2021 California Golden Bears football team

2021 California Golden Bears football
2021 California Golden Bears football
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
	North Division
Record	5–7 (4–5 Pac-12)
Head coach	Justin Wilcox (5th season);
Offensive coordinator	Bill Musgrave (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread option
Defensive coordinator	Peter Sirmon (2nd season)
Base defense	3–4 or 2–4–5
Home stadium	California Memorial Stadium

2021 Pac-12 Conference football standings

Team	W		L	W		L
North Division
No. 22 Oregon xy	7	–	2	10	–	4
Washington State	6	–	3	7	–	6
Oregon State	5	–	4	7	–	6
	4	–	5	5	–	7
Washington	3	–	6	4	–	8
Stanford	2	–	7	3	–	9
South Division
No. 12 Utah xy$	8	–	1	10	–	4
UCLA	6	–	3	8	–	4
Arizona State†	0	–	3	0	–	5
USC	3	–	6	4	–	8
Colorado	3	–	6	4	–	8
Arizona	1	–	8	1	–	11
Championship: Utah 38, Oregon 10
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 California Golden Bears football team represented the University of California, Berkeley during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by head coach Justin Wilcox, in his fifth year. The team played their home games at California Memorial Stadium as a member of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	7:30 p.m.	Nevada*	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	FS1	L 17–22	35,117
September 11	12:30 p.m.	at TCU*	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX	ESPNU	L 32–34	38,631
September 18	1:00 p.m.	Sacramento State*	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	P12N	W 42–30	31,982
September 25	6:30 p.m.	at Washington	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	P12N	L 24–31 ^OT	60,104
October 2	2:30 p.m.	Washington State	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	P12N	L 6–21	40,286
October 15	7:30 p.m.	at No. 9 Oregon	Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	ESPN	L 17–24	50,008
October 23	12:30 p.m.	Colorado	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	P12N	W 26–3	36,264
October 30	4:00 p.m.	Oregon State	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	P12N	W 39–25	38,572
November 6	12:00 p.m.	at Arizona	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	P12N	L 3–10	30,677
November 20	4:00 p.m.	at Stanford	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (Big Game)	P12N	W 41–11	49,265
November 27	7:30 p.m.	at UCLA	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA (rivalry)	FS1	L 14–42	36,156
December 4^[a]	8:00 p.m.	USC	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA (Joe Roth Memorial Game)	FS1	W 24–14	42,076
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 2 released prior to game All times are in Pacific time

^[3]

Game summaries

vs Nevada

Nevada Wolf Pack vs California Golden Bears – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wolf Pack	0	13	9	0	22
Golden Bears	14	0	0	3	17

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA

Date: September 4, 2021^[4]
Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C) Clear
Game attendance: 35,117
Referee: Steven Strimling
TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst)
Game Book

Game information

First Quarter

CAL – Damien Moore 1-yard run (Dario Longhetto kick), 5:47. CAL 7–0. Drive: 15 plays, 63 yards, 9:05.
CAL – Nikko Remigio 2-yard pass from Chase Garbers (Dario Longhetto kick), 0:03. CAL 14–0. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 4:08.

Second Quarter

NEV – Brandon Talton 44-yard field goal, 10:50. CAL 14–3. Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 4:10.
NEV – Romeo Doubs 43-yard pass from Carson Strong (Brandon Talton kick), 6:15. CAL 14–10. Drive: 5 plays, 68 yards, 1:57.
NEV – Brandon Talton 35-yard field goal, 0:02. CAL 14–13. Drive: 7 plays, 23 yards, 0:44.

Third Quarter

NEV – Elijah Cooks 16-yard pass from Carson Strong (2pt pass fail), 12:00. NEV 19–14. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:52.
NEV – Brandon Talton 49-yard field goal, 6:26. NEV 22–14. Drive: 9 plays, 25 yards, 3:40.

Fourth Quarter

CAL – Dario Longhetto 24-yard field goal, 12:59. NEV 22–17. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 3:10.

