How important was Saturday’s win over Stanford to Cal’s football team? According to quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s postgame interview, an awful lot.
The Bears trailed 14-0 after the first quarter and were 21-10 entering the fourth period. But in the fourth quarter, Mendoza threw two touchdown passes to Jonathan Brady, giving his team the lead.
The California defense then forced a turnover on downs, securing the victory. Mendoza had an emotional post-game interview with sideline reporter Morgan Uber.
“First and foremost, I want to give all the glory to God,” the quarterback stated, fighting back tears. “What an amazing comeback. It demonstrates how tough we are as a team.
I adore my boys. It’s amazing. I’m incredibly proud of everyone on this team. We’re 6-6, bowl-bound, and have retained the Axe. Go Bears, forever. Let’s go.
Uber then asked Mendoza, “What’s eliciting these emotions in you?”
“We worked so hard for this,” he stated. “On offense, we did everything we could have done this summer. Being down in a close game, this has to be the most memorable moment of my life today.”
The winning touchdown was a 22-yard pass from Mendoza to Brady. That completed a 98-yard drive. So, when Uber asked Mendoza what he’d most remember about the game, his response was simple.
“I’ll remember going 98 yards with my boys — 98 yards,” he told me. But it wasn’t just 98 yards. Everything led up to that long, game-winning drive.
“In that moment, we told them, this is why we do the camping trips, this is why we did every Saturday walkthrough, this is why we stayed late — until 9 p.m. — watching film together,” Mendoza told the reporter. “It meant a lot to me to get 98 yards against a great defense. We ended up scoring in the clutch.”
