BERKELEY — The schedule is about to get significantly tougher for the Cal football team, which improved to 2-0 with its 35-3 victory Saturday over Texas Southern.
The final score was the least of coach Justin Wilcox’s concerns. He was focused more on how the Bears got there.
“We’ll acknowledge the things we did well. It’s not about beating people down,” he said after the win. “It’s about pointing out things we must improve upon to continue to get better as a team.
“We’re going to need to play much better than that. That’s what we need to see next week.”
Minnesota, of the powerhouse Big Ten Conference, visits Memorial Stadium on Saturday for what certainly will be the most challenging of Cal’s four non-conference games.
The Golden Gophers, coming off an eight-win season in 2024, are 2-0 after a 66-0 thrashing of Northwestern State. Minnesota scored 35 points in the first quarter against the FCS program and led 59-0 at halftime.
Cal also played the lone FCS-level team on its schedule, but staggered to a 3-0 lead entering the final 2 minutes of the first half. It was far from the sharp performance the Bears delivered in their 34-15 victory in Week 1 at Oregon State when they led 14-0 after two possessions.
“We didn’t really block, run, throw, catch very well in the first half,” Wilcox said of the offense’s slow start in this one. “If we’re not doing that up to par, it’s going to be hard to move the ball.”
Here are five takeaways:
The difference in a week
Freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who completed his first nine pass attempts and finished with three touchdowns and no turnovers in his debut at Oregon State, wasn’t nearly as sharp against the Tigers.
He misfired on his first four passes and Cal left the opening quarter with just 48 total yards and two first downs.
“It all starts with me. I came out flat,” Sagapolutele said. “I was missing passes that were wide open. I’ve got to be able to hit them.”
“Jaron will learn a lot from this game,” Wilcox said. “He did some really good things, especially later in the game.”
On three scoring drives that pushed the Cal lead to 25-0 midway through the third quarter, Sagapolutele found his rhythm, going 12 for 12 for 142 yards. He finished 26 for 37 for 259 yards and his first interception.
Defense hardly perfect
Cal just missed posting its first shutout in 20 years, but Wilcox said the details of the performance left much to be desired.
“How we rush the quarterback, how we tackle at certain positions, our decisions at the end of the play,” he said, citing three issues. “To keep them from scoring is great, but we need to be competing against what we’re capable of.”
Uluave’s costly penalty
Junior linebacker Cade Uluave, the team’s best defensive player, was ejected after a targeting penalty in the third quarter when he hit Texas Southern quarterback TJ Cooper. Uluave will be required to sit out the first half of the Minnesota game.
Wilcox called it a technique error. “You’ve got to hit them in the strike zone,” he said. “If you don’t, you get a targeting call and they throw you out of the game. It’s really unfortunate.”
Kendrick Raphael shines
The Bears rushed for 181 yards, including a career-high 131 and a touchdown from North Carolina State junior transfer Kendrick Raphael in his first collegiate start.
“That’s what we were hoping for, absolutely,” Wilcox said after Raphael averaged 7.3 yards per carry. “Made some good, hard runs in there, made some great cuts. I’m really proud of him.”
Special teams progress
Cal has shown major improvement in two areas on special teams. The Bears missed 12 field goals last season, but new kickers Abram Murray and Chase Meyer each converted one against Teas Southern, and the Bears are now 4 for 4, including three from at least 40 yards.
UNLV transfer Jacob De Jesus has made the return game a weapon, averaging 16.7 yards on seven punt returns and 26.0 yards on five kickoff returns.