal saw an opportunity to get its first lead of the game. This happened at the 13:43 mark of the second quarter when junior running back Jaydn Ott punched a 5-yard score in the end zone. Coe’s second extra point put Cal up 14-7 over Miami. Mendoza’s 51-yard pass to junior wide receiver Trond Grizzell got Cal to the Miami 5-yard line, setting the home team up for the score.
Miami would go on to cut Cal’s lead to 14-10 at the 9:07 mark with a 46-yard field goal made by Borregales, who now has 63 field goals made in his college football career - just one behind former Canes kicker Jon Peattie (64 field goals made). But the road team would not get any closer than a four-point deficit, as Cal went on a 21-0 scoring run in the second and third quarters.
A four-play, 75-yard drive ended with a 66-yard touchdown pass from Mendoza to Ott. With 13:07 left in the third quarter, Ward threw his fifth interception of the season, perhaps his worst throw of the 2024 season. Scrambling to his right, Ward lofted the ball high in the air into traffic, which was returned for a touchdown by senior defensive back Nohl Williams for 40 yards.
When Miami’s next offensive drive ended with a punt, Cal wasted little time finding the end zone again. The assumed dagger was a 9-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Chandler Rogers with 8:06 left in the third quarter. This score was made possible mainly by a 56-yard pass from Mendoza to sophomore running back Jaivian Thomas.
The next offensive drive for Miami resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run from Martinez and a two-point conversion pass from Ward to Restrepo, who cut Cal’s lead to 35-18 at the 3:02 mark. This drive lasted for 12 plays, 75 yards, and a little over five minutes long.
Cal returned to work and made the most of its next offensive series. An eight-play, 55-yard drive resulted in a 37-yard field goal made by Coe, who extended Cal’s lead to 38-18 over Miami at the 14:13 mark of the fourth quarter.
But Miami would answer back, as it used an 11-play, 75-yard drive to reach the end zone by way of an 18-yard touchdown pass from Ward to sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Horton (nine catches, 83 yards, one touchdown). The Cal lead to 38-25.
The Canes' defense would force the Golden Bears to punt the ball in five plays. And from there, Ward would end a nine-play, 70-yard drive with a blistering 24-yard touchdown run at the 4:04 mark of the fourth quarter. The Bears lead was cut to 38-32. The Canes' comeback mission would go into overdrive for the game’s final few minutes.
Miami will have a well-deserved bye next week. Its next game is set for Saturday, Oct. 19, on the road at No. 22 Louisville (3-2; 1-1 in ACC). The kickoff time is TBA.
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