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Louisville football falls to Cal in OT, sees likely end to ACC championship, CFP bids
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- Louisville football falls to Cal in OT, sees likely end to ACC championship, CFP bids
Since 2023, No. 15 Louisville football has won seven games when trailing at the half, which is tied for second most among FBS teams in that span.
The Cardinals were a week removed from a comeback road victory over Virginia Tech when they found themselves down to California , 17-13, at home. And in the previous three games, Louisville had outscored opponents, 48-23, in the second half.
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But the Golden Bears weren't the Hokies and made Louisville pay for its slow start. Cal was victorious in its first meeting with U of L, beating the Cardinals , 29-26, in overtime on Saturday. The squad has now lost two of its last three home games, with both being overtime contests. The loss also knocked the Cardinals (7-2, 4-2 ACC) out of ACC championship and College Football Playoff contention with a Friday night game against Clemson and a road trip to SMU, respectively, up next. They made the first CFP rankings of the season on Tuesday, coming in at No. 15 .
Cal (6-4, 3-3) went for it on fourth and goal from the 3-yard line in overtime and was rewarded with the win.
Yet another slow start overshadowed the excitement of running back Duke Watson's return to the field and Keyjuan Brown's first career 100-yard rushing performance in his second career start . Watson, who had been out since the Cards' Week 7, scored the team's first touchdown on a 1-yard run to end its game-opening series.
Louisville was held to two field goals from Cooper Ranvier for the rest of the half.
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The Cardinals had no answer for the Golden Bears' offense. Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele had seven passes of 15 or more yards in the first half, including a 20-yard touchdown pass to Landon Morris to tie the game at 7 just before the end of the first quarter. Cal converted on 5 of 8 third-down attempts, including Kendrick Raphael's 2-yard rushing touchdown seven seconds before the end of the half for the Golden Bears' 17-13 lead.
The Cardinals' second half wasn't much better than the first. Quarterback Miller Moss threw his seventh interception of the season at the beginning of the third quarter but later made up for it with a 1-yard touchdown run on the next series. The Cardinals tied the game twice at 20 and 23, and though the Golden Bears punted four times in the fourth quarter, Louisville's offense couldn't capitalize.
Louisville football 's next game
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Who:Louisville vs. Clemson
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When:Friday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
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Where:L&N Stadium
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TV channel:ESPN
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Livestream: Fubo (free trial)
Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football rallies in second half but loses to Cal in OT
