BERKELEY — Freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele delivered his first four-touchdown performance and Cal held off a furious comeback effort by No. 21 SMU to claim a 38-35 victory in the Bears’ first game since coach Justin Wilcox’s firing.
Kendrick Raphael scored the game-winning touchdown on 2-yard run with 43 seconds left, a play in which he was tackled by Alexander Kilgore but rolled over the linebacker and into the end zone.
SMU had scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns after the Bears took a 31-14 lead. T.J. Harden put the Mustangs in front 35-31 with 2:22 left on a 1-yard run to cap a five-play, 73-yard drive.
But Sagapolutele and the Bears weren’t done.
They drove 75 yards in seven plays, with Sagapolutele hitting Cole Boscia with a 23-yard completion to the 5. Two plays later, Raphael scored on his 33rd carry of the night, completing a 111-yard game.
SMU redshirt freshman Sam Keltner missed wide right on a 52-yard field goal with 3 seconds left and Sagapolutele took a knee to end the game.
The Bears improved to 7-5 overall and 4-4 in conference play in their regular-season finale and avoided a losing conference record for the first time since 2009. They will learn their bowl assignment next Sunday.
In the process, they also derailed the Mustangs’ hopes of reaching the ACC championship game for the second year in a row. SMU (8-4, 6-2) lost just its second regular-season conference game since joining the ACC in 2024.
Sagapolutele finished 31 for 40 for 330 yards and four touchdowns without a turnover. Jacob De Jesus caught 12 passes for 97 yards, one of four receivers who hauled in touchdowns for the Bears.
The Bears led 17-7 at halftime and were up 31-14 after Sagapolutele fired a 15-yard TD pass to QuaRon Adams on the first play of the fourth quarter.
But the Mustangs never panicked. They scored on consecutive possessions, first when quarterback Kevin Jennings went in on a 3-yard keeper with 12:58 left in the fourth.
After forcing Cal to punt for just the second time, SMU marched 71 yards in 11 plays, with Jennings throwing a 20-yard TD to wide receiver Jordan Hudson with 7:59 left, pulling the Mustangs within 31-28.
Cal dominated all but one play in the first half to lead 17-7.
Sagapolutele threw touchdowns of 35 yards to wide receiver Jaiven Plummer — just the second career catch by the sophomore — and 7 yards to De Jesus, the latter following a pass interception and 14-yard return to the 17 by freshman safety Aiden Manutai.
Sagpolutele’s second TD put the Bears up by 10 with 10:29 left in the half. Cal had a chance to add to its lead but Abram Murray was wide right on a 46-yard field goal try with 1:13 left before intermission.
SMU’s only first-half touchdown came on a 54-yard run by Chris Johnson Jr., putting the Mustangs in front 10-7 with 1:37 to play in the first quarter.
Otherwise, Cal had its way in the half. The Bears racked up 208 yards on 41 snaps while SMU was limited to 127 yards (73 other than the TD run) on 26 plays.