Quarterback Fernando Mendoza said there will likely be “no sulking” on the two,200-mile flight home from Tallahassee to the Bay Area following Cal's 14-9 loss to Florida State on Saturday night.
“Woulda, woulda, coulda … I feel terrible,” he said after the Bears (3-1) suffered their first lack of the season of their first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference game. “I could have done a lot more to help us win this game, the offense could have done a lot more. It hurts and it sucks, but we have to make sure we turn the tide.”
The Seminoles (1-3) avoided their fourth straight loss after ending 13-1 last 12 months and entered this season ranked No. 10 within the AP Top 25 rankings.
Cal has loads to do within the upcoming off week before facing No. 7 Miami on Oct. 5.
The offense was penalized for five false starts before the snap. Kicker Ryan Coe made three field goals, including a 51-yarder that gave the Bears a 9-7 lead late within the third quarter, but he also missed from 36 and 38 yards within the second half.
The defense held the opponent to not more than 14 points for the fourth time in a row, but allowed big plays at crucial moments. And the offense couldn’t rating a touchdown despite the return of the healthy Jaydn Ott (16 carries, 73 yards).
“When you play against a team like Florida State with so much talent, you don't make mistakes like that and you still win,” said Cal coach Justin Wilcox. “We had a lot of chances. We didn't take advantage of them.”
Here are the takeaways from Cal’s first lack of the season:
Mendoza's big numbers
Returning to his home state, Mendoza played in front of family and friends, completing 22 of 36 passes for a career-high 303 yards. His 26-yard run on third down kept a late-game offense alive that gave the Bears a probability.
But in the ultimate minute, on third-and-16, he threw an incomplete pass to Trond Grizzell from the 23-yard line and was then sacked for the seventh time, ending the Bears' possibilities.
“We have to throw the ball. We can't eat the sack,” Wilcox said.
“I would rather have the worst stats in the world and win this game,” Mendoza said. “When we got into the red zone, we shot ourselves in the foot. A big minus for me.”
Problems before the snap
The Bears proceed to have trouble snapping the ball with out a penalty flag being waved.
“We have to start the game offensively without getting penalized. That's bad football,” Wilcox said.
When asked to what extent crowd noise contributed to the issue, Wilcox said the Bears had practiced with pre-rehearsed crowd noise.
“The neighbors hate it,” he said. “And obviously the message isn't getting through. We're not communicating it well enough and executing it well enough. That's unacceptable. That's going to be addressed until we get it right.”
Field Goal Adventure
Coe, who got here to Cal this season after successful stints at North Carolina, Cincinnati and Delaware, has missed six of his 11 field goal attempts.
Wilcox suggested that others may very well be given the prospect to compete for the kicker's job in the course of the off week.
“We'll discuss every position,” Wilcox said. “He's got a lot of talent and was really impressive in practice. He hit the 51-yarder like it was nothing and then missed from 36 and 38 yards.”
The Vatican's shock moment
Junior offensive guard Sioape Vatikani, who missed the primary three games with a foot injury, returned to the lineup but went down late within the third quarter after colliding with an FSU defender and remained on the bottom for about 10 minutes.
He was strapped to a board that immobilized his head, loaded onto a cart and driven out of the stadium. Before he left, Vatikani raised his arm and gave the fans a thumbs up.
Wilcox said Vatikani was being evaluated at an area hospital and was capable of move his extremities. “That's good news,” he said, “but that's all I know.”
Next
The Bears promise there will likely be no hangover after the loss.
“We should have won this game,” said linebacker Cade Uluave, who had 11 tackles. “But it's over. Now we're looking forward.”
Mendoza said the loss could make the Bears a greater team as they prepare for Miami.
“We may have thrown a punch,” he said. “We're going to come back and uppercut them.”
Originally published:
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