Top passers

NEV – Carson Strong – 22/39, 312 yards, 2 TD, int
CAL – Chase Garbers – 25/38, 177 yards, TD, int

Top rushers

NEV – Toa Taua – 10 rushes, 37 yards
CAL – Damien Moore – 15 rushes, 79 yards, TD

Top receivers

NEV – Tory Horton – 3 receptions, 94 yards
CAL – Jeremiah Hunter – 2 receptions, 35 yards

At TCU

California Golden Bears at TCU Horned Frogs – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	6	13	0	13	32
Horned Frogs	0	14	7	13	34

at Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth, TX

Date: September 11, 2021
Game time: 12:30 p.m. PDT
Game weather: Temperature: 90 °F (32 °C) • Weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 38,631
Referee: Michael Vandervelde
TV announcers (ESPNU): Kevin Brown, Hutson Mason

Game information

First Quarter

Second Quarter

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

vs Sacramento State

Sacramento State Hornets vs California Golden Bears – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	6	0	14	10	30
Golden Bears	14	7	14	7	42

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA

Date: September 18, 2021
Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
Game attendance: 31,982
Referee: Mark Duddy
TV announcers (P12N): Jim Kozimor (play by play), Bob Davie (analyst)

Game information

First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

At Washington

California Golden Bears at Washington Huskies – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Golden Bears	7	3	7	7	0	24
Huskies	7	14	3	0	7	31

at Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA

Date: September 25, 2021
Game time: 6:30 p.m. PDT
Game weather: Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: N 4 mph
Game attendance: 60,104
Referee: Mike McCabe
TV announcers (P12N): Guy Haberman (play by play), Shane Vereen (analyst)

Game information

Top passers

CAL – Chase Garbers – 30/41, 319 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
UW – Dylan Morris – 19/32, 234 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

CAL – Chase Garbers – 16 carries, 71 yards, TD
UW – Sean McGraw – 16 carries, 53 yards, 2 TD

Top receiving

CAL – Kekoa Crawford – 8 receptions, 107 yards
UW – Devin Culp – 5 receptions, 81 yards

vs Washington State

Homecoming Game

Washington State Cougars vs California Golden Bears – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	14	0	7	0	21
Golden Bears	6	0	0	0	6

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA

Date: October 2, 2021
Game time: 2:30 p.m. PDT
Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) Sunny
Game attendance: 40,286
Referee: Francisco Villar
TV announcers (P12N): Matt Chazanow (play-by-play), Alex Brink (analyst), Jessamyn McIntyre (sideline)

At No. 9 Oregon

California Golden Bears at No. 9 Oregon Ducks – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	7	0	3	7	17
No. 9 Ducks	3	7	0	14	24

at Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR

Date: October 15, 2021
Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C) Clear
Game attendance: 50,008
Referee: Steven Strimling
TV announcers (ESPN): Beth Mowins (play by play), Kirk Morrison (analyst), Dawn Davenport (sideline)

Game information

First quarter

(10:42) ORE – Camden Lewis 49-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 39 yards, 4:18; Oregon 3–0)
(5:23) CAL – Jake Tonges 9-yard pass from Chase Garbers, Dario Longhetto kick (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:19; California 7–3)

Second quarter

(5:17) ORE – Travis Dye 11-yard run, Camden Lewis kick (Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 2:52; Oregon 10–7)

Third quarter

(8:34) CAL – Dario Longhetto 45-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 3:02; Tied 10–10)

Fourth quarter

(13:37) CAL – Gavin Reinwald 4-yard pass from Chase Garbers, Dario Longhetto kick (Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:46; California 17–10)
(11:23) ORE – Jaylon Redd 20-yard pass from Anthony Brown, Camden Lewis kick (Drive: 5 plays, 62 yards, 2:14; Tied 17–17)
(4:50) ORE – Anthony Brown 11-yard run, Camden Lewis kick (Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 4:00; Oregon 24–17)

Top passers

CAL – Chase Garbers – 25/44, 247 yards, 2 TD
ORE – Anthony Brown – 20/28, 244 yards, TD

Top rushers

CAL – Christopher Brooks – 14 carries, 68 yards
ORE – Travis Dye – 19 carries, 145 yards, TD

Top receivers

CAL – Jeremiah Hunter – 3 receptions, 78 yards
ORE – Travis Dye – 7 receptions, 73 yards

vs Colorado

Colorado Buffaloes vs California Golden Bears – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Buffaloes	0	3	0	0	3
Golden Bears	10	13	0	3	26

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA

Date: October 23, 2021
Game time: 12:30 p.m. PDT
Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C) Cloudy
Game attendance: 36,264
Referee: Mike McCabe
TV announcers (P12N): Roxy Bernstein (play by play), Lincoln Kennedy (analyst)
Game Book

Game information

First Quarter

CAL – Dario Longhetto 49-yard field goal, 9:42. CAL 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 53 yards, 3:12.
CAL – Keleki Latu 24-yard pass from Chase Garbers (Dario Longhetto kick), 6:05. CAL 10–0. Drive: 3 plays, 50 yards, 1:21.

Second Quarter

CAL – Dario Longhetto 30-yard field goal, 9:23. CAL 13–0. Drive: 14 plays, 68 yards, 7:08.
CU – Cole Becker 33-yard field goal, 6:41. CAL 13–3. Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 2:32.
CAL – Gavin Reinwald 31-yard pass from Chase Garbers (Dario Longhetto kick), 3:21. CAL 20–3. Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 3:13.
CAL – Dario Longhetto 51-yard field goal, 0:00. CAL 23–3. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 0:58.

