Patrick Payton had three sacks for the game and Marvin Jones Jr. had two on the host Florida State Seminoles’ final defensive series to help seal a 14-9 victory over California on Saturday night in Tallahassee, Fla.
Florida State (1-3) snapped a four-game losing streak and avoided what would have been its second 0-4 start since 2021 while handing the Bears (3-1) their first loss in what was the first ever meeting between the schools.
Cal starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza completed 22 of 36 passes for 303 yards to lead the Bears, who played their first ever game in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
But Mendoza was sacked six times with the last one by Edwin Joseph to force a game-clinching loss on downs with 54 seconds remaining.
Joseph, a redshirt freshman, also came up with the lone turnover forced by FSU when he recorded an interception.
The Bears will lament missed opportunities in the kicking game, which could have kept them unbeaten.
While kicker Ryan Coe connected from 25, 29 and 51 yards out, he also had a costly miss from 36 yards early in the third quarter and had a 38-yard attempt blocked with 6:07 left in the fourth.
Cal suffered an injury scare when offensive lineman Sioape Vatikani suffered an injury with 1:43 remaining in the third quarter. Vatikani remained on the ground for several minutes.
Moments after Vatikani was carted off the field, Coe booted his 51-yard field goal to put Cal ahead 9-7.
But Florida State, which entered the game ranked 124th of 133 FBS teams in scoring offense, found a way to score some points in the clutch.
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei connected in stride with Ja’Khi Douglas for a 36-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass to put the Seminoles ahead with 11:08 remaining in the fourth.
Uiagalelei completed 16 of 27 passes for 177 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Another improvement for the Seminoles came in a running game which ranked 132nd in the nation entering the week. Lawrance Toafili ran for 80 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries as the Seminoles ran for a season-high 107 yards overall.
