No. 8 Miami rebounds from a 25-point deficit to beat California 39-38

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA. – Midway through his first season in Miami, Cam Ward has already shown a knack for the dramatic.

Ward threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Arroyo with 26 seconds left and No. 8 Miami rallied from a 25-point second-half deficit to beat California 39-38 on Saturday night.

A week after leading the Hurricanes (6-0, 2-0 ACC) from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to win over Virginia Tech, Ward did even more to engineer Miami's biggest comeback since 2003 also came back from a 25-point deficit and beat Florida.

“When 1 has the ball in his hands, the game is never over,” receiver Xavier Restrepo said, referring to Ward’s uniform number. “We have a lot of confidence in this guy.”

For good reason.

Ward led four straight touchdown drives to end the game and spoil what seemed like their most monumental day in years for the Golden Bears (3-2, 0-2), who were hosting ESPN's “College GameDay” for the first time and were on the verge of their second win over a top-10 team in the last 21 seasons.

Instead, Ward ensured that the rare sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium went home unhappy after overcoming a 35-10 deficit in the third quarter. That gave the Hurricanes (6-0, 2-0) their second straight dramatic victory after they needed a repeat test to hold off Virginia Tech last week.

“We just can’t put ourselves in these situations to come back,” Ward said. “It’s two games in a row, we had to do that. We have to hold on. … It's good to get a victory. We won't complain. An ugly win is better than a good loss.”

Ward racked up 277 yards of offense in the fourth quarter – the most of any player in seven years – and leads the nation in passing yards (2,380) and touchdown passes in his first season since transferring from Washington State. 20).

Ward threw an 18-yard TD pass to Isaiah Horton with 10:28 left to cut the score to 38-25, then rushed in from 24 yards out with 4:04 left in the game The end counted to six points.

The Hurricanes forced a punt after being spared a possible targeting call on the immediate replay, and Ward then hit Xavier Restrepo with a 77-yard pass on the first play of the ensuing drive to put Miami in the red zone.

A personal foul left the Hurricanes reeling, but Ward converted a third-and-20 with a short pass to Joshisa Trader that went 22 yards to the 3. Two plays later, Ward found Arroyo with a jump pass that gave Miami the lead.

Ward finished 33 for 53 for 437 yards with two touchdown passes and a TD run, overcoming a pick-6 that helped put Miami in the big gap in the third quarter.

Fernando Mendoza had several great games against the team he cheered for as a kid in Miami, but it wasn't enough.

Mendoza threw a 57-yard TD pass to Jack Endries in the first quarter and had a 51-yard pass to Trond Grizzell that set up Jaydn Ott's 5-yard run that gave Cal a 14-7 lead.

Midway through the second quarter, Ott scored again with a 66-yard catch-and-run on a four-and-1, and Mendoza threw a 59-yard pass to Jaivian Thomas in the third quarter for the 9-yard TD run prepared by Chandler Rogers.

But Cal punted on its first two drives of the fourth quarter before Mendoza threw an interception in the final seconds to end the game.

“Football is a humbling game,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. “Of course we had every opportunity to win this game. We didn’t make it, so every single person has to own it.”

The takeaway food

Miami: The Hurricanes are off to their third 6-0 start in the last 20 seasons, having done so in 2017 and 2013, and are looking to establish themselves as championship contenders.

California: The Bears have lost 10 straight games to ranked teams since the start of the 2004 season and are 1-26 against top-10 teams, with their lone win coming against Washington State in 2017.

Next

Miami: October 19th in Louisville.

California: In Pittsburgh on Saturday.

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