Third Quarter

No scoring.

Fourth Quarter

CAL – Dario Longhetto 33-yard field goal, 4:56. CAL 26–3. Drive: 11 plays, 57 yards, 5:32.

Top passers

CU – Brendon Lewis – 9/17, 69 yards, int
CAL – Chase Garbers – 22/30, 225 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

CU – Jarek Broussard – 11 rushes, 28 yards
CAL – Chase Garbers – 10 rushes, 96 yards

Top receivers

CU – Jarek Broussard – 3 receptions, 30 yards
CAL – Keleki Latu – 3 receptions, 36 yards, TD

vs Oregon State

Oregon State Beavers vs California Golden Bears – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Beavers	0	10	7	8	25
Golden Bears	10	7	14	8	39

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA

Date: October 30, 2021
Game time: 4:00 p.m. PDT
Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C) Cloudy • Wind: SW 12 mph
Game attendance: 38,572
Referee: Chris Coyte
TV announcers (P12N): Ted Robinson (play by play), Yogi Roth (analyst)

Game information

First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter

Top passers

OSU – Chance Nolan – 15/26, 243 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
CAL – Chase Garbers – 17/26, 262 yards, 3 TD

Top rushers

OSU – Deshaun Fenwick – 10 rushes, 48 yards, TD
CAL – Damien Moore – 11 rushes, 111 yards, TD

Top receivers

OSU – Trevon Bradford – 6 receptions, 124 yards, 2 TD
CAL – Trevon Clark – 5 reception, 90 yards, TD

At Arizona

California Golden Bears at Arizona Wildcats – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	0	0	3	0	3
Wildcats	0	0	3	7	10

at Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ

Date: November 6, 2021
Game time: 12:00 p.m. PDT
Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C) • Weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 30,677
Referee: Mark Duddy
TV announcers (P12N): Roxy Bernstein (play by play), Lincoln Kennedy (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays

Second quarter

No scoring plays

Third quarter

(5:46) ARIZ – Tyler Loop 29-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 5:07; Arizona 3–0)
(2:09) CAL – Nick Lopez 34-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 3:37; Tied 3–3)

Fourth quarter

(2:17) ARIZ – Michael Wiley 10-yard run, Tyler Loop kick (Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 2:39; Arizona 10–3)

Top passers

CAL – Ryan Glover – 11/29, 94 yards
ARIZ – Will Plummer – 16/28, 129 yards, 2 INT

Top rushers

CAL – Christopher Brooks – 11 carries, 31 yards
ARIZ – Will Plummer – 11 carries, 68 yards

Top receivers

CAL – Kekoa Crawford – 5 receptions, 56 yards
ARIZ – Dorian Singer – 5 receptions, 46 yards

At Stanford

California Golden Bears at Stanford Cardinal – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	0	14	13	14	41
Cardinal	0	3	0	8	11

at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA

Date: November 20, 2021
Game time: 4:00 p.m. PST
Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C) Sunny
Game attendance: 49,265
Referee: Steve Strimling
TV announcers (P12N): Ted Robinson (play by play), Yogi Roth (analyst)

At UCLA

California Golden Bears at UCLA Bruins – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	0	14	0	0	14
Bruins	3	14	10	15	42

at Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA

Date: November 27, 2021
Game time: 7:30 p.m. PST
Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C) Clear
Game attendance: 36,156
Referee: Mike McCabe
TV announcers (FS1): Aaron Goldsmith (play by play), Mark Helfrich (analyst)
Game Book

Game information

First Quarter

UCLA – Nicholas Barr-Mira 41-yard field goal, 9:33. UCLA 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 3:29.

Second Quarter

UCLA – Kyle Philips 4-yard pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Nicholas Barr-Mira kick), 14:10. UCLA 10–0. Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 4:05.
CAL – Christopher Brooks 14-yard run (Dario Longhetto kick), 8:58. UCLA 10–7. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:12.
CAL – Chase Garbers 1-yard run (Dario Longhetto kick), 7:00. CAL 14–10. Drive: 4 plays, 13 yards, 1:54.
UCLA – Kazmeir Allen 8-yard run (Nicholas Barr-Mira kick), 0:26. UCLA 17–14. Drive: 13 plays, 64 yards, 6:29.

