Brent Austin forced and recovered a late game-saving fumble in the end zone, and Cal kept North Carolina and beleaguered coach Bill Belichick winless in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 21-18 victory Friday night in Berkeley, Calif.
In a three-point game, the Tar Heels’ Nathan Leacock caught a pass and neared the goal line before Austin knocked out the ball, which he managed to scramble to and secure for a touchback with 3:48 remaining.
With both squads coming off a bye week, the Golden Bears (5-2, 2-1 ACC) improved to 3-0 all-time against North Carolina (2-4, 0-2), which has lost all four of its matchups against Power 4 opponents.
Cal true freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele completed 21 of 39 passes for 209 yards with a TD pass and also rushed for a score.
Jacob De Jesus caught a career-high 13 passes for 105 yards and a score for the Golden Bears. Kendrick Raphael rushed 22 times for 81 yards and a TD.
Cal’s Cam Sydney forced and recovered a fumble that led to the game’s first points.
After Belichick defended the state of the program earlier in the week, the Tar Heels rallied but fell short.
In his first action since Sept. 20, North Carolina’s Gio Lopez, the other left-hander in the quarterback matchup, connected on 19 of 35 passing for 167 yards.
The Tar Heels’ Benjamin Hall rushed for 68 yards and a score on 14 carries. Kobe Paysour had six catches for 101 yards.
Sydney stripped a receiver on the first play from scrimmage, and Sagapolutele put Cal up 7-0 on a 3-yard keeper just over two minutes into the game.
Eight minutes later, Hall finished a 70-yard drive by rambling 18 yards to tie it with 4:48 left in the quarter.
Sagapolutele rolled right, threw against his body and hit De Jesus for a 7-yard score and a 14-7 lead to end a 12-play, 75-yard drive with 42 seconds left in the opening quarter.
Lopez converted a fourth-and-2 pass midway through the second quarter. That led to Rece Verhoff’s 41-yard field goal with 6:14 left in the first half.
One play after a pass-interference penalty on the Tar Heels on third-and-1, Raphael tallied on the second half’s first possession — a 2-yard run — for a 21-10 advantage.
Early in the fourth, Davion Gause’s 4-yard TD run and Hall’s two-point reception cut North Carolina’s deficit to 21-18, but Austin preserved the win with his defensive stop.
–Field Level Media
