2021 California Golden Bears football team

2021 California Golden Bears football
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
Division	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
Seasons ←  2020 2022  →

2021 Pac-12 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
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
California		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

See also: 2021 Nevada Wolf Pack football team

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

See also: 2021 TCU Horned Frogs football team

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

See also: 2021 Sacramento State Hornets football team

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

See also: 2021 Washington Huskies football team

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

See also: 2021 Washington State Cougars football team

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

See also: 2021 Oregon Ducks football team

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

See also: 2021 Colorado Buffaloes football team

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

See also: 2021 Oregon State Beavers football team

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

See also: 2021 Arizona Wildcats football team

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

See also: 2021 Stanford Cardinal football team and Big Game (American football)

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

See also: 2021 UCLA Bruins football team and California-UCLA football rivalry

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

See also: 2021 USC Trojans football team

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

1. 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

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.
3. "2021 California Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
4. Dubow, Josh (September 5, 2021). "Strong's 2 TD passes lead Nevada past Cal 22-17". AP News. Retrieved November 22, 2024.