California Golden Bears Athletics
Saturday, September 27
Chestnut Hill, MA
12:30 p.m. PT
California
4-1 , 1-0
28
at
24
Boston College
1-3 , 0-2
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| Boston College | 14 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
The Bears celebrate after Luke Ferrelli's game-clinching interception.
Photo by: Rod Brower, KLC Fotos
Bears Pull Out Dramatic Win Over Boston College
9/27/2025 5:27 PM | Football
Ferrelli Seals Victory With Late Interception
CHESTNUT HILL – Redshirt freshman linebacker Luke Ferrelli made a game-clinching interception in the end zone with 19 seconds remaining and the California football team overcame an early deficit to defeat Boston College 28-24 in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener Saturday at Alumni Stadium.
After true freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele connected with tight end Mason Mini on a 51-yard touchdown pass to put the Golden Bears (4-1, 1-0 ACC) in front with 1:30 remaining, the Eagles took over at their own 25 and drove to the Cal 5-yard line, converting a 4th-and-8 along the way.
But Ferrelli stepped in front of a pass by BC quarterback Dylan Lonergan that was intended for tight end Kaelan Chudzinski to register his first career interception, and the Bears were able to run out the clock to seal the win.
"I'm super excited, but we definitely have a lot to do as a team to get better," Ferrelli said. "The main thing for us is to get past adversity. They gave us some great looks. They are a great football team. I'm just glad we came out with the win."
The Bears quickly fell behind 14-0 midway through the first quarter but answered with back-to-back sustained scoring drives to tie it at 14-14. The Eagles added a field goal late in the second quarter to take a 17-14 lead at the half.
Cal went in front after Hezekiah Masses notched his fourth interception of the season and returned it to the BC 2-yard line, and running back Kendrick Raphael scored two plays later to give the Bears a 21-17 advantage.
Cal, which was coming off a disappointing 34-0 loss in its previous game at San Diego State, was faced with a challenge again when Boston College running back Turbo Richard scored on a 71-yard touchdown run on the next play from scrimmage to immediately put the Eagles back in front.
Still trailing 24-21, the Bears began their final scoring drive at their own 12-yard line with 4:48 to go. They faced 4th-and-11 from their own 34 but a defensive pass interference call gave them a first down on their own 49. Two plays later, Sagapolutele delivered a perfect throw past two defenders to Mini, who turned up field and raced untouched into the end zone.
"Jaron gave me a great ball. I just jumped up to get it and took off," Mini said. "I feel like I'm building a great connection with Jaron. He's a young quarterback who is figuring out who to get the ball to, and I feel like I'm one of those guys."
It was Mini's third touchdown of the season and the longest reception of his career.
Raphael finished with 119 yards rushing and a touchdown on a career-high 25 carries. Wide receiver Jacob De Jesus had a Cal career-high eight catches for a Cal career-high-tying 61 yards receiving and a score, while Sagapolutele was 22-of-34 for 254 yards and two touchdowns and one interception.
The Bears return home to play Duke in their homecoming game next Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. The contest will air on ESPN.
STAY POSTED
For coverage of Cal football, please follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalFootball, @CalFootballPR) and Instagram (@cal_football).
After true freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele connected with tight end Mason Mini on a 51-yard touchdown pass to put the Golden Bears (4-1, 1-0 ACC) in front with 1:30 remaining, the Eagles took over at their own 25 and drove to the Cal 5-yard line, converting a 4th-and-8 along the way.
But Ferrelli stepped in front of a pass by BC quarterback Dylan Lonergan that was intended for tight end Kaelan Chudzinski to register his first career interception, and the Bears were able to run out the clock to seal the win.
"I'm super excited, but we definitely have a lot to do as a team to get better," Ferrelli said. "The main thing for us is to get past adversity. They gave us some great looks. They are a great football team. I'm just glad we came out with the win."
The Bears quickly fell behind 14-0 midway through the first quarter but answered with back-to-back sustained scoring drives to tie it at 14-14. The Eagles added a field goal late in the second quarter to take a 17-14 lead at the half.
Cal went in front after Hezekiah Masses notched his fourth interception of the season and returned it to the BC 2-yard line, and running back Kendrick Raphael scored two plays later to give the Bears a 21-17 advantage.
Cal, which was coming off a disappointing 34-0 loss in its previous game at San Diego State, was faced with a challenge again when Boston College running back Turbo Richard scored on a 71-yard touchdown run on the next play from scrimmage to immediately put the Eagles back in front.
Still trailing 24-21, the Bears began their final scoring drive at their own 12-yard line with 4:48 to go. They faced 4th-and-11 from their own 34 but a defensive pass interference call gave them a first down on their own 49. Two plays later, Sagapolutele delivered a perfect throw past two defenders to Mini, who turned up field and raced untouched into the end zone.
"Jaron gave me a great ball. I just jumped up to get it and took off," Mini said. "I feel like I'm building a great connection with Jaron. He's a young quarterback who is figuring out who to get the ball to, and I feel like I'm one of those guys."
It was Mini's third touchdown of the season and the longest reception of his career.
Raphael finished with 119 yards rushing and a touchdown on a career-high 25 carries. Wide receiver Jacob De Jesus had a Cal career-high eight catches for a Cal career-high-tying 61 yards receiving and a score, while Sagapolutele was 22-of-34 for 254 yards and two touchdowns and one interception.
The Bears return home to play Duke in their homecoming game next Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. The contest will air on ESPN.
STAY POSTED
For coverage of Cal football, please follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalFootball, @CalFootballPR) and Instagram (@cal_football).
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
ILB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ FootballTeam Stats
CAL
BCE
Total Yards
372
375
Pass Yards
254
197
Rushing Yards
118
178
Penalty Yards
78
109
1st Downs
23
20
3rd Downs
6
4
4th Downs
1
2
TOP
35:15
24:45
1st Quarter
CAL 0, BCE 7
BCE - Lonergan,Dylan 7 yd run (Lombardo,Luca kick), 12 plays, 84 yards, TOP 05:54
CAL 0, BCE 14
BCE - Richard,Turbo 27 yd run (Lombardo,Luca kick), 2 plays, 27 yards, TOP 00:15
CAL 7, BCE 14
CAL - Johnson Jr.,LJ 1 yd run (Meyer,Chase kick), 12 plays, 74 yards, TOP 06:42
2nd Quarter
CAL 14, BCE 14
CAL - De Jesus,Jacob 5 yd pass from Sagapolutele,Jaron-Keawe (Meyer,Chase kick) 14 plays, 84 yards, TOP 09:03
CAL 14, BCE 17
BCE - Lombardo,Luca 52 yd field goal 12 plays, 36 yards, TOP 03:04
4th Quarter
CAL 21, BCE 17
CAL - Raphael,Kendrick 2 yd run (Meyer,Chase kick), 1 plays, 2 yards, TOP 00:06
CAL 21, BCE 24
BCE - Richard,Turbo 71 yd run (Lombardo,Luca kick), 1 plays, 71 yards, TOP 00:12
CAL 28, BCE 24
CAL - Mini,Mason 51 yd pass from Sagapolutele,Jaron-Keawe (Meyer,Chase kick) 9 plays, 88 yards, TOP 03:18
Game Leaders
CMP
22
TD
2
YDS
254
INT
1
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