Third Quarter

UCLA – Greg Dulcich 29-yard pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Nicholas Barr-Mira kick), 11:19. UCLA 24–14. Drive: 3 plays, 71 yards, 1:09.
UCLA – Nicholas Barr-Mira 46-yard field goal, 2:25. UCLA 27–14. Drive: 13 plays, 52 yards, 5:26.

Fourth Quarter

UCLA – Zach Charbonnet 1-yard run (Thompson-Robinson pass to Charbonnet), 13:10. UCLA 35–14. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:19.
UCLA – Kyle Philips 4-yard pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Nicholas Barr-Mira kick), 8:53. UCLA 42–14. Drive: 7 plays, 56 yards, 2:41.

Top passers

CAL – Chase Garbers – 16/31, 125 yards, 2 int
UCLA – Dorian Thompson-Robinson – 19/28, 164 yards, 3 TD

Top rushers

CAL – Christopher Brooks – 12 rushes, 61 yards, TD
UCLA – Zach Charbonnet – 22 rushes, 106 yards, TD

Top receivers

CAL – Kekoa Crawford – 5 receptions, 42 yards
UCLA – Greg Dulcich – 6 receptions, 86 yards, TD

vs USC

USC Trojans vs California Golden Bears – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Trojans	0	7	0	7	14
Golden Bears	3	14	0	7	24

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA

Date: December 4, 2021
Game time: 8:00 p.m. PST
Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C) Mostly Cloudy
Game attendance: 42,076
Referee: Matthew Richards
TV announcers (FS1): Tim Brando (play by play), Spencer Tillman (analyst)

Game information

First Quarter

(2:12) CAL – Dario Longhetto 22-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 62 yards, 7:54; California 3–0)

Second Quarter

(9:28) USC – Kyle Ford 45-yard pass from Jaxson Dart, Parker Lewis kick (Drive: 6 plays, 91 yards, 2:40; USC 7–3)
(4:51) CAL – Christopher Brooks 1-yard run, Dario Longhetto kick (Drive: 8 plays, 79 yards, 4:31; California 10–7)
(3:53) CAL – Trey Paster 55-yard fumble recovery, Dario Longhetto kick (California 17–7)

Third Quarter

No scoring plays

Fourth Quarter

(5:37) CAL – Christopher Brooks 2-yard run, Dario Longhetto kick (Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 4:10; California 24–7)
(1:36) USC – K. D. Nixon 16-yard pass from Miller Moss, Parker Lewis kick (Drive: 14 plays, 87 yards, 3:55; California 24–14)

Top passers

USC – Jaxson Dart – 17/26, 191 yards, TD
CAL – Chase Garbers – 18/21, 177 yards

Top rushers

USC – Vavae Malepeai – 18 carries, 107 yards
CAL – Christopher Brooks – 14 carries, 49 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

USC – Michael Jackson III – 6 receptions, 73 yards
CAL – Trevon Clark – 4 receptions, 54 yards

Notes

^ The USC–Cal game, originally scheduled for November 13 at 12:30 p.m., was postponed on November 9 due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Cal football team.^[1] Later that day, it was rescheduled for December 4, with the kickoff time and broadcasting network announced on November 16.^[2]

References

^ Tolentino, Aaron (November 9, 2021). "Cal-USC football game postponed due to COVID issues". KRON4. Nexstar Media Inc. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
^ "Saturday's Cal-USC Game Rescheduled For Dec. 4". calbears.com. Cal Athletics. November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
^ "2021 California Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
^ Dubow, Josh (September 5, 2021). "Strong's 2 TD passes lead Nevada past Cal 22-17". AP News. Retrieved November 22, 2024.

[3] The USC–Cal game, originally scheduled for November 13 at 12:30 p.m., was postponed on November 9 due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Cal football team.^[1] Later that day, it was rescheduled for December 4, with the kickoff time and broadcasting network announced on November 16.^[2]

[1] Tolentino, Aaron (November 9, 2021). "Cal-USC football game postponed due to COVID issues". KRON4. Nexstar Media Inc. Retrieved November 9, 2021.

[2] "Saturday's Cal-USC Game Rescheduled For Dec. 4". calbears.com. Cal Athletics. November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.

[4] "2021 California Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 3, 2021.

[d706-5] Dubow, Josh (September 5, 2021). "Strong's 2 TD passes lead Nevada past Cal 22-17". AP News. Retrieved November 22, 2024.

[a]

[3]

[4]

[1]

[2]

California Golden Bears football
Venues	California Field (1904–1923) California Memorial Stadium (1923–2010, 2012–present) Oracle Park (2011)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Stanford: Big Game (Stanford Axe) UCLA
Culture & lore	Oski "Fight for California" "Big C" History Marching band Tightwad Hill The Play
People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks NFL draftees Statistical leaders
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National championship seasons in bold