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No. 21 Wake Forest Defeats Cal Football 41-7 at Memorial Stadium as Campus Hosts Sunday ACC Volleyball and Judy Collins

Quarterback Gio Lopez throws four touchdown passes to hand the Golden Bears a conference setback before Sunday's busy slate at Haas Pavilion and Zellerbach Hall.

By East Bay Post
Published · 3 min read

Wake Forest defeats Cal football 41-7 at California Memorial Stadium as Golden Bears turn focus to ACC home slate
Wake Forest defeats Cal football 41-7 at California Memorial Stadium as Golden Bears turn focus to ACC home slate

Twenty-first-ranked Wake Forest handed the California football team a 41-7 Atlantic Coast Conference defeat at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley after erupting for a 34-0 halftime advantage. Saturday's 34-point intermission margin marked the largest halftime deficit endured by the Golden Bears in more than a decade along Piedmont Avenue. With the loss, California dropped to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in ACC competition as players and coaches regroup for the second half of their autumn schedule.

Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez directed a relentless aerial attack across the opening three quarters, completing 16 of 23 passes (70 percent) for 267 yards and four touchdowns. In total, the visiting Demon Deacons compiled 509 yards of offense, including 349 yards generated on explosive chunk plays that repeatedly stretched the Golden Bears secondary. California avoided a shutout in the fourth quarter when reserve quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele entered the game and connected with tight end Mason Mini on a 28-yard touchdown pass.

Speaking with reporters after the game, Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi accepted responsibility for the lopsided opening half, stating that the coaching staff was outcoached in the first two quarters and failed to put players in the best position for success. Despite the football setback, East Bay alumni and families from Oakland, Walnut Creek, Concord, and Lafayette returned to campus on Sunday, October 18, for a full slate of collegiate athletics and performing arts. At 1:00 PM on Sunday, the Cal women's volleyball program (13-4, 3-3 ACC) hosts Wake Forest inside Haas Pavilion at 115 Haas Pavilion.

Later Sunday evening on the Berkeley campus, 87-year-old folk music icon Judy Collins headlines Zellerbach Hall at 101 Zellerbach Hall as part of her Sweet Judy Blue Eyes farewell tour, joined by Norwegian sibling duo Oakland Rain. Every campus athletics department official, city council liaison, and transit district planner coordinated weekend shuttle service connecting the Downtown Berkeley BART station to Piedmont Avenue and Bancroft Way. The UC Board of Regents athletics committee and municipal traffic commission also reviewed autumn crowd management funding for multi-event campus weekends.

Supporters and arts patrons can check ACC volleyball scores, football ticket packages, and upcoming broadcast schedules online at calbears.com or by calling the athletics ticket office at (800) 462-3277. Remaining concert seat availability for Sunday evening's Zellerbach Hall performance can be verified through Cal Performances at calperformances.org. Campus parking structures along Bancroft Way and Piedmont Avenue remain open throughout Sunday evening for visiting Contra Costa and Alameda county guests.

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