Cal fades in the fourth, takes loss at Notre Dame
After a 55-year wait, Cal led through three quarters at Notre Dame but gradually was worn down in a 24-17 loss to the Irish on Saturday.
The Bears (2-1), playing the Fighting Irish for the first time since 1967, had one last shot to come back at Notre Dame Stadium, starting with the ball at their own 20-yard line with 63 seconds to play and no timeouts.
Jack Plummer's first-down pass was intercepted, but a targeting penalty against linebacker JD Bertrand against Cal running back Jaydn Ott just before the pick gave the Bears another shot with 56 seconds left.
The Bears then drove into Notre Dame territory where Plummer took one final shot at scoring.
On third-and-five from the Notre Dame 35, with five seconds left, he heaved the ball to the end zone, where it bounced off the hands of players from both teams before falling incomplete as time expired.
Cal, now 0-5 all-time against Notre Dame in a series that began in 1959, led 7-0 early in the second quarter, 10-7 at halftime and 17-14 entering the final period.
But Notre Dame (1-2) controlled both lines of scrimmage for most of the second half and clawed into the lead, earning its first victory over this season a week after a stunning 26-21 home loss to Marshall of the Sun Belt Conference.
It was the first victory for coach Marcus Freeman, who was the first Notre Dame coach to lose his first three games, including a bowl game last season.
Plummer, the transfer from Purdue, passed for a touchdown and ran for one. But he was pressured heavily much of the game, sacked six times and held to 1-for11 passing for 7 yards to open the second half until the final drive. He finished 16-for-37 for 184 yards and scrambled effectively.
Likewise, Cal's defense struggled to deal with the Irish offensive line, which paved the way for an effective second-half running game.
The Irish took the lead for good with 9:16 left in the fourth quarter when Drew Pyne beat the blitz with a 6-yard touchdown pass to star tight end Michael Mayer. Pyne completed a 36-yard pass-andrun play to Auric Estime to set up the go-ahead score.
Notre Dame took its first lead of the game when Chris Tyree piled in from the 1-yard line with 9:14 left in the third quarter. A clear-cut targeting penalty against Cal linebacker Blake Antzoulotas gave the Irish a first down after a third-down incomplete pass.
Cal went back in front on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Plummer with 4:48 left in the third period. DeCarlos Brooks had rushing gains of 10, 24 and 11 yards on consecutive plays to set up the score.
Notre Dame drew even at 17-all on a 47-yard field goal by Blake Grupe with 14:48 left in the fourth quarter.
After a scoreless first quarter in which neither team managed first down, Cal drew first blood when Plummer fired an 18-yard touchdown pass to J.Michael Sturdivant with 14:27 left in the first half.
It was the first Cal lead against the Irish in their fifth meeting dating back to 1959.
Plummer and Sturdivant hooked up for a 15yard completion on thirdand-10 to keep alive a possession that started when linebacker Femi Oladejo recovered a fumbled snap by Irish quarterback Drew Pyne.
The Irish tied the game on their next possession, but virtually everyone watching thought they got a big break.
Pyne knotted the score with a 21-yard TD pass to running back Chris Tyree with 8:54 left in the half.
Two plays earlier the Irish missed a 45-yard field goal but Cal's Kyle Smith was flagged by the Atlantic Coast Conference crew for offsides, giving Notre Dame new life with a first down. Replays showed no Cal player appeared offsides and even the NBC broadcast crew saw no sign of an infraction.
Cal coach Justin Wilcox was animated in his discussion with officials after the play, and he was still unhappy at halftime when stopped by NBC sideline reporter Zora Stephenson and asked about it. “I'm not going to talk about that,” he said, before pivoting to leave the field.
The Bears held a 10-7 halftime lead thanks to Dario Longhetto's 24yard field goal with 4:11 left in the second period. A 33-yard completion from Plummer to Jeremiah Hunter set up the field goal.