2024 California Golden Bears football team

2024 California Golden Bears football
2024 California Golden Bears football
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Record	4–4 (0–4 ACC)
Head coach	Justin Wilcox (8th season);
Offensive coordinator	Mike Bloesch (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Peter Sirmon (5th season)
Base defense	2–4–5
Home stadium	California Memorial Stadium
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

The 2024 California Golden Bears football team represents the University of California, Berkeley in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Golden Bears are led by Justin Wilcox in his eighth year as the head coach. The Golden Bears play their home games at California Memorial Stadium located in Berkeley, California.

2024 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 11т Clemson	5	–	0	6	–	1
No. 5 Miami (FL)	4	–	0	8	–	0
No. 20 SMU	4	–	0	7	–	1
No. 18 Pittsburgh	3	–	0	7	–	0
Virginia Tech	3	–	1	5	–	3
Louisville	3	–	2	5	–	3
Georgia Tech	3	–	3	5	–	4
Duke	2	–	2	6	–	2
Syracuse	2	–	2	5	–	2
Wake Forest	2	–	2	4	–	4
Virginia	2	–	3	4	–	4
Boston College	1	–	3	4	–	4
NC State	1	–	3	4	–	4
North Carolina	1	–	3	4	–	4
Stanford	1	–	4	2	–	6
Florida State	1	–	6	1	–	7
California	0	–	4	4	–	4
Championship: December 7, 2024
$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of October 27, 2024 Rankings from AP Poll

The 2024 season is California's first in the ACC since moving from the Pac-12 Conference.^[1]^[2]

On October 5, before playing against the Miami Hurricanes, California hosted their first College GameDay in school history. ^[3]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	2:00 p.m.	No. 18 (FCS) UC Davis*	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	ACCNX/ESPN+	W 31–13	32,275
September 7	12:30 p.m.	at Auburn*	Jordan-Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	ESPN2	W 21–14	88,043
September 14	7:30 p.m.	San Diego State*	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	ESPN	W 31–10	35,197
September 21	4:00 p.m.	at Florida State	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN2	L 9–14	55,107
October 5	7:30 p.m.	No. 8 Miami (FL)	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA (College GameDay)	ESPN	L 38–39	52,428
October 12	12:30 p.m.	at No. 22 Pittsburgh	Acrisure Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN	L 15–17	49,773
October 19	12:30 p.m.	NC State	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	ACCN	L 23–24	35,303
October 26	1:00 p.m.	Oregon State*	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	ESPN2	W 44–7	33,090
November 8	5:00 p.m.	at Wake Forest	Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium Winston-Salem, NC	ACCN
November 16		Syracuse	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA
November 23		Stanford	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA (Big Game)
November 30		at SMU	Gerald J. Ford Stadium University Park, TX
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll - Released prior to game All times are in Pacific time

^[4]^[5]

Game summaries

vs. No. 18 (FCS) UC Davis

Game One – No. 18 (FCS) UC Davis Aggies (0–0) at California Golden Bears (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 UC Davis (FCS)	6	7	0	0	13
California	7	7	10	7	31

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, California

Date: Saturday August 31, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m. PST
Game weather: Temperature: 69 °F (21 °C) • Wind: SW at 9 miles per hour (14 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 32,275
Referee: Justin Elliott
TV announcers (ACCNX/ESPN+): Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Craig Haubert (analyst), and Sherree Burruss (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter

(6:23) CAL – Jaydn Ott 1-yard run, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 3:23; California 7–0)
(0:16) UCD – Porter Connors 6-yard fumble recovery (California 7–6)

Second quarter

(4:42) UCD – Lan Larison 1-yard run, Hunter Ridley kick (Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 5:02; UC Davis 13–7)
(4:31) CAL – Nohl Williams 80-yard kickoff return, Ryan Coe kick (California 14–13)

Third quarter

(7:18) CAL – Jaydn Ott 6-yard run, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 3:53; California 21–13)
(2:14) CAL – Ryan Coe 25-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, 4:08; California 24–13)

Fourth quarter

(14:15) CAL – Nyziah Hunter 3-yard pass from Fernando Mendoza, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 6 plays, 29 yards, 2:47; California 31–13)

