BERKELEY — Cal has lost two games in a row for the first time this season, again missing a chance to earn bowl eligibility in a 31-21 setback to No. 15 Virginia in front of 30,893 at Memorial Stadium on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
Trailing 24-21, Cal got one last chance after Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris threw incomplete on fourth-and-2 from the Bears’ 14-yard line.
Cal took over with 45 seconds left and on first down Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw down the field into double coverage. He was picked off by linebacker Kam Robinson, who returned it 35 yards untouched into the end zone with 29 seconds left.
The Bears (5-4, 2-3 ACC) travel next week to No. 16 Louisville, which improved to 7-1 with a 28-16 win over Virginia Tech. Cal still is one win shy of securing bowl eligibility for the third straight season, and its chances are dwindling to put together the kind of season that will ensure ninth-year coach Justin Wilcox has job security.
Cal fell behind 10-0 early and could not muster enough consistency on offense to overtake the Cavaliers (8-1, 5-0), whose first victory ever in the Pacific time zone gives them seven straight wins this season.
The Bears finished with a season-low 263 yards. Sagapolutele was 19 for 30 for 213 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He played turnover-free the two previous weeks. He was sacked three times, contributing to Cal’s net rushing total of 8 yards.
The Bears played much of the game without star linebacker Cade Uluave, who had one pass breakup but no tackles before coming out with an undisclosed injury. He was on the sidelines with his helmet off all of the second quarter and was in a T-shirt after halftime.
The ACC’s leading tackler had a career-best 19 tackles a week ago in the Bears’ 42-34 double-overtime loss at Virginia Tech.
Cal drew within three points for the second time in the second half, thanks in part to a 14-yard punt that skidded off the foot of Virginia’s Daniel Sparks. That set up the Bears at the 25-yard line and they needed just two plays to get into the end zone.
Sagapolutele completed a 24-yard pass to tight end Mason Mini to the 1-yard line, but the Cal freshman QB stayed on the ground afterward and had to come out of the game for one play.
Redshirt freshman EJ Caminong came on and handed off to Raphael Kendrick, who powered in from the 1 for his third touchdown of the game, his sixth in two weeks. That enabled the Bears to close within 24-21 with 12:57 left in the fourth quarter.
The Bears had used some razzle-dazzle to get within 17-14 midway through the third quarter.
Jacob De Jesus set the Bears up at the Virginia 42-yard line with an 18-yard punt return.
Sagapolutele then threw a lateral pass to the left flat to Mini, who uncorked a deep ball down the right side of the field to Raphael, who took it in with 6:08 left in the period.
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Virginia answered immediately, assembling an 11-play, 75-yard drive, climaxed by Chandler Morris throwing a lateral pass to tight end Eli Wood, who ran in from the 4-yard line for a 24-14 lead with 1:51 left in the third period.
The Cavaliers scored on their first possession and never trailed on the way to a 17-7 halftime lead.
Cal was down 10-0 when it assembled its only scoring drive of the half a 14-play, 75-yard march that was capped by a 2-yard run by Raphael, who took a direct snap on a first-down play with 13:00 left in the second quarter.
