Bears Enjoy 'Exciting Times' In Fun Spring Game

BERKELEY — The vibes were through the roof on Saturday as Cal wrapped up its Spring season with a “Blue vs. Gold” showcase before roughly 10,000 fans at Memorial Stadium.

“It's an exciting time for Cal football,” Bears coach Tosh Lupoi said. “That was obviously displayed with the support ... the energy, the juice. We actually had to instill a silent cadence because the crowd got loud enough; that was pretty exciting."

Those who survived the chaos of “Cal Day” and made the trek to Strawberry Canyon were not disappointed.

Team Gold led 21-0 to start and ultimately won 21-15. 

Gold cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew started things off by intercepting a deflected pass from Blue quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and returning it 95 yards — yes — to the house; kicker Erik Peters drilled the point-after try.

“Definitely got to take care of the ball more,” Sagapolutele lightheartedly mentioned about his performance. “But I think it was great to get that game feeling back, especially with new guys and new talent. But it was so fun — blessed I got to go out there.”

The next score came when Gold QB Domnic Ingrassia stunned everyone with a fake handoff to running back Adam Mohammed that turned into a 37-yard keeper for six; Peters made the point-after try.

“Dom is an outstanding athlete,” Sagapolutele said. “One of my brothers. He’s been with me ever since I came in … he’s my best friend here. Seeing him continuing to (do) his thing was great. He hit a couple of those (plays) in practice last year, and he’s hit one in the fall.

“Seeing him hit one today is crazy. The defense was slacking on him, for sure.”

Mohammed got the Gold team’s third and final score from two yards out in the fourth quarter.

However, it was the thrilling big-gain carry he had on the play before that set it up.

“The dude does an elite job of making sure that he's ready to go physically and mentally from a day-to-day standpoint; that's the biggest thing,” offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville said of Mohammed.

“And from a standard standpoint, he's going to push the standard of what it's supposed to look like and how he operates.”

The Blue team, though, made things interesting late.

Blue quarterback Jackson Brousseau threw a pretty 34-yard touchdown pass to wideout Cooper Perry; kicker Chase Meyer made the point-after try.

And Sagapolutele found wideout Trevor Rogers for a slick 12-yard score just before the clock ran out.

“Trevor, he’s been working his butt off, day in and day out,” Sagapolutele said. “He’s been making plays for us, and he’s going to continue to make big plays for us … I don’t think anyone can keep up with him.”

There was, though, no point-after try following Rogers’ score.

Instead, during Autism Awareness month, Cal — with its famous and inclusive Golden Buddies camp for children with and without disabilities set for May 4 — gave Xander Jones, the seven-year-old Autistic brother of linebacker BJ Jones, the ball for the most heartwarming score you’ll ever see.

The loudest crowd roar and on-field celebration of the afternoon came after Jones punched it in.

"That was such a good moment, especially for him,” Sagapolutele said. “Growing up, he'll remember those things. I was just happy seeing him go out there and score. I know he was a little nervous. We'll need him for the season to put points on the board."

“We’re extremely active in the community,” Lupoi added. “Multiple camps, exercises. And for our team, it’s one more (opportunity) to go bond. That’s what led to that community engagement and respect of this month. I think we executed pretty well. I think, possibly, Xander — we got to review — he possibly fumbled before going across ... we'll coach up Xander on that.”

Xander’s score put the perfect bow on Cal’s Spring Game and recent weeks of practice.

The Bears have been grinding. Cal’s faithful fanbase is excited. And there is a massive buzz in Berkeley leading up to Week 1 against UCLA in September.

“What’s cool about our sport is that it doesn’t matter where you come from,” defensive coordinator Michael Hutchings said. “You get in here, and there’s one common goal.

“You see the joy because you work towards one common goal. That joy and celebration come from hard work, and we all put in equal work, so you deserve to enjoy and celebrate it.”

The fall can’t come soon enough.

But if Saturday’s atmosphere — which saw everything from a concert, a defensive lineman interception (shout out Nate Burrell), inclusivity and pure competitive football — is any indication of what’s to come in Berkeley, then it’s clear Cal fans are in for a special 2026 season.

“It's been great,” Hutchings said. “Everyone included, I think it’s been a great eight weeks, and seeing it all kind of have a final exam today — I know we’re at an academic school, so — having our final exam from what we've done over the last few weeks, it's just really been a breath of fresh air.”