California Golden Bears vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 8th 2024

Preview and Prediction

Cal and Wake Forest are both teams with four wins, but they are in very different situations as they prepare for their first November match-up of the season.

After Friday night's game in Winston-Salem, NC, only one of these teams will have a winning record. This Atlantic Coast Conference game marks the first meeting between these two teams.

Wake Forest (4-4, 2-2 ACC) has won their last two games, while Cal (4-4, 0-4) is also coming off a victory.

"I feel like this is a 4-4 team that is on the rise," said Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson about his team.

Both teams have had plenty of time to prepare for this game, as they have not played since October 26th. Wake Forest won their last game 27-24 against Stanford, while Cal defeated their former Pac-12 rival Oregon State 44-7.

The Bears have lost their four ACC games by a total of nine points, including two one-point losses.

"There are people out there who would have crumbled and not been able to bounce back," said Cal coach Justin Wilcox. "I am extremely proud and pleased with our team for fighting back."

According to Clawson, Cal and Wake Forest seem to be evenly matched in many areas.

"The team that executes the best will come out on top," he said. "This should be a highly competitive game."

Clawson believes that Cal is a stronger team than their record suggests, and he also acknowledges that Wake Forest has had a mix of good luck and bad luck this season.

"You always look at the extremes of it," Clawson stated. "We could be sitting here with a record of 6-2 or 1-7."

The Demon Deacons are expecting a tough challenge from Cal's defense.

"I would put these guys defensively right up there with the Ole Miss-es and Clemsons of the teams we've faced," Clawson said.

In their last game against Oregon State, Cal's redshirt sophomore quarterback Fernando Mendoza had a career-high of 364 passing yards. Additionally, kicker Derek Morris tied a single-game program record with five field goals.

On Tuesday, Wilcox announced that linebacker Cade Uluave is expected to return from injury to play against Wake Forest.

Wake Forest's transfer quarterback Hank Bachmeier, who is from California, has been a valuable asset to the team.

"Some of the plays he has made with his feet have really helped us," Clawson said.

Cal's biggest advantage this season has been in the third quarter, where they have outscored their opponents 61-8. Wake Forest has a third-quarter scoring edge of 55-45.

PREDICTION

California Golden Bears

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

California Golden Bears vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons Recap NOV 8TH 2024

Fernando Mendoza threw for two touchdown passes and ran for another to help Cal beat Wake Forest 46-36 on Friday night in Winston-Salem, N.C., for the Bears' first Atlantic Coast Conference win.

Mendoza threw for 385 yards by completing 40 of 56 passes with an interception.

Derek Morris kicked two field goals and Ryan Coe booted a 54-yarder in the fourth quarter for Cal (5-4, 1-4 ACC), which dropped its previous four conference games by a total of nine points. The Bears are first-year ACC members.

Demond Claiborne rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown and added a scoring reception for Wake Forest (4-5. 2-3). Hank Bachmeier was 19-for-36 for 274 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Liam Johnson intercepted Bachmeier's pass on the first play after the two-minute timeout. Five plays later, Jaivian Thomas' 11-yard TD run sealed the victory.

Bachmeier threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Donavon Greene with 7:43 left in the third quarter to trim Wake Forest's deficit to 29-21.

The Demon Deacons were poised to score again, but a blocked field goal flipped momentum. Cal capitalized as Mendoza scored on a 5-yard run to cap a six-play drive with 18 seconds left in the third quarter.

But Bachmeier's 4-yard TD run and two-point conversion pass closed the gap to 36-29 with 11:46 left. Coe kicked a 54-yard field goal, but Wake Forest converted on fourth down in its own territory and went on to score on Tate Carney's 2-yard run with 3:57 left.

Mendoza was 30-for-40 for 289 yards in the first half, which ended with the Bears up 29-14.

Cal scored the game's first 10 points in a nine-second span. After driving 64 yards and settling for a field goal, Hunter Barth forced a fumble on Claiborne's kickoff return and Miles Williams made a 16-yard return for a touchdown.

The Demon Deacons scored five plays after Nick Andersen's 28-yard interception return to the Cal 30. Claiborne plowed in from 1 yard out.

Cal had a chance to increase its 20-7 lead, but an incomplete pass on fourth-and-2 at the Wake Forest 32 halted that threat.

On the next possession, the Demon Deacons used a reverse that resulted in Bachmeier's 44-yard pass to wide-open Claiborne for a 44-yard touchdown.

Then the Bears scored 10 points in the last 90 seconds of the half.