Cal is unable to make any noise against No. 9 SMU | football

After another surge in national media attention thanks to the big-game win, Fernando Mendoza’s postgame announcement and equipment manager Trevor Skogerboe’s heroics, there was reason to believe Cal had a chance against No. 9 SMU at Gerald J. Ford Stadium has.

However, ESPN’s Pete Thamel declaring Mendoza inactive due to illness just an hour before kickoff didn’t help those chances, and by the end of the first quarter it became clear that all hopes had been dashed. The Mustangs dominated the Bears from start to finish as the blue and gold lost their 2024 regular season finale 38-6.

Mendoza wasn’t the only big player on the injury report. Linebacker Cade Uluave missed his third straight game, running back Jaivian Thomas was inactive for the first time this season and several members of the offensive line continued to rotate the revolving door of linemen.

“(I’m) definitely proud of a number of individuals who showed up to compete every day. The consistency and competitive nature of a number of players on the team was evident,” Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said in the postgame press conference.

With just a few hours notice, North Texas transfer quarterback Chandler Rogers stepped in under center after playing sparingly so far in his first and only season as a Bear. Used more as a rushing weapon from the quarterback position, Rogers was just 4 of 10 for 33 yards to go and 74 rushing yards all year.

Rogers was unable to significantly improve those statistics due to missed throws and constant pressure in the backfield, and left in the third quarter with a right hamstring injury after going 8-for-15 with 84 passing yards and 12 rushing yards.

Redshirt sophomore CJ Harris took over for the rest of the game and directed some big plays, but was still ultimately hampered by SMU’s pressure and lack of cohesion with the pass catchers. The Mustangs’ defense sacked Cal signal-callers five times and allowed ball carriers to fall behind the line of scrimmage 16 times, the most the Bears have allowed this year.

“I’m proud of how both (Rogers) and (Harris) rose to the challenge,” Wilcox said. “I know they had things that they both would have done better, but it was an offensive issue today, it wasn’t just a quarterback issue.”

Cal’s defense wasn’t much better, as SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings and the Mustangs’ offense attacked the Bears from the start. Seven minutes into the game, Jennings threw a touchdown from the run to open the scoring. On the next two drives, he led the offense right back down the field as both Brashard Smith and Derrick McFall scored rushing touchdowns.

The Bears were unable to slow down SMU’s dynamic playmakers and blistering speed or hit back with any meaningful offensive attacks, trailing 21-0 early in the second quarter, the third straight game in which Cal has started slowly .

“(When) you play against such a very talented team, the margin for error decreases. If you play against a less talented team, you might get off scot-free,” Wilcox said. “We have to be able to get the ball into the end zone, we can’t go back and give up sacks.”

The main reason the game stayed within three points until the fourth quarter was the Mustangs’ absurd number of penalties. Ultimately, SMU recorded 17 penalties and 137 penalty yards, the former being the season-high of any ACC team.

Senior kicker Ryan Coe ended up scoring Cal’s only points of the game, hitting a 40-yard field goal and a 53-yard field goal in the third and fourth quarters.

The Bears finish the regular season at 6-6 for the second straight season, although the sentiment following that loss means the Thanksgiving break will end much differently than last season’s triumphant victory at the Rose Bowl.

Cal is still bowl eligible and will try to keep its eye on a bowl win, whether it’s in Los Angeles for the LA Bowl or a return to Shreveport, Louisiana, for the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl.

“Our job is to make it really easy for them and help them improve,” Wilcox said. “(In) this era of college football, (this) next month, a lot is happening. So we have to help these guys stay focused.”

The Bears will find out where they will bowl during the College Football Playoff Selection Show on Dec. 8.