The California Golden Bears ran the first quarter against Stanford on The Farm, but they only held a 3-0 lead at the end of the first, despite racking up 97 yards to Stanford’s six.
Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and wide receiver Jacob De Jesus found a rhythm early, with the duo connecting for six catches and 45 yards early on. De Jesus was clearly the No. 1 option for Sagapolutele in the first quarter, and the Cardinal had no answer for him.
Then the second quarter began and all hell broke loose. Stanford immediately earned their first first down of the game before their in-progress drive fizzled out.
The Stanford defense continued to go to work in the second, and when they have won games this season, the defense has had a “bend but don’t break” mentality. That’s what they’ve been up to early in this one, giving up just a field goal, despite not getting much of a break from their own ineffective offense being unable to move the ball.
The first Cal possession of the second quarter, the broadcast went to interview Stanford GM Andrew Luck, and the interviewer barely got the question off before the Stanford defense made a big play to get their team on the board.
JAY GREEN SCOOP AND SCORE ‼️
THE GENERAL LOVES IT ‼️‼️#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/rrIQLTYZqo
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) November 23, 2025
As you can see, Jay Green scoops the ball up, and runs right past Luck, who is cheering him on the whole way. The touchdown put Stanford ahead 7-3, giving the Cardinal the lead for the first time in the 128th Big Game. Luck has been a fixture on the sidelines all season long, though this is the first interview that has led to a touchdown.
Following the Stanford score, Cal went on a prolonged drive, and held onto the ball for another eight minutes. QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele ended up running a keeper from the seven in for a go-ahead score of their own.
It took until there was roughly 4:30 left in the second for Stanford to get the ball back after that initial drive in the second. When they did, Elijah Brown tossed it 25 yards to Benji Blackburn for the longest play of the first half for Stanford.
From there, Brown handed the ball to Micah Ford six straight times for another 27 yards, before Brown threw it up in the end zone for CJ Williams, which resulted in a pass interference penalty on Cal. The drive would stall out, and Stanford would attempt a chip shot field goal, which was blocked by the Bears, holding the score at 10-7.
Three plays later, Stanford would score another defensive touchdown on a fumble that was scooped up by Darrius Davis. The score put the Cardinal up 14-10 at the half. This is a wild game that should have an exciting finish.
