Postgame Notes: California 38, No. 21 SMU 35

November 29, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; Football: California Golden Bears vs SMU Mustangs; (Photo credit: Mike Wondolowski/KLC ƒotos)

QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw for a career-high 330 yards and four touchdown passes.

Photo by: Mike Wondolowski/KLC ƒotos

11/29/2025 9:33 PM | Football

By: Cal Athletics

Cal's win over No. 21 SMU was its second straight against a team ranked in the top 25 nationally with the previous win at No. 15 Louisville on Nov. 8. The last time Cal won two straight meetings against ranked teams was in 2016 when the Bears knocked off No. 11 Texas and No. 18 Utah at California Memorial Stadium on Sept. 17 and Oct. 1.
Cal's victory was its first-ever win over SMU. The Mustangs came into the game with a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series with wins in 2024 (38-6 in Dallas) and 1957 (13-7 in Berkeley).
Cal finished the 2025 regular season at 7-5 with the seven wins the most the Golden Bears have had in the regular season since also going 7-5 in 2019.
Cal will learn of its 2025 bowl selection on Sunday, Dec. 7.
WR Jacob De Jesus finished with 12 receptions for 97 yards with one touchdown catch. De Jesus now has 99 receptions through 12 games to rank second on Cal's all-time single-season reception list behind only school-record-holder Dameane Douglas' 100 receptions in 1998. De Jesus also surpassed the 2,000-yard career receiving mark tonight and now has 2,010 in 39 career games at UNLV (27) and Cal (12).
QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele finished 31-for-40 for 330 yards passing with four touchdown throws and no interceptions. Both his yards passing and touchdown passes were career highs. Sagapolutele has thrown for 3,117 yards in his first season and ranks sixth on Cal's all-time single-season list.
Sagapolutele has begun his collegiate career with 12 consecutive games of 200 yards or more passing and is the only Power 4 and second FBS player to ever record at least 12 straight games of 200 yards or more passing to begin a collegiate career. Houston's David Piland began his career with 14 straight games of 200 or more yards passing spanning the 2010 and 2012 seasons (did not play in 2011).
RB Kendrick Raphael finished with a career-high 33 rushes for 111 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was his 12th rushing TD of the season to move him into a tie for ninth on Cal's all-time single-season list.
Cal had three players catch their first touchdown passes for the Golden Bears in wide receivers QuaRon Adams, Cole Boscia and Jaiven Plummer. The touchdown catches for Boscia and Plummer were also the first of their collegiate careers.
DL Aidan Keanaaina finished with six tackles to give him 55 in 12 regular-season games. Keanaaina became the first Cal defensive lineman with more than 50 tackles in a season since Luc Bequette finished with 52 in 2019.
S Aiden Manutai had his first career interception in the second quarter.
Cal extended its string of consecutive games with at least one sack to 24 after OLB Chris Victor registered a career-high 2.0 sacks for 18 yards. He also had a career-best three tackles for loss (-30 yards).
Eight Cal players started all 12 regular-season games in 2025 (DB Brent Austin, OLB T.J. Bush Jr., ILB Luke Ferrelli, DB Hezekiah Masses, DL Aidan Keanaaina, OL Tyson Ruffins, QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolute, OL Jordan Spasojevic-Moko).
Cal had 20 players participate in the pre-game senior ceremony. The list included DB Brent Austin, DL T.J. Bollers, DL Nate Burrell, QB Belay Brummel, DB Mayze Bryant, TE Akili Calhoun, WR Jacob De Jesus, WR Trond Grizzell, P Brook Honoré Jr., TE Jeffrey Johnson, DL Aidan Keanaaina, PK Michael Luckhurst, DB Hezekiah Masses, PK Chase Meyer, DB Dru Polidore Jr., DB Ja'ir Smith, DL Zae Smith, OL Jordan Spasojevic-Moko, OL Bastian Swinney, OLB Chris Victor
Cal Offensive Starters: LT Nick Morrow, LG Jordan Spasojevic-Moko, C Bastian Swinney, RG Tyson Ruffins, RT Braden Miller, QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, RB Kendrick Raphael, TE Mason Mini, TE Jeffrey Johnson, WR Trond Grizzell, WR Jacob De Jesus
Cal Defensive Starters: DL Aidan Keanaaina, DL T.J. Bollers, OLB TJ Bush Jr., ILB Luke Ferrelli, ILB Cade Uluave, OLB Jayden Wayne, CB Brent Austin, S Aiden Manutai, S Dru Polidore Jr., CB Hezekiah Masses, NB
Cal Captains: WR Jacob De Jesus, DL Aidan Keanaaina, QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, ILB Cade Uluave