
Syracuse Orange at California Golden Bears
· NCAA - FootballPassing leader McCord keeps Syracuse on the ground as Orange grinds out a 33-25 win over Cal

Kyle McCord, who leads the nation in completions, was 29 for 46 for 323 yards. LeQuint Allen ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns while Jackson Kennedy converted all four attempted field goals to remain perfect on the season.
“To start fast and get them early, that was big, and I think both sides of the ball did that," McCord said. “The defense created some takeaways, and then the offense putting up 27 first-half points was big.”
Syracuse led by as many as three scores after Mendoza threw two early interceptions.
"The sideline said ‘Ball’, and I looked — and I high-pointed it,” said Davien Kerr, who had the second Syracuse pick.
Spearheaded by McCord, the Orange boast one of the best passing offenses in the country but stayed on the ground to disarm Cal’s defensive line, running for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the first half after amassing just 39 total rushing yards against Boston College a week ago.
“We haven’t done anything good on defense,” Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said as his team entered the locker room at half.
Despite a 75-yard run to the end zone by Jaivian Thomas in the second quarter and Mendoza touchdown to Jonathan Brady with a minute left, Cal was flimsy on offense. The Bears managed only two red zone attempts against the Orange and have struggled from inside the 20 all season, completing 21 of 40 red zone pass attempts.
“Mendoza, he’s very crafty,” said Syracuse head coach Fran Brown. “He’s got a strong arm and a quick trigger finger, so we knew we had to switch the picture up a lot for him.”
McCord and the Orange did not surrender a turnover despite Cal leading the country in interceptions with 54.
Syracuse: The Orange rallied for arguably their most complete performance all season, with the oft-injured offensive line finally contributing an impressive showing. McCord helped keep the offense at a healthy tempo, aided by a career-best 11 receptions from receiver Trebor Pena.
UP NEXT
California: The Bears will host Stanford on Saturday in their first Big Game matchup as ACC foes.
----
How To Watch
How can I watch Syracuse Orange vs. California Golden Bears?
- TV Channel: Orange at Golden Bears 2021 College Football, week 12, is broadcasted on The CW Network.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Scoring Summary
![]() |
FG | 1st Period 8:54 | Jackson Kennedy 24 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
FG | 1st Period 4:19 | Jackson Kennedy 42 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
TD | 2nd Period 13:37 | LeQuint Allen 30 Yd Run (Jackson Kennedy Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 2nd Period 13:19 | Jaivian Thomas 75 Yd Run (Derek Morris Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 2nd Period 9:52 | LeQuint Allen 1 Yd Run (Jackson Kennedy Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 2nd Period 4:06 | Jackson Meeks 6 Yd pass from Kyle McCord (Jackson Kennedy Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 3rd Period 8:54 | Jaydn Ott 15 Yd Run (Derek Morris Kick) |
![]() |
FG | 3rd Period 4:53 | Jackson Kennedy 43 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
FG | 4th Period 12:43 | Ryan Coe 44 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
FG | 4th Period 3:12 | Jackson Kennedy 32 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
TD | 4th Period 1:01 | Jonathan Brady 5 Yd pass from Fernando Mendoza (Jack Endries Pass to Fernando Mendoza for Two-Point Conversion) |
Statistics
![]() |
![]() |
|
---|---|---|
26 | 1st Downs | 19 |
7-17 | 3rd down efficiency | 8-13 |
4-4 | 4th down efficiency | 0-0 |
471 | Total Yards | 391 |
323 | Passing | 225 |
29/46 | Comp/Att | 22/34 |
7.0 | Yards per pass | 6.6 |
148 | Rushing | 166 |
38 | Rushing Attempts | 23 |
3.9 | Yards per rush | 7.2 |
6-50 | Penalties | 5-36 |
0 | Turnovers | 2 |
0 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
0 | Interceptions thrown | 2 |
38:41 | Possession | 21:19 |
Game Information

Location: Berkeley, CA
Attendance: 33,493 · Capacity:
College Football News

Mel Kiper Jr. left 'disgusted' by Shedeur going undrafted on Day 2
Mel Kiper Jr. says he's never seen a slide like Shedeur Sanders' at the NFL draft.

2025 NFL draft: Mel Kiper's winners, losers from Rounds 2-3
Which NFL teams aced the second and third rounds of the draft, and which reached for picks? Mel Kiper Jr. makes sense of Day 2.

Shedeur Sanders' slide continues as he goes undrafted on Day 2
Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders remains on the board after being passed over in Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2025 NFL draft.

Seahawks draft Jalen Milroe with the No. 92 pick
The Seahawks select Alabama QB Jalen Milroe with the 92nd pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Harold Fannin Jr.'s NFL draft profile
Check out some of the top highlights from Bowling Green's Harold Fannin Jr.