Cal wastes its early field position as Wake Forest rolls to 41-7 win

California had Wake Forest backed up at its own 1 on the Demon Deacons' first possession Saturday night. Late in the first half, the Bears had the ball a yard from the Wake Forest end zone. Neither opportunity produced a point for Cal. Both were followed by long touchdown drives for the visitors in a 41-7 loss in Berkeley.

No. 21 Wake Forest improved to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the ACC behind four Gio Lopez touchdown passes. Three went to tight end Dominick Barry, who turned four catches into 102 yards. Cal fell to 3-4 and 2-2 after allowing 509 total yards.

The first long-field escape required only five plays. Lopez found Barry for 31 yards, then again for a 39-yard touchdown. Starting at its own 1 had done little to slow an offense that finished with 289 passing yards and 220 on the ground.

Barry's opening touchdown is shown in this ACC Digital Network clip:

Fourth downs swing the first half

Cal compounded the early deficit by failing on fourth-and-1 from its own 34. An incomplete Jackson Brousseau pass returned the ball to Wake Forest, which scored on the next official snap after an offside penalty. Lopez's 29-yard pass to Jack Foley made it 14-0.

There was no defensive reset. Jamar Searcy scored from a yard out to finish an 11-play, 78-yard possession. Ty Clark III followed with a 31-yard touchdown run on a five-play, 75-yard drive. The Demon Deacons led 27-0 before the second quarter was nine minutes old.

The Bears finally put a sustained threat together late in the half. Ashten Emory's 14-yard run reached the Wake Forest 1. On the next snap, Gabe Kirschke and Aiden Hall stopped him for a three-yard loss. Brousseau then threw three incompletions, with Brian Blades II breaking up the fourth-down attempt.

Wake Forest answered with a seven-play, 96-yard touchdown drive. Lopez converted fourth-and-1 with a 12-yard run before finding Barry for a 30-yard score. The halftime deficit was 34-0.

The quarterback change comes with the game settled

Barry's two-yard touchdown catch stretched the lead to 41-0 in the third quarter. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele then took over for Brousseau and eventually connected with Mason Mini for Cal's only touchdown, a 28-yard completion midway through the fourth.

Sagapolutele finished 15 of 18 for 110 yards. Brousseau had 81 passing yards, and Cal totaled just 75 rushing yards. Emory supplied 56 of those on 12 carries; Chase Hendricks caught eight passes for 54 yards.

Cal converted only one of four fourth downs. Wake Forest converted both of its attempts and committed no turnovers. The Bears' opportunities to change the first half ended with the Demon Deacons taking the ball back and scoring again.