The Cal Bears were defeated at home by Syracuse, losing 33-25.

In a post-game interview, Cal coach Justin Wilcox was asked about any positives he could take away from their 33-25 loss to Syracuse. He took a moment to look over the stat sheet before responding. It was clear that Wilcox was trying to remain composed, but his disappointment was evident. "I'm trying to keep my emotions in check, but it's impossible. I don't see anything here that we did very well," he said.

Although the final score may not reflect it, Syracuse dominated the game. They scored on their first six possessions, and the Bears were down 27-7 at halftime. They never really got close to catching up, with the final score only becoming closer in the last minute of the game. It was a disappointing performance, especially since a win would have secured bowl eligibility for the second consecutive year. "We were definitely outplayed today - there's no doubt about that. It's very disappointing," Wilcox stated.

Next up for the Bears is the 127th Big Game against Stanford, which will be held at Berkeley on Saturday. Stanford is coming off a big upset win against Louisville, and quarterback Fernando Mendoza assured that the team will quickly shift their focus to preparing for this important rivalry game. "Our coaches have emphasized that we can't let Syracuse beat us twice. Now, all my focus is on next week. No moping around. We need to get to work in order to win the Big Game and, more importantly, become bowl eligible," Mendoza said.

Unfortunately, the Bears struggled in all aspects of the game against Syracuse. Mendoza, who had been on a hot streak with 385 passing yards in their previous game, threw two consecutive interceptions in the first half that led to 10 points for Syracuse. He took responsibility for the loss, saying, "My personal game was miserable. I lost us the game. You can't turn the ball over like that."

The defense also had a tough time, despite leading the nation in interceptions and sacks. For the first time this season, they didn't generate any turnovers and only managed one sack against Syracuse's quarterback Kyle McCord. McCord, who leads the nation in passing yards, had a solid performance with 323 yards and one touchdown. His top receivers, Trebor Pena and Oronde Gadsden II, combined for 19 catches and 206 yards. Running back LeQuint Allen also had a great game, rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns, giving Syracuse a balanced attack.

The Bears' struggles on third and fourth down were particularly problematic. Senior linebacker Teddye Buchanan, who had a team-high 14 tackles, acknowledged this, saying, "Getting off on third and fourth down was the biggest thing. If we had done that, it could have been a different ballgame. I don't think we created any turnovers. Helping the offense out in that way would have made it a lot easier for those guys."

Cal did manage to make the score closer at the end, with Mendoza throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Brady and converting a 2-point conversion to Jack Endries in the final minute. But their attempted onside kick was unsuccessful, and Syracuse was able to secure the win.

Mendoza's performance was not up to his usual standards, as he finished with 225 passing yards and four sacks. He didn't have the same sharpness he had shown in the previous four games, where he completed nearly 73% of his attempts. "It's unlike him to throw those two interceptions. It wasn't as smooth as we would expect," Wilcox commented. "We got sacked four times. We had some drops. You add all that up and we didn't play well. I know he's going to be eager to learn from it."

There were a few bright spots for the Bears, including a 75-yard touchdown run by sophomore Jaivian Thomas. However, Syracuse quickly responded with one of their own scoring drives to maintain their lead. Jaydn Ott also had a good game, with 78 rushing yards, but he was caught from behind by a defender, something that would have been hard to imagine last season.

It was a tough loss for the Bears, who were also missing inside linebacker Cade Uluave due to an injury. Uluave was the Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. Despite this setback, the team will need to regroup quickly as they prepare to face Stanford in the Big Game.

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