The California Golden Bears took the No. 14 Louisville Cardinals to overtime and gave them the second ACC loss of the season 29-26 on Saturday night.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jacob De Jesus for the Bears' first win over a ranked team in nearly five years.
Cal elected to go for the win on fourth down in the extra frame and converted. This snapped a 14- game losing streak against ranked opponents since beating Oregon in 2020.
Sagapolutele completed 30-of-47 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns, helping Cal snap a two-game skid on the season and secure bowl eligibility for a third consecutive season. De Jesus had career highs with 16 receptions for 158 yards.
Cal’s defense stood tall late, limiting Louisville to four field goals by Cooper Ranvier, including a 49-yarder to open overtime. Cornerback Hezekiah Masses’ third-quarter interception set up a 45-yard Chase Meyer field goal that briefly gave Cal a 20-13 lead.
Louisville quarterback Miller Moss threw for 203 yards and ran for a touchdown, while Keyjaun Brown added 136 yards rushing.
“Proud of the guys that came in and fought,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. “We were plus-one in the turnover margin, and that was big.”
The loss for Louisville likely ends their ACC title hopes. They'll need the five teams ahead of them in the standings to pick up another loss to make things interesting.
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