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4h ago

Duke Rallies Past Cal 45-21 After Early 21-7 Bears Lead

An efficient night from transfer quarterback Darian Mensah exposed Cal's protection issues.

Cal’s Kendrick Raphael scores a touchdown on a 5-yard run in the first quarter of Saturday’s game against Duke at Memorial Stadium.
Duke’s Elliott Schaper, left, and Wesley Williams combine for a second-quarter sack of Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Cal running back Kendrick Raphael and quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele celebrate after Raphael scored a first-quarter touchdown against Duke at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. 
Duke’s Que’Sean Brown rises above Cal’s Aiden Manutai for a second-quarter pass at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. 

Overview

  • Cal opened with three straight touchdown drives for the first time in Justin Wilcox’s nine seasons before failing to score again.
  • Duke closed the first half on a 24-point run to lead 31-21 at the break and added two fourth-quarter touchdowns to seal it.
  • Freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele started 13-for-16 for 168 yards, then finished with three interceptions and six sacks against rising pressure.
  • Mensah went 22 of 30 for 265 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers, while Nate Sheppard and Anderson Castle each added two rushing scores.
  • The announced crowd was 42,240 as Cal absorbed its first home loss to fall to 4-2 (1-1 ACC), with linebacker Bradley Gompers ejected for targeting.