Statistics	UCD	CAL
First downs	20	16
Total yards	304	281
Rushing yards	83	102
Passing yards	221	179
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	24–48–3	18–28–0
Time of possession	30:16	29:44

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UC Davis	Passing	Miles Hastings	24/48, 221 yards, 3 INT
	Rushing	Lan Larison	17 carries, 62 yards, TD
	Receiving	C. J. Hutton	7 receptions, 68 yards
California	Passing	Fernando Mendoza	15/22, 158 yards, TD
	Rushing	Jaydn Ott	14 carries, 49 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Nyziah Hunter	4 receptions, 47 yards, TD

at Auburn

Pregame line	Over/under
Auburn –11.5	52.5

California Golden Bears (1–0) at Auburn Tigers (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	7	7	0	7	21
Tigers	7	0	0	7	14

at Jordan-Hare Stadium • Auburn, Alabama

Date: September 7th
Game time: 12:30 p.m. PST
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: NW 4 mph
Game attendance: 88,043
Referee: Riley Johnson
TV announcers (ESPN2): Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst), Stormy Buonantony (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter

AUB – KeAndre Lambert-Smith 15-yard pass from Payton Thorne (Towns McGough kick), 11:42. Auburn 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:18.
CAL – Nyziah Hunter 19-yard pass from Fernando Mendoza (Ryan Coe kick), 7:17. Tied 7–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:25.

Second quarter

CAL – Nyziah Hunter 13-yard pass from Fernando Mendoza (Ryan Coe kick), 10:39. California 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 21 yards, 1:30.

Third quarter

No scoring plays.

Fourth quarter

CAL – Jaivian Thomas 32-yard run (Ryan Coe kick), 11:27. California 21–7. Drive: 2 plays, 36 yards, 0:49.
AUB – Payton Thorne 2-yard run (Towns McGough kick), 6:06. California 21–14. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:21.

Statistics	CAL	AUB
First downs	18	15
Plays–yards	70–332	57–286
Rushes–yards	34–99	30–121
Passing yards	233	165
Passing: comp–att–int	25–36–0	14–27–4
Time of possession	35:16	24:44

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
California	Passing	Fernando Mendoza	25/36, 233 yds, 2 TD
	Rushing	Jaivian Thomas	8 rushes, 53 yds, TD
	Receiving	Jonathan Brady	4 receptions, 63 yds
Auburn	Passing	Payton Thorne	14/27, 165 yds, TD, 4 INT
	Rushing	Jarquez Hunter	12 rushes, 68 yds
	Receiving	Jarquez Hunter	3 receptions, 11 yds

vs San Diego State

San Diego State Aztecs (1–1) at California Golden Bears (2–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Aztecs	3	0	0	7	10
Golden Bears	7	0	14	10	31

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, California

Date: September 14th
Game time: 7:30 p.m. PST
Game weather: Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C) • Wind: SW at 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 35,197
Referee: Patrick Foy
TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst), and Stormy Buonantony (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter

SDSU (5:42) – Nick Lopez 29 yard field goal; 8 plays, 29 yards, 3:40 (San Diego State 3-0)
CAL (2:25) – Fernando Mendoza 8 yard run; 7 plays, 69 yards, 3:17 (California 7-3)

Second quarter

None

Third quarter

CAL (9:36) – Kadarius Calloway 7 yard run; 8 plays, 85 yards, 3:55 (California 14-3)
CAL (1:30) – Corey Dyches 20 yard pass from Fernando Mendoza; 13 plays, 90 yards, 5:37 (California 21-3)

Fourth quarter

CAL (13:33) – Ryan Coe 48 yard field goal; 5 plays, -5 yards, 1:50 (California 24-3)
SDSU (11:05) – Jordan Napier 40 yard pass from Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson; 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:28 (California 24-10)
CAL (9:48) – Nyziah Hunter 15 yard pass from Fernando Mendoza; 3 yards, 75 yards, 1:17 (California 31-10)

