The California football team (6-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) will play its regular-season finale at California Memorial Stadium this Saturday as the Golden Bears welcome No. 25 Southern Methodist to Berkeley. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. PT and the game will be shown live on ESPN 2.
 
SATURDAY LINEUP
Venue: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, Calif.
Time: 5 p.m. PT
Watch (ESPN2): Lowell Galindo (PxP), Aaron Murray (Analyst), Lauren Sisler (Sideline Reporter)
Listen: 810 AM
Justin Allegri (play-by-play), Mike Pawlawski (analyst), Ben Ross (sideline reporter); SiriusXM Ch. 383 or SXM App, The Varsity App 
 
BEARS VS. MUSTANGS
- This will be the first time in 68 years that the Mustangs visit Berkeley, with SMU last making the trip on Sept. 21, 1957, when the Mustangs were 13-7 winners.
- SMU holds a 2-0 all-time series advantage.
- An undermanned Cal team fell – 38-6 – last season to a Mustangs squad that went on to make it to the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff.
 
CAL MAKES COACHING LEADERSHIP CHANGE, APPOINTS ROLOVICH INTERIM HEAD COACH
- General Manager Ron Rivera announced a change in coaching leadership of the Cal football program on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, parting ways with Justin Wilcox.
- Nick Rolovich has been appointed interim head coach of the program. Rolovich is in his first year with the program and served as the team's senior offensive assistant prior to his new appointment. Rolovich has previously served as head coach at both Washington State (2020-21) and Hawaii (2016-19).
 
CAL... 
- Is bowl eligible for the third straight year for the first time since going to seven consecutive bowls from 2003-09. The Bears were bowl-eligible in 2002 but were not selected for a bowl.
- Has registered at least one sack in 23 consecutive games dating back to last season.
- Ranks second in the ACC in passing defense, averaging 192.5 yards allowed through the air per game. The Bears have allowed the fewest passing touchdowns in the conference, with only eight scored against them in 2025.
- Is third in the conference in defensive efficiency (116.8).
- Will celebrate Senior Day and Hometown Heroes this weekend at California Memorial Stadium.
 
FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN CANDIDATE SAGAPOLUTELE CONTINUES TO SHINE
- QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is the only Power 4 and second true freshman in FBS history to pass for 200 or more yards in each of the first 11 games of his college career, and one of only three in FBS history with seven or more. Houston's David Piland began his career with 14-straight 200+ passing yard games spanning the 2010-12 seasons.
- Sagapolutele ranks fourth in the ACC in total passing yards (2,787) and average yards per game (253.4). He tops the conference in passing attempts with 413. His passing attempts are 24 more than the next closest in the ACC, with Duke's Darian Mensah logging 389 passing attempts this season.
- His 16 touchdowns (3 rushing, 13 passing) are the third most of any true freshman quarterback in 2025 behind BYU's Bear Bachmeier (24) and Maryland's Malik Washington (18). His 13 passing touchdowns are tied with Bachmeier for second most by a true freshman this season, with Washington holding the top spot with 14.
- Sagapolutele set career highs in completions and attempts against Stanford, going 33-for-49 for 269 yards passing with no touchdowns or interceptions. He also ran for a 7-yard touchdown to cap a 15-play second-quarter drive that covered 75 yards and took 8:19 off the clock. It was Cal's longest scoring drive of the season in terms of plays.
 
DE JESUS LEADS ACC IN RECEPTIONS, ALL-PURPOSE YARDS
- WR Jacob De Jesus' career-high 87 catches this season lead the ACC and rank third nationally, in addition to placing him fourth on Cal's all-time single-season list. The Bears haven't had a player lead the conference in receptions since Chad Hansen hauled in 92 catches to pace the Pac-12 in 2016.
- His 7.9 receptions per game also lead the conference and rank third in the NCAA.
- He had a career-high and school record-tying 16 receptions in Cal's win over Louisville. His 158 receiving yards were also a career high.
- De Jesus surpassed the career 4,000 all-purpose yards mark in Cal's game against Stanford. He now has 4,078 career all-purpose yards. He leads the ACC and ranks ninth nationally in all-purpose yards per game (118.8).
- De Jesus ranks third in the ACC in kick returns (21.3 avg) and return yards on kickoffs (298). He ranks fifth in the conference in punt returns (11.3 avg) and his 225 total yards returned off punts are third most in the ACC.

CAL CLAIMS THREE OF ACC'S TOP-4 SPOTS IN PASSES DEFENDED
- Three Cal players - Hezekiah Masses (1), Brent "Paco" Austin (3) and Derek Wilkins (4) rank in the top 4 in the conference in passes defended.
- Masses leads the nation in passes defended (17) for the eighth consecutive week this season and ties for the most interceptions in the NCAA (5).
- Masses' next interception would put him into a tie for ninth on Cal's single-season interceptions list.
- Austin's 13 total passes defended rank 13th in the nation. He ties for fifth on Cal's top-10 single-season PBUs list. He is five shy of the record (18).
- Wilkins is the highest ranking defensive lineman in the conference in pass breakups with his eight this season, which also tie for seventh most in the nation. He is the only defensive lineman to be ranked in the top 10 in the ACC in passes defended.
 
KENDRICK 'THE SCORING MACHINE' RAPHAEL
- RB Kendrick Raphael is fourth in the ACC in total touchdowns with 12, which also ties for 26th nationally. Raphael's 11 rushing touchdowns also rank third in the ACC and are within one of Cal's single-season top-10 list.
- Raphael has scored 10 rushing touchdowns in Cal's last six games.
- His 182 carries are the second most of any running back in the ACC and rank in the top 20 nationally.
- Raphael is the Bears' leading rusher this season. He has compiled 742 rushing yards, which is seventh most in the ACC. His 67.5 yards per game ranks in the top 10 in the ACC. He is 24 rushing yards shy of the 1,500 career rushing yards mark.

CONSISTENCY DEFINES DEFENSIVE LINE
- Aidan Keanaaina has been an anchor on the Bears' defensive line, starting every game this season and tallying a career-high 49 tackles, which is the most by a Cal defensive lineman since Luc Bequette had 52 in 2019.
- Keanaaina is the first defensive lineman to put together consecutive seasons of 40 or more tackles since Bequette in 2018 (49) and 2019 (52). Bequette added a third in 2021 (41).
- T.J. Bush Jr. continues to apply pressure on quarterbacks, recording at least 0.5 sack in each of the last three games. He and Keanaaina combined to register Cal's lone sack against the Cardinal this past weekend.
- Bush Jr.'s career-high 5.5 sacks rank 11th in the ACC while his total tackles for loss (10.0) rank 12th in the ACC.
- Bollers has started in 10 games alongside Keanaaina, only missing Cal's game against Louisville due to injury. The pair have combined for 86 tackles this season and are the first Cal defensive lineman duo to combine for 80 since Bequette (49) and Zendae Johnson (29) had 81 in 2019.
 
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