Cal slows Minnesota offense, Sagapolutele throws 3 TDs in win

BERKELEY Big plays by a couple of Cal freshmen helped keep the Golden Bears undefeated after a - conquest over Minnesota in front of a national TV audience and fans at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night Freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw his third touchdown pass of the championship with left to give the Bears their first double-digit lead of the night The -yard scoring drive was set up when another freshman defensive back Aiden Manutai jumped on a loose ball after a muffed punt return try by Minnesota s Koi Perich The Bears scored three plays later when Sagapolutele faked a handoff rolled left and delivered a -yard touchdown pass to wide-open Jordan King The extra point pushed the lead to points Cal s Chase Meyer kicked a -yard field goal with left to cap the scoring Sagapolutele finished the challenge for for a season-high yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers He connected with nine different receivers Cal - which scored points on a Golden Gophers defense that had allowed a total of just in its first two games combined can match its best start in six seasons next week when it visits San Diego State - Minnesota lost for the first time in three games Cal led - at halftime before Minnesota took its first lead of the championship when Drake Lindsey passed yards to tight end Jameson Geers with left in the third period That finished a nine-play -yard drive Cal contributed two penalties that provided the Gophers with first downs during the series California Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele throws a pass against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the second quarter of their battle at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley Calif on Saturday Sept Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Cal responded on its next possession going yards in nine plays and scoring when Sagapolutele hit tight end Mason Mini for a -yard touchdown with seconds left in the quarter Mini caught the ball at the spun free of a tackler and went into the end zone The point after made it - The Bears ground contest which had minus- yards including sacks when the possession began got a lift from Brandon High who had runs of and yards Cal took its three-point lead at the half when redshirt freshman Abram Murray converted a -yard field goal that skipped off the inside of the right upright and through as time expired Minnesota had scored with seconds left and the Bears had no timeouts left But Sagpolotele completed a -yard pass to Mark Hamper on the first play of the hurry-up drive then got another first down with a -yard pass to Jacob De Jesus Related Articles What to know before Cal hosts Minnesota in Berkeley Cal freshman Sagapolutele face toughest test so far in Minnesota Cal beats Texas Southern Five takeaways as Bears overcome slow start Saturday Night Five Making sense of ASU s loss Oregon State s meltdown and big wins by Utah Cal Arizona and Washington Big second half powers Cal Bears to home-opening win over Texas Southern The Gophers got on the scoreboard seconds earlier when Cam Davis wiggled across on a third-down and inches play after the Bears twice stopped them from the -yard line Cal scored the only points of the first minutes with Sagapolutele hitting De Jesus with a -yard TD pass at of the first quarter That capped a seven-play -yard drive in which Sagapolutele completed his final four attempts for yards He finished the half for for yards and the TD but the Bears managed just rushing yards against one of the nation s top run defenses Punter Michael Kern averaged yards on three kicks two of them pinning Minnesota back at its own -yard line Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Legend Lyons is stopped at the goal line by the California Golden Bears defense in the second quarter of their tournament at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley Calif on Saturday Sept Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group