BERKELEY, CA – Nathan Leacock stretched the ball toward the goal line, inches from giving North Carolina its first lead of the night. Instead, the junior receiver fumbled at the one-yard line with 3:48 remaining, and California recovered in the end zone to escape with a 21-18 victory Friday night at California Memorial Stadium.
The fumble ended North Carolina's 11-play, 84-yard drive and extinguished the Tar Heels' best chance to complete a comeback against the Golden Bears. Carolina had seized momentum in the second half, controlling possession and moving the ball consistently on the ground, but couldn't overcome early mistakes and a pair of critical red zone fumbles.
"Obviously, a real competitive game here," North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick said afterward. "A couple of big mistakes hurt us, but a lot of things we could have done better in all three phases. So just came up a little bit short today, here, couple of inches, I guess, on the touchdown, on the fumble. But just keep working on things that obviously we need to do a better job of. Third-and-long on defense, third-down conversions on offense, ball security, things like that."
The loss dropped the Tar Heels to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, their third straight defeat. California improved to 5-2 and 2-1 in the ACC in the program's first conference meeting with North Carolina.
Ball security plagued Carolina from the opening snap. On the game's first play from scrimmage, Shanard Clower fumbled at the Tar Heels' 23-yard line, giving Cal prime field position. Four plays later, quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele scored on a three-yard run to put the Golden Bears ahead 7-0 just 110 seconds into the game.
North Carolina punted on its next two possessions before finding rhythm late in the first quarter. Benjamin Hall broke through for an 18-yard touchdown run with 4:48 left in the period, capping a four-play, 70-yard drive that took just 75 seconds. The score tied the game at 7-7 and gave the Tar Heels their first momentum of the night.
Cal answered quickly. Sagapolutele orchestrated a 12-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 4:06 and ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Jacob De Jesus with 42 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The methodical march put the Golden Bears back ahead 14-7 and demonstrated their ability to sustain drives against Carolina's defense.
The Tar Heels' defense stiffened in the second quarter, forcing punts on five of Cal's first seven possessions of the game and keeping the Golden Bears off the scoreboard for the entire period. North Carolina capitalized with an 11-play, 45-yard drive that took 5:37 off the clock and ended with Rece Verhoff's 41-yard field goal, pulling the Tar Heels within 14-10 at halftime.
Cal responded to open the third quarter with another time-consuming drive. The Golden Bears marched 79 yards on 11 plays, taking 5:33 off the clock before Kendrick Raphael punched it in from two yards out to extend the lead to 21-10 with 9:22 left in the period.
North Carolina's running game took control in the fourth quarter. The Tar Heels opened the final period with another 11-play drive, this one covering 84 yards in 4:45. Davion Gause scored from four yards out with 12:14 remaining, and Gio Lopez connected with Hall on the two-point conversion to make it 21-18.
The successful conversion gave North Carolina its first two-point conversion of the season and set up a tense final quarter. Lopez, returning to the starting lineup after missing the Clemson game with an injury, kept the Tar Heels' next drive alive with a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-short at the Cal 47-yard line with 8:25 remaining.
That conversion proved critical as Carolina marched into Golden Bear territory once more. The drive reached the Cal 20 before Lopez found Leacock on a pass that appeared destined to give the Tar Heels their first lead. Instead, Leacock lost the ball just before crossing the goal line, and Cal recovered to preserve its three-point advantage.
North Carolina's ground game outperformed Cal's significantly. The Tar Heels rushed for 120 yards on 29 carries, averaging 4.1 yards per attempt, while holding the Golden Bears to 80 yards on 31 carries and just 2.6 yards per attempt. Hall led Carolina with 68 yards on 14 carries, his second consecutive game pacing the Tar Heels on the ground. Gause added 31 yards on six carries.
Lopez completed 19 of 35 passes for 167 yards in his return to the lineup. Kobe Paysour caught six passes for a career-high 101 yards, becoming the third different Tar Heel to lead the team in receiving this season. The 37-yard reception in the first quarter pushed Paysour over 1,000 career receiving yards.
Sagapolutele finished 21 of 39 for 209 yards and a touchdown for Cal. De Jesus led all receivers with 13 catches for 105 yards and the touchdown. Raphael carried 22 times for 81 yards and a score.
North Carolina's defense recorded two sacks, both by Tyler Thompson, who notched his first career sack at the end of the first half and finished with his first multi-sack performance. Will Hardy led the Tar Heels with seven total tackles, while Gavin Gibson recorded his second tackle for loss of the season.
Cal's Cade Uluave led all defenders with 10 total tackles. The Golden Bears forced three North Carolina fumbles and recovered all three, turning one into an early touchdown and using another to preserve the victory.
The Tar Heels won the time of possession battle 31:10 to 28:50, thanks largely to their second-half ground game and ability to sustain drives. Carolina converted five of 14 third downs and both of its fourth-down attempts. Cal converted six of 16 third downs and went two-for-two on fourth down.
Verhoff remained perfect from inside 50 yards, improving to 7-for-7 on the season with his 41-yard field goal. Punter Tom Maginness averaged 42.0 yards on six punts, pinning four inside the 20-yard line.
Carolina committed four penalties for 46 yards, while Cal was flagged nine times for 79 yards. The game, played before 33,401 fans, lasted three hours and 37 minutes under clear skies with temperatures at 63 degrees.
The Tar Heels will return home next Saturday to face No. 18 Virginia at noon in ACC Network action. The Cavaliers enter at 5-1 overall. Kickoff from Kenan Stadium is set for noon.
Key Performers
North Carolina:
- Kobe Paysour: 6 receptions, 101 yards (career high)
- Benjamin Hall: 14 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD; 2-point conversion reception
- Tyler Thompson: 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss
- Gio Lopez: 19-of-35 passing, 167 yards
California:
- Jacob De Jesus: 13 receptions, 105 yards, 1 TD
- Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele: 21-of-39 passing, 209 yards, 1 TD; 1 rushing TD
- Kendrick Raphael: 22 carries, 81 yards, 1 TD
- Cade Uluave: 10 total tackles
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