Short-handed Cal scores touchdown with 18 seconds left to upset Virginia Tech 25

BERKELEY — It was a game Cal has so often lost in recent years, and even earlier this season.

And while it almost happened again, the under-manned Bears made enough plays to earn a 25-20 upset victory over 10-point favorite Virginia Tech at Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The crowd of 40,170 couldn’t exhale until Cal defensive back Cam Sidney broke up Ethan Grunkemeyer’s pass to tight end Luke Reynolds in the back of the end zone on the game’s final play.

Masters of the narrow defeat in the final years under former coach Justin Wilcox, the Bears had been ahead or within striking distance in the fourth quarter of every game this season. But first-year coach Tosh Lupoi’s squad entered the weekend with a 2-3 record.

They got over the hump when running back Ashten Emory took a direct snap and scored on a 2-yard run with 18 seconds left. Cal (3-3, 2-1 ACC) failed on a two-point conversion try.

“This group has been fighting in every one of these games,” Lupoi said. “We’re the furthest thing from pressing a panic button. This place has had a lot of tough times, my alma mater. Now we’re learning as a team to finish. That’s a really good football team we just beat.”

The Bears won despite playing without starting quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, still not cleared after sustaining a concussion the week before against UNLV. Also out were safety Kingston Lopa, the nation’s leader with five interceptions, and running back Adam Mohammed, Cal’s top ground gainer.

Virginia Tech (4-2, 1-2), which lost for the second straight week after opening the season 4-0 under new coach James Franklin, wasn’t done after Emory’s go-ahead TD.

Cal squibbed the kickoff and a pass interference penalty against Sidney gave the Hokies a first down at the Bears’ 40. Two completions put the ball at the 7-yard line with 3 seconds left.

“The game ain’t over ’til it’s over,” Call defensive lineman Jericho Johnson said.

This time, Sydney won the battle, breaking up the would-be winning play.

Takeaways from Cal’s best victory in the brief Lupoi coaching era:

Brousseau, Baldwin spark offense

Jackson Brousseau is becoming the Bears’ most underrated transfer acquisition. The former Colorado State quarterback, subbing for Sagapolutele, was 29 for 43 for 321 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers.

In six quarters taking coming off the bench, Brousseau has passed for 521 yards with three TDs and no interceptions.

He gave the Bears their first lead at 19-14 when he threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to walk-on wide receiver/running back Carson Perry-Smith with 4:06 left the fourth quarter.

“Jackson has been a tremendous, mature leader from Day 1, even before his number was called,” Lupoi said.

Pat Baldwin, who took over play-calling duties at halftime last week, continued to dial up creative plays that helped the Bears total 403 yards, despite a still largely anemic run game.

The Bears showed new formations and gimmick plays while Brousseau connected with nine different receivers. Emory wound up with 76 yards from scrimmage and two TDs.

“We’ve changed gears from an offensive play-caller and it’s ignited the team,” Lupoi said. “The team is feeding off of the energy of efficiency and distributing the ball. Love what our offense is looking like right now.”

Most importantly, an offense that hadn’t produced a touchdown in the fourth quarter of Cal’s first three games against FBS opponents, has scored 27 points in the final period of the past two outings.

Fake punt `arguably won the game for us’

Cal was trailing 14-10 late in the third quarter when it faced a fourth-and-7 play from its own 34. The Bears lined up to punt but the snap went to Dorian Thomas, a tight end, who charged 29 yards up the middle for a first down at the Tech 37.

The Bears wound up cashing in the play for a 22-yard field goal by Towns McGough, pulling them within 14-13 with 28 seconds left in the quarter.

Given how it changed momentum, Lupoi said the play “arguably won the game for us.”

Virginia Tech arrived in Berkeley averaging 41.2 points per game, second-best in the ACC. The Bears held them to a season-low total by using an aggressive approach on passing downs.

At least four or five times, Cal rushed seven at Grunkemeyer, and the strategy forced him to hurry throws. Tech was 4 for 11 on third downs.

“I think you see a lot of people fold under that pressure, and that’s what you saw,” Johnson said.

Cal stays home next Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. matchup against Wake Forest (5-1, 3-1), which beat NC State 38-14 on Saturday, a week after crushing Stanford 57-3.