BERKELEY, Calif. — California safety Brent Austin delivered the defensive play of the season Friday night, forcing a fumble at the goal line and recovering it in the end zone to preserve the Golden Bears’ 21–18 victory over Bill Belichick and North Carolina.
The dramatic sequence came with under four minutes left, as North Carolina appeared poised to take the lead. Quarterback Gio Lopez found Nathan Leacock on a short pass, and the receiver sprinted toward the end zone before Austin punched the ball loose inches from the goal line. Austin then dove on the ball in the end zone, ending the Tar Heels’ comeback bid.
“That’s as good of an individual play as we’ve had all year,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said.
The turnover allowed the Bears (5–2, 2–1 Pac-12) to run out nearly the entire clock, with quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele completing two clutch passes for first downs on the final drive. Sagapolutele threw for one touchdown and added another on the ground.
Belichick, still searching for his first win over a Power Five opponent since taking over at North Carolina (2–4, 0–2 ACC), came within inches of it.
“Just came up a little bit short today — a couple inches, I guess, on the touchdown on the fumble,” Belichick said afterward. “We’ve been improving every week, but you can’t turn the ball over and expect to win. It’s just too hard.”
A Promising Effort Falls Short
Despite being more competitive than in their previous Power Five losses — where they were outscored by a combined 87 points — the Tar Heels once again fell victim to costly mistakes. They opened the game with a fumble by Shanard Clower on the very first play from scrimmage, which Cal quickly turned into points on a Sagapolutele keeper.
North Carolina answered with an 18-yard touchdown run by Benjamin Hall, pulling even at 7–7. The Tar Heels trailed just 14–10 at halftime — their closest first-half margin against a major opponent this year.
Cal extended its lead to 21–10 on Kendrick Raphael’s 2-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, but North Carolina responded with Davion Gause’s short scoring run to cut the deficit to three early in the fourth. From there, Austin’s late defensive stand proved decisive.
Takeaways
North Carolina:
The Tar Heels’ offensive struggles continued. Entering the game ranked among the bottom three Power Five teams in both scoring and yards per play, they managed just 4.7 yards per snap and went three-and-out on their first three possessions.
California:
The Bears rebounded from last week’s blowout loss to Duke but lacked rhythm offensively. Sagapolutele completed 21 of 39 passes, and the attack sputtered at times. Still, the defense delivered when it mattered most.
Up Next:
North Carolina: Hosts No. 18 Virginia on Oct. 25.
California: Travels to Virginia Tech next Friday night.
