Fernando Mendoza threw for two touchdowns and achieved a career-high 364 passing yards, helping California defeat Oregon State 44-7 on Saturday and ending a four-game losing streak.
Cal (4-4) was ahead 31-0 by halftime and welcomed back star running back Jaydn Ott, who had missed the last two games due to an ankle injury. The Bears, who had lost their previous four games by a total of only nine points, made sure there was no doubt about their victory this time.
Cal head coach Justin Wilcox talked to his team the night before about gaining confidence after such tough close losses.
“I’m proud of the way the guys responded,” Wilcox said. “I think after four tough losses like that, there’s people out there that would crumble and wouldn’t be able to bounce back. So I’m really, really proud and pleased in the guys for battling back and believing in themselves and their teammates.”
The Bears scored on their first drive when Mendoza caught a lateral pass from Jaivian Thomas just as his running back was being tackled and ran for a 9-yard touchdown—though it counted as a touchdown pass.
After Oregon State went three-and-out, Mendoza quickly led Cal down the field again in just three plays, connecting with Nyziah Hunter for a 20-yard touchdown.
“It was just four close games, and we were playing so much good football,” Mendoza said. “It was so frustrating. However, now that we’re able to finally, instead of just talk the talk, walk the walk, we’re going to have great momentum into the bye week and our last four games.”
Thomas scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter, and a successful 2-point conversion put Cal ahead by four touchdowns. Placekicker Derek Morris, who missed a potential game-winning 24-yard field goal last week against North Carolina State, made all five of his field goal attempts to tie a school record.
“It’s not like this game, everybody played out of their minds and is making one-handed grabs and it’s just superhuman effort,” Wilcox said. “It’s just playing really good football, and that’s what we want to do at a really high rate. And we did it much better today.”
Mendoza was just one yard shy of 300 passing yards in the first half and finished with a career-high passer rating of 178.3. Cal’s 31-point lead at halftime was its largest since 2015.
Ott, who led the Pac-12 last year with 1,305 rushing yards, had 10 carries for only 11 yards. He made a dynamic 22-yard touchdown run, dodging several defenders, but it was called back in the third quarter after a replay showed he was down by contact.
Oregon State (4-4) used three different quarterbacks as starter Gevani McCoy struggled. The Beavers have now lost three straight games after a strong 4-1 start, and they managed only 82 yards of offense and four first downs in the first half.
Backup quarterback Ben Gulbranson, who took over for McCoy, went 11 of 20 for 131 yards and a touchdown.
Beavers coach Trent Bray said the team did not coach or play well and called the loss unacceptable.
“We lost two close ones that we could have had, and then came out and didn’t play well tonight,” Bray said. “So it’s frustrating because we’re better than our record, and we need to play to that standard.”
The two former Pac-12 teams faced each other in a non-conference game for the first time since 1960, with Cal moving to the ACC.
