Cal starts slow, rallies to top UC Davis for a 12th straight time, posting a 31-13 win

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — The California Golden Bears shook off a rusty start to open their inaugural ACC season with 31-13 win over UC Davis on Saturday, their 12th straight win over the Aggies to remain undefeated in 34 starts against the Big-Sky Conference.

The Bears found their stride late in the game after a slow and messy start. The Bears had 21 just plays in the first half compared to Davis' 52 and more than doubled their play count in the second half with 46. Aggies new coach Tim Plough’s offensive scheme was innovative enough to make the game competitive through the third quarter.

“First half we had a good effort, but boy was our execution lacking,” Bears coach Justin Wilcox said. “We really were not in any type of rhythm as a team. I’m really proud of the ways the guy persevered through that — it didn’t feel great.”

Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza earned the start over Chandler Rogers after a contentious fall camp and threw for 158 yards and a touchdown, completing 15 of 22 attempts. Running in shotgun formation without a huddle, Mendoza looked uncomfortable under center. Meanwhile Jadyn Ott, who averaged 92.2 rushing yards per game last season, was stifled with only six carries and 11 yards in the first two quarters. Cal was forced to punt three times.

“There was a little bit of anxiety for everyone,” Mendoza said. “We’ve worked so hard, we’ve done so many walkthroughs that when the game came, it was a little bit of nervousness.”

Ott finished the game with 49 rushing yards and two touchdowns but was sidelined with a late injury.

The Aggies put up 14 points behind a fumble recovery by Porter Connors and a one-yard rushing touchdown from Lan Larison.

Nohl Williams kicked Cal’s offense into gear, hugging the sideline in an 80-yard kickoff return to give the Bears a 14-13 lead at the half. The Bears pulled away in the third quarter behind a defense that notched three interceptions for 25 yards. “Nohl was awesome," Wilcox said. “The kick return was huge, just as a momentum changer, and on defense I thought he played real sticky.”

UC Davis was efficient on offense and got 221 of its 304 yards of offense through the air. The Aggies averaged just under 390 yards per game last season.

All eyes were on the Bears defense in the season opener, a perennially talented group that struggled uncharacteristically in 2023. Cal surrendered 32.7 points per game last season and allowed 30 passing touchdowns.

The Bears bolstered their linebacker rotation in the offseason by adding UC Davis graduate transfer and second team All-Big Sky pick Teddye Buchanan. He led the team with nine tackles.

THE TAKEAWAY

UC Davis: Tim Plough, the former tight ends coach at Cal, takes over a program that just missed an FCS berth in 2023 and returns a host of All Big-Sky honorees. The Aggies decisively shut down the Bears' run game and limited their pass attempts. Davis had a clean, impressive game with sustained drives and rhythmic pass plays.

California: The move to the ACC marks a new chapter for the Bears, an opportunity to turn the page in a new 17-team conference.

UP NEXT

UC Davis: Hosts Texas A&M Commerce on Saturday night.

California: Visits Auburn on Saturday.

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Emily Ohman, The Associated Press