California quarterback Fernando Mendoza, center, looks for a receiver during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against Oregon State on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
BERKELEY — Cal might have found a quarterback on Saturday night against No. 15 Oregon State. But the Bears somehow lost their defense in a 52-40 defeat before 34,930 fans at Memorial Stadium.
The Bears (3-3, 1-2 Pac-12) gave redshirt freshman Fernando Mendoza the start at quarterback and he played competently while throwing a pair of touchdown passes.
But Clemson transfer DJ Uiagalelei threw five touchdown passes and the Beavers (5-1, 2-1) reached the end zone on their first four possessions of the second half to methodically pull away.
The game was the first in an unprecedented stretch of five straight games for the Bears against teams ranked in the Top-25.
Next up is No. 18 Utah (4-1, 1-1), which had a bye Saturday to prepare for the matchup at Salt Lake City. The Utes have won 17 consecutive home games and 27 of their past 28.
Cal may be without a couple of offensive starters next Saturday. Sophomore running back Jaydn Ott, who rushed for 84 first-half yards against OSU’s stout run defense, carried the ball just once more and did not play the final 28 minutes of the game.
Starting right guard Sioape Vatikani was taken off the field on a cart after apparently suffering a lower-body injury with just under 12 minutes left in the game.
Cal’s coaches had mentioned several times recently the progress made in practice by Mendoza, a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder from Miami, Florida. But he hadn’t gotten any playing time in the Bears’ previous four games after seeing some mop-up duty in the opener.
The Bears’ quarterback play with Sam Jackson V and Ben Finley mostly sharing the position through five games had been inconsistent, and after last week’s 24-21 win over Arizona State there became greater urgency to get production from the passing game.
Mendoza didn’t light up the OSU defense, but he appeared to make good decisions on his reads and he was 21 for 32 for 207 yards with one interception. He threw touchdown passes of 9 yards to Isaiah Ifanse in the second quarter and 30 yards to tight end Jack Endries with 2:45 left in the third.
After the second one, he found Jeremiah Hunter with a two-point conversion pass completion and the Bears trailed just 35-32.
But Cal could not stop the Beavers, who piled up 498 yards, including 296 through the air. Uiagalelei finished 19 for 25 for 275 yards with the five TDs — three of them to tight end Jack Velling. His understudy, freshman Aidan Chiles, added a TD pass of his own in the second quarter.
Ifanse,the graduate transfer from Montana State, rushed for 86 yards and scored three touchdowns for the Bears. Mendoza added 42 rushing yards as Cal piled up 241 rushing yards against an OSU defense that hadn’t allowed more than 106 in a game.
The Beavers led 21-17 after an entertaining first half.
Mendoza was 3 for 5 for 13 yards on the Bears’ first series, which ended after he threw incomplete on fourth-and-2 from the OSU.
He wound up 10 for 17 for 68 yards in the first half, including a 9-yard touchdown pass to running back Isaiah Ifanse. Mendoza started to dash out of the pocket on the play then stopped and delivered a quick pass to Ifanse for the TD, pulling Cal within 14-10 with 11:16 left in the second quarter.
That touchdown was set up by Ryan McCulloch’s 26-yard return of an OSU onside kickoff try, giving the Bears possession at the Beavers’ 19-yard line.
On the next series, Cal safety Patrick McMorris recovered a fumble by Beavers’ receiver Silas Bolden after Jackson Sirmon knocked the ball free, giving the Bears possession at the OSU 49.
Ott raced 21 yards on first down before Mendoza gained 11 yards on a keeper to the 17. Ifanse scored his second touchdown of the night — his second in a span of 3:07 — when he virtually walked into the end zone, pushing the Bears into a 17-14 lead with 8:09 to play in the half.
Originally published at Jeff Faraudo