Cornerback Nohl Williams’ second interception of the game, with 2:13 left on the clock, clinched Cal’s 21-14 upset victory at Auburn in front of a capacity crowd of 88.043 fans at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Williams, whose 80-yard kickoff return keyed the Bears’ 31-18 win over UC Davis a week earlier, stepped in front of receiver Cam Coleman and picked off Payton Thorne’s pass at the Cal 44-yard line.
The Bears (2-0), nearly two-touchdown underdogs, avenged a 14-10 loss to the Southeastern Conference team from a year ago in Berkeley. Cal thought it was the better team last season and there was little doubt about that in this one.
The Bears led 14-7 at halftime on the strength of two touchdown passes from Fernando Mendoza to redshirt freshman wide receiver Nyziah Hunter.
The Bears, playing without four offensive starters and with star running back Jaydn Ott slowed by a week-old ankle injury, got a spectacular effort from its defense against the Tigers (1-1), who scored 73 points in their opening game.
Linebacker Teddye Buchanan had 11 tackles including two sacks, and forced a key Auburn fumble. Cal forced five turnovers, one more than a year ago against the Tigers.
The difference was the Bears played turnover-free football, led by Mendoza, who was 19 for 21 passing in the first half and finished with 233 yards.
Mendoza missed two series in the fourth quarter, apparently tweaking his left knee while going out of bound after a 10-yard scramble for a first down with 4:38 left.
Cal also got a monster game from senior punter Lachlan Wilson, who had two kicks downed at the 2-yard and averaged 46.6 yards on seven punts.
The Bears added to their 14-7 halftime lead after the defense took the ball away from the Tigers. Buchanan stripped the ball loose from running back Jarquez Hunter and safety Craig Woodson recovered at the Auburn 36.
Two plays later, sophomore running back Javian Thomas of Oakland dashed 32 yards untouched and the Bears had a 21-7 lead with 11:27 left in the fourth quarter.
Auburn responded with a 75-yard scoring drive that featured a personal-foul targeting (and ejection) against cornerback Marcus Harris and two controversial pass interference penalties against the Bears.
The first of them erased an interception in the end zone by Ja‘ir Smith and the second, against Williams in the end zone gave Auburn a first down at the 2. Thorne scored from there on a keeper and the Tigers made it 21-14 with 6:06 to play.
Auburn scored on the game’s first possession, but only after it appeared Cal cashed in a turnover for a touchdown.
Thorne’s shovel pass to Hunter looked to have ricocheted off him and into the arms of linebacker Cade Uluave, who returned the ball about 30 yards for an apparent score.
An official replay clearly showed the ball actually bounced off the turf, so the play was ruled incomplete.
The Tigers then went on to a 75-yard scoring drive that included a 41-yard completion to Coleman and a 15-yard TD pass to Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith with 11:42 left in the period.
Cal answered right back with a 75-yard scoring drive of its own. Mendoza, who got the start, was 6-for-6 for 76 yards (the Bears had a 5-yard penalty during the drive) and got the score even with a 19-yard completion to Hunter with 7:17 to play in the first quarter.
Auburn totaled just 103 yards on its remaining four possessions of the half, with Cal converting 7 of 10 third-down opportunities to dominate possession. The Bears had the ball for 20:32 of the first half.
Cal had the chance to add to its lead early in the second quarter by transfer placekicker Ryan Coe hit the right upright with a 25-yard field goal attempt.
Williams got the ball back for the Bears on the next play, intercepting Thorne and returning it 14 yards to the Tigers’ 21.
Three plays later, Mendoza threw a 13-yard TD pass to Hunter and the Bears led 14-7 with 10:39 to play in the half.
