College football preview: Cal heads to Syracuse seeking Tosh Lupoi's first win
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As the man tasked with turning around Cal football, everything falls on Tosh Lupoi, whether that be credit, blame, praise, criticism, or all of the above. As the Bears head across the country to face the Syracuse Orange, looking to right the ship after a disappointing 45-24 loss to UCLA, the first-year head coach made a point of emphasizing his responsibility as the face of the program again and again in his Tuesday game week press conference.
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"It all starts with me," Lupoi said, a phrase he repeated throughout his availability, describing the team's state in the wake of the season-opening loss. "(In) setting the tone (for) how we're going to be, and nobody moping around here or having their eyes down, recognizing exactly what we need to improve, and attacking it."
And attacking it is exactly how the Bears have responded, according to Lupoi, citing their energy and increased physicality in practice over the last couple of days as well as their strong response to the "hard coaching" that he believed was needed.
Still, where Cal specifically needs to improve lies in the fundamentals, particularly in the trenches. The Bruins gashed the Bears for 277 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns thanks to a combination of missed tackles, poor run-game containment, and miscommunication between the gaps, with defensive coordinator Michael Hutchings citing a lack of execution. As a result, the focus for Hutchings and his unit are the "simple things."
"Not anything more than what we're asking them to do," Hutchings said. "No heroic efforts. Just the basics."
On the offensive side of the football, it's a similar tone as the Bears look for consistency. For all the flashes of brilliance Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele displayed in his 271 yards and two touchdowns in the air, the star quarterback also turned the ball over three times, a rollercoaster performance indicative of the entire offense.
"Very similar overall to the unit. I thought there were some highs and lows," offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville said of Sagapolutele's outing. "Definitely, some ones he wanted back, but the strength-that's what showed up in the fight for his brothers on the field."
Both units will look to do battle with a confident Syracuse team riding high after its 66-3 win over New Hampshire. And though it was against a lesser FCS opponent, senior quarterback Steve Angeli completed 20 of his 29 attempts for 263 yards and 3 TDs, dismantling the Wildcats from the pocket. With Syracuse's run game still in flux after losing their top-two leading rushers from last season, the Orange will lean on Angeli to attack Cal's defense.
As for Cal's injury report, the Bears enter the game relatively clean. Sagapolutele was not listed, despite being hobbled with an ankle injury after the UCLA loss, same with starting center Bastian Sweeney despite exiting midway through the game. However, Cal will likely be without No. 2 running back Carter Vargas who is listed as doubtful after suffering a leg injury in Week 1.
Regardless, Lupoi made it clear the problem solving for Cal starts from the top down. They have correctable issues, Lupoi says, and stressed that the team is united in getting better moving forward.
"It's about pointing out. and really making it clear that we're all in this together, it ain't about blaming anybody. It all starts with me," Lupoi reiterated.
"And I think as they see that, know that. They're excited (about) attacking it together. Ain't nobody blaming anybody; it all starts with me."
The Bears will take on the Orange in Syracuse at 12:30 p.m. PST.
San Jose finding early season identity
The Spartans (1-1) return to the Bay for their home season opener against Cal Poly after a thrilling 27-21 win over Eastern Michigan in a back and forth affair.
San Jose State quarterback Luke Weaver throws a pass during a game against USC in Los Angeles, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (Kyusung Gong/Associated Press)San Jose got a strong performance from quarterback Luke Weaver, as the new starter looks to be gaining some momentum early into the season. Weaver completed 23 of his 39 pass attempts for 316 yards and 3 TDs, connecting with Cooper Hoch for what would be the game-winning 40-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, overcoming a strip-sack fumble for a touchdown the previous drive.
"That's normally catastrophic in a football game. Normally when you have one of those, you lose the game." head coach Ken Niumatalolo told reporters Thursday afternoon.
"But our kids bounced back from that so I was encouraged. The identity of our team so far, there's a little grit and resolve… I thought this past weekend, going on the road, short week, going east, we had a bug on our team, there were a ton of guys sick, and our guys fought through all of that. I love the grit of our football team."
The key for the Spartans against Mustangs will be to get off to a fast start, something that's eluded them through their first two games of the season.
"Got to go into reverse psychology," Niumatalolo said, explaining that the team ditched their usual "good-on-good" routine this week where they pit the first team offense and defenses against each other right at the start of practice.
"We're not using it this week, so we'll see if a little reverse psychology can help us. But we're going to do our best in our pregame warmups, our meetings, our walkthrough to try and get off to a fast start."
Niumatalolo said that starting left tackle Daniel Moleni is hurt and will "probably" be out for this week. The Spartans kick off against Cal Poly 6 p.m.
Kenzo Fukuda is a freelance journalist born and raised in San Francisco. He has covered the Giants, Warriors and Valkyries since 2025, and previously covered Cal football and women's basketball from 2022-24. You can follow him on X at @kenzofuku.
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