California Golden Bears Athletics
Saturday, August 31
Berkeley, CA
2 PM PT
California
1-0 , 0-0
31
vs
13
UC Davis
0-1 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Davis | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| California | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
Tight end Corey Dyches, a transfer from Maryland, had two receptions in his Cal debut.
Photo by: Al Sermeno/KLC fotos
Bears Pull Away For Win To Open 2024 Season
8/31/2024 5:45 PM | Football
Cal Defense Registers Three Interceptions In 31-13 Victory Over UC Davis
BERKELEY – The California football team pitched a second-half shutout to pull away from UC Davis in a 31-13 victory in its 2024 season opener Saturday afternoon at California Memorial Stadium.
The Golden Bears recorded three interceptions, including one by senior Nohl Williams, who also returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown.
"Nohl was awesome," Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox said. "The kick return was huge. It was a momentum changer. I really like his competitiveness."
Redshirt freshman Nyziah Hunter had four catches for 47 yards and his first career touchdown in his collegiate debut while Jaydn Ott added two scoring runs for Cal, which has won all 12 meetings all-time against the Aggies.
Linebacker Cade Uluave and transfer cornerback Marcus Harris also picked off UC Davis quarterback Miles Hastings while Ott and junior Mavin Anderson each also added four receptions. Sophomore Fernando Mendoza started for Cal and went 15-for-22 for 158 yards and a touchdown. Transfer Chandler Rogers also saw time for the Bears, completing 3 of 6 passes for 21 yards and also gaining 17 yards on the ground.
"I didn't really expect to play this game. I just came in ready," Hunter said. "I kind of blacked out when I scored that touchdown. There was so much emotion going through my body."
The Aggies took a brief 13-7 lead late in the second quarter before Williams ran back the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. The Bears would not relinquish the advantage again, as Ott and Hunter found the end zone in the second half and new placekicker Ryan Coe booted a 25-yard field goal.
"In the first half, we had good effort but our execution was lacking," Wilcox said. "We weren't in any type of rhythm as a team. I'm really proud of the way the guys persevered through that. Once you get out there and you trust your training. … all of the sudden things start going your way. It was really a tale of two halves."
Cal travels to Auburn next Saturday for its first road game of the season. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT and the game will air on ESPN2.
The Golden Bears recorded three interceptions, including one by senior Nohl Williams, who also returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown.
"Nohl was awesome," Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox said. "The kick return was huge. It was a momentum changer. I really like his competitiveness."
Redshirt freshman Nyziah Hunter had four catches for 47 yards and his first career touchdown in his collegiate debut while Jaydn Ott added two scoring runs for Cal, which has won all 12 meetings all-time against the Aggies.
Linebacker Cade Uluave and transfer cornerback Marcus Harris also picked off UC Davis quarterback Miles Hastings while Ott and junior Mavin Anderson each also added four receptions. Sophomore Fernando Mendoza started for Cal and went 15-for-22 for 158 yards and a touchdown. Transfer Chandler Rogers also saw time for the Bears, completing 3 of 6 passes for 21 yards and also gaining 17 yards on the ground.
"I didn't really expect to play this game. I just came in ready," Hunter said. "I kind of blacked out when I scored that touchdown. There was so much emotion going through my body."
The Aggies took a brief 13-7 lead late in the second quarter before Williams ran back the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. The Bears would not relinquish the advantage again, as Ott and Hunter found the end zone in the second half and new placekicker Ryan Coe booted a 25-yard field goal.
"In the first half, we had good effort but our execution was lacking," Wilcox said. "We weren't in any type of rhythm as a team. I'm really proud of the way the guys persevered through that. Once you get out there and you trust your training. … all of the sudden things start going your way. It was really a tale of two halves."
Cal travels to Auburn next Saturday for its first road game of the season. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT and the game will air on ESPN2.
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
PK
/ Football
DB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
ILB
/ Football
DB
/ FootballTeam Stats
UCD
Cal
Total Yards
304
281
Pass Yards
221
179
Rushing Yards
83
102
Penalty Yards
13
48
1st Downs
20
16
3rd Downs
4
2
4th Downs
0
3
TOP
30:16
29:44
1st Quarter
UCD 0, Cal 7
Cal - Ott,Jaydn 1 yd run (Coe,Ryan kick), 8 plays, 71 yards, TOP 03:23
UCD 6, Cal 7
UCD - Connors,Porter 6 yd fumble recovery ()
2nd Quarter
UCD 13, Cal 7
UCD - Larison,Lan 1 yd run (Ridley,Hunter kick), 9 plays, 66 yards, TOP 05:02
UCD 13, Cal 14
Cal - Williams,Nohl 80 yd kickoff return (Coe,Ryan kick)
3rd Quarter
UCD 13, Cal 21
Cal - Ott,Jaydn 6 yd run (Coe,Ryan kick), 10 plays, 55 yards, TOP 03:53
UCD 13, Cal 24
Cal - Coe,Ryan 25 yd field goal 10 plays, 52 yards, TOP 04:08
4th Quarter
UCD 13, Cal 31
Cal - Hunter,Nyziah 3 yd pass from Mendoza,Fernando (Coe,Ryan kick) 6 plays, 29 yards, TOP 02:47
Game Leaders
CMP
15
TD
1
YDS
158
INT
0
CMP
3
TD
0
YDS
21
INT
0
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