Statistics	SDSU	CAL
First downs	16	21
Plays–yards	65–276	71–473
Rushes–yards	35–110	42–275
Passing yards	166	198
Passing: comp–att–int	14–30–2	21–29–1
Time of possession	27:15	32:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
San Diego State	Passing	Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson	13/29, 156 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Marquez Cooper	22 carries, 87 yards
	Receiving	Jordan Napier	2 receptions, 53 yards, 1 TD
California	Passing	Fernando Mendoza	21/29, 198 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jaivian Thomas	17 carries, 169 yards
	Receiving	Nyziah Hunter	4 receptions, 52 yards, 1 TD

at Florida State

Pregame line	Over/under
Florida State –2.5^[6]	44.5^[6]

Game Four – California Golden Bears (3–0) vs Florida State Seminoles (0–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
California	0	6	3	0	9
Florida State	7	0	0	7	14

at Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL

Date: September 21, 2024
Game time: 4:00 p.m. PST
Game attendance: 55,107
Referee: Stuart Mullins
TV announcers (ESPN2): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Sam Acho (analyst), and Taylor Davis (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter

(7:47) FSU – Lawrence Toafili 2-yard run (Ryan Fitzgerald kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 2:56; Florida State 7-0)

Second quarter

(10:10) CAL – Ryan Coe 25-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 2:42; Florida State 7-3)
(0:00) CAL – Ryan Coe 29-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 0:23; Florida State 7-6)

Third quarter

(1:30) CAL – Ryan Coe 51-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 42 yards, 2:46; California 9-7)

Fourth quarter

(11:08) FSU – DJ Uiagalelei 36-yard pass to Ja'Khi Douglas (Ryan Fitzgerald kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 5:16; Florida State 14-9)

Statistics	CAL	FSU
First downs	23	17
Total yards	410	284
Rushing yards	107	107
Passing yards	303	177
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	22-37-1	16-27-1
Time of possession	29:19	30:41

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
California	Passing	Fernando Mendoza	22/36, 303 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jaydn Ott	16 carries, 73 yards
	Receiving	Mason Starling	5 receptions, 68 yards
Florida State	Passing	DJ Uiagalelei	16/27, 177 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Lawrance Toafili	17 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Ja'Khi Douglas	4 receptions, 86 yards, 1 TD

vs No. 8 Miami (FL)

No. 8 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (5-0) at California Golden Bears (3-1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 Hurricanes	7	3	8	21	39
Golden Bears	7	14	14	3	38

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, California

Date: October 5th
Game time: 7:30 p.m. PST
Game weather: Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: N at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h) • Weather: Clear
Game attendance: 52,428
Referee: Nate Black
TV announcers (ESPN): Rece Davis (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst), and Sherree Burruss (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter

(6:19) MIA – Mark Fletcher Jr. 3-yard run, Andres Borregales kick (Drive: 5 plays, 63 yards, 3:01; Miami 7–0)
(3:58) CAL – Jack Endries 57-yard pass from Fernando Mendoza, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 7 plays, 89 yards, 2:21; Tied 7–7)

Second quarter

(13:43) CAL – Jaydn Ott 5-yard run, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 3 plays, 56 yards, 1:14; California 14–7)
(9:07) MIA – Andres Borregales 46-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 47 yards, 4:36; California 14–10)
(8:00) CAL – Jaydn Ott 66-yard pass from Fernando Mendoza, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:07; California 21–10)

Third quarter

(13:07) CAL – Nohl Williams 40-yard interception return, Ryan Coe kick (California 28–10)
(8:06) CAL – Chandler Rogers 9-yard run, Ryan Coe kick (Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:12; California 35–10)
(3:02) MIA – Damien Martinez 1-yard run, Xavier Restrepo–Cam Ward two-point pass (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:04; California 35–18)

Fourth quarter

(14:13) CAL – Ryan Coe 37-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 3:49; California 38–18)
(10:28) MIA – Isaiah Horton 18-yard pass from Cam Ward, Andres Borregales kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:45; California 38–25)
(4:04) MIA – Cam Ward 24-yard run, Andres Borregales kick (Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 2:38; California 38–32)
(0:26) MIA – Elijah Arroyo 5-yard pass from Cam Ward, Andres Borregales kick (Drive: 6 plays, 92 yards, 1:16; Miami 39–38)

Statistics	MIA	CAL
First downs	29	12
Plays–yards	86–575	49–370
Rushes–yards	33–138	25–73
Passing yards	437	297
Passing: comp–att–int	35–53–1	12–24–1
Time of possession	37:14	22:41

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Miami (FL)	Passing	Cam Ward	35/53, 437 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Mark Fletcher Jr.	11 carries, 81 yards, TD
	Receiving	Xavier Restrepo	7 receptions, 163 yards
California	Passing	Fernando Mendoza	11/22, 285 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Jonathan Brady	1 carry, 20 yards
	Receiving	Jack Endries	3 receptions, 78 yards, TD

at No. 22 Pittsburgh

California Golden Bears (3-2) at Pittsburgh Panthers (5-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	0	0	0	0	0
No. 22 Panthers	0	0	0	0	0

at Acrisure Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Date: October 12th
Game time: 12:30 p.m. PST
TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst), and Stormy Buonantony (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

Statistics	CAL	PITT
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
California	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Pittsburgh	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs NC State

NC State Wolfpack (3-4) at California Golden Bears (3-3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wolfpack	0	0	0	0	0
Golden Bears	0	0	0	0	0

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, California

Date: October 19th
Game time: 12:30 p.m. PST
TV announcers (ACCN): Jorge Sedano (play-by-play), Orlando Franklin (analyst), and Morgan Uber (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

Statistics	NCSU	CAL
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
NC State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
California	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Oregon State

Oregon State Beavers (4-3) at California Golden Bears (3-4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Beavers	0	0	0	0	0
Golden Bears	0	0	0	0	0

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, California

Date: October 26th
Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
TV announcers (ESPN2): Mike Monaco (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst) and Dawn Davenport (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

Statistics	OSU	CAL
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oregon State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
California	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Wake Forest

California Golden Bears (0-0) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	0	0	0	0	0
Demon Deacons	0	0	0	0	0

at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium • Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Date: November 8th
Game time: TBD p.m. PST
TV announcers (TBD): TBD

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

Statistics	CAL	WF
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
California	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Wake Forest	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Syracuse

Syracuse Orange (0-0) at California Golden Bears (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Orange	0	0	0	0	0
Golden Bears	0	0	0	0	0

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, California

Date: November 16th
Game time: TBD p.m. PST
TV announcers (TBD): TBD

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

Statistics	SYR	CAL
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Syracuse	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
California	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Stanford (Big Game)

Stanford Cardinal (0-0) at California Golden Bears (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinal	0	0	0	0	0
Golden Bears	0	0	0	0	0

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, California

Date: November 23rd
Game time: TBD p.m. PST
TV announcers (TBD): TBD

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

Statistics	STAN	CAL
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Stanford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
California	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at SMU

Game Twelve – California Golden Bears at SMU Mustangs – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
California	0	0	0	0	0
SMU	0	0	0	0	0

at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, Texas

Date: Saturday November 30, 2024
Game time: TBD
TV announcers (TBD): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	CAL	SMU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
California	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
SMU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ Dubow, Josh. "Cal and Stanford believe move to ACC was needed for survival". AP News. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
^ Wilner, Jon. "Stanford and Cal moving to the ACC following the Pac-12's collapse". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
^ "ESPN's College GameDay makes its way to Berkeley for 1st time for Cal-Miami game". ABC7 San Francisco. October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
^ "2024 California Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
^ "ACC Announces Conference Football Matchups For 2024-30". California Golden Bear Athletics. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Florida State vs. California odds, spread, time: 2024 college football picks, Week 4 predictions from model". CBSSports.com. CBS Sports. September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.

[1] Dubow, Josh. "Cal and Stanford believe move to ACC was needed for survival". AP News. Retrieved January 3, 2024.

[2] Wilner, Jon. "Stanford and Cal moving to the ACC following the Pac-12's collapse". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 3, 2024.

[3] "ESPN's College GameDay makes its way to Berkeley for 1st time for Cal-Miami game". ABC7 San Francisco. October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2024.

[4] "2024 California Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 3, 2024.

[5] "ACC Announces Conference Football Matchups For 2024-30". California Golden Bear Athletics. Retrieved January 3, 2024.

[fsu-6] "Florida State vs. California odds, spread, time: 2024 college football picks, Week 4 predictions from model". CBSSports.com. CBS Sports. September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.

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