UCLA 45-24 California (Sep 5, 2026) Final Score

Team pages: UCLA · California

UCLA1-045

California0-124Final

Sat, Sep 5 · California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, Calif. · Crowd 54,283

UCLA beat California 45-24.

We had California favored. UCLA won.

Next: UCLA beat San Diego State 28-10, Sat Sep 12

Next: California beat Syracuse 21-18, Sat Sep 12

Top comment in the game thread

God it feels so good to have a team that can run the ball again

Q4 4:38 · r/CFB game thread · Sat, Sep 5

How it swung

The turning point: Knight 31-yd TD run, UCLA goes ahead 31-24 (Q4, 8:46). UCLA went from 49% to 81% to win. Fans right then: “Went from 211 throws without an interception to 1 throw until the next interception” r/CFB game thread

Before kickoff, our ratings gave UCLA a 39% chance, and the closing betting line (UCLA was a 2.5-point favorite) put it at 58%.

UCLA won by 21, after dipping to 26% in the first quarter.

Up to 74% in the first quarter, then California lost it.

FinalUCLA 45-24 CaliforniaUCLA wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.

The two plays that swung it

1Q2 10:19Woods 31-yd TD run, UCLA goes ahead 14-10UCLA 38% → 60% (+22)
2Q4 8:46Knight 31-yd TD run, UCLA goes ahead 31-24UCLA 49% → 81% (+32)

The two plays that swung it

1Q2 10:19Woods 31-yd TD run, UCLA goes ahead 14-10California 62% → 40% (−22)
2Q4 8:46Knight 31-yd TD run, UCLA goes ahead 31-24California 51% → 19% (−32)

What fans said, play by play

The line in bold above each quote is written by our model from the thread’s comments and the play-by-play.

Q2 0:26Injured JKS leads rapid Cal TD drive to cut UCLA leadCalifornia TD Drive: 5 plays, 79 yards, 0:38r/CFB game thread
Q4 8:53Sagapolutele's pass intercepted by James shifts momentum in UCLA's favorWhat a swing! Hopefully the D can get one or two more stops and end this game! Also JKS is a top 5 pick if not Number 1. Dude is insane.r/CFB game thread
Q4 7:39Sagapolutele throws an interception to James as Cal implodesWent from 211 throws without an interception to 1 throw until the next interceptionr/CFB game threadIt’s pretty impressive how quickly Cal just implodes in minutesr/CFB game thread
Q4 4:38UCLA fans celebrate Wayne Knight's touchdown run and joke about his nameQuoted at the top of the page.Thought you can take out Iamaleava? Guess againr/CFB game thread
Q4 1:42UCLA fans celebrate the 53-yard touchdown run that sealed the victorySo happy we got to do this regardless of score. Long live the rivalry!r/CFB game threadVICTORY LAP BABYr/CFB game thread

UCLA’s chance to win after every play.

How to read this chart

Starts from the pregame line (UCLA -2.5), at 47% for UCLA (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Under the scores, r/CFB comments per minute from fans with a California or UCLA flair (725 and 517); both sides share one scale, regulation only. A gold diamond marks a play fans were reacting to.

Watch the plays

The bar and the arrow show UCLA’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.

Every drive

UCLA scored on 7 of its 14 drives; California on 4 of its 14.

UCLA’s drives are teal, California’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.

From California’s side

California’s best moment: Mohammed 1-yd TD run, ties it 24-24 (Q3 3:50). It lifted California’s win chance by 20 points.

How California fans took it: “gg Bruin cousins. Hope everyone gets healthy. Sigh, new season - same Bears.” r/CFB game thread

“What a swing! Hopefully the D can get one or two more stops and end this game! Also JKS is a top 5 pick if not Number 1. Dude is insane.”

A UCLA fan

How fans reacted

Steady

The fourth quarter is when fans got loud.

Jump to the loudest stretch

The jump was steady; the crowd was busy.

What it cost

California’s chance to make the playoff fell from 2% to 1%.

Make the playoff

UCLA · won1% → 1%

California · lost2% → ▼1%

Win the conference

UCLA · won0% → 0%

California · lost2% → ▼1%

Before the game (September 5, 2026) → after this result, in our model.

Box score

UCLA 45, California 24

UCLA covered −2.5 by 18.5. The total, 69, went over 53.5.

Team totals	UCLA	California
Total yards	461	410
Passing	14 of 22, 184 yds	26 of 47, 291 yds
Rushing	32 for 277 yds	40 for 119 yds
First downs	20	23
Third down	6 of 11	11 of 21
Fourth down	0 of 0	0 of 3
Turnovers	1	3
Penalties	12 for 110 yds	6 for 59 yds
Time of possession	25:11	34:49

UCLA leaders

Passing Nico Iamaleava 14 of 22, 184 yds, 1 INT
Rushing Anthony Woods 8 for 118 yds, 2 TD; Wayne Knight 8 for 71 yds, 3 TD
Receiving Mikey Matthews 4 for 88 yds; Wayne Knight 2 for 30 yds

California leaders

Passing Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele 24 of 41, 271 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Adam Mohammed 28 for 120 yds, 1 TD; Carter Vargas 4 for 14 yds
Receiving Ian Strong 5 for 94 yds; Chase Hendricks 6 for 66 yds, 1 TD

No rain and calm

66° at kickoff · no rain recorded · wind 11 mph from the west, mostly at an angle to the field, gusts to 23

September game-day temperatures at California Memorial Stadium

Drag along the chart, or step through the game.

Fourth quarter, 8:46 left10:49 p.m.

UCLA 31, California 24 · California 19% to win

no rain · wind 10 mph from the west, mostly at an angle to the field · 62°

Knight 31-yd TD run, UCLA goes ahead 31-24

Measured at Oakland airport, 11 miles away, and Concord/buchanan airport, 14 miles away. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Before kickoff

Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.

Recent games

Last three games · 2025 season

UCLA · 3-9

Rated 62nd in our preseason ratings.

L 10-29 @ USCTop 25 #22 of 667

lost by 19 as a 21.5-point underdog

L 14-48 vs WashingtonTop 25 #16 of 667

lost by 34 as a 10.5-point underdog

L 10-48 @ Ohio StateTop 25 #1 of 667

lost by 38 as a 32.5-point underdog

L 21-28 vs NebraskaTop 25 #47 of 667

lost by 7 as a 2.5-point favorite

L 6-56 @ IndianaTop 25 #6 of 667

lost by 50 as a 27.5-point underdog

W 20-17 vs Maryland #57 of 667

won by 3 as a 4.5-point favorite

W 38-13 @ Michigan State #84 of 667

won by 25 as a 6.5-point underdog

W 42-37 vs Penn StateTop 25 #13 of 667

won by 5 as a 24.5-point underdog

L 14-17 @ Northwestern #73 of 667

lost by 3 as a 6.5-point underdog

L 10-35 vs New Mexico #111 of 667

lost by 25 as a 15.5-point favorite

L 23-30 @ UNLV #71 of 667

lost by 7 as a 2.5-point favorite

L 10-43 vs UtahTop 25 #44 of 667

lost by 33 as a 6.5-point underdog

Last three games · 2025 season

California · 7-6

Rated 63rd in our preseason ratings.

L 31-35 @ Hawai'i #117 of 667

lost by 4 as a 1.5-point underdog

W 38-35 vs SMUTop 25 #11 of 667

won by 3 as a 13.5-point underdog

L 10-31 @ Stanford #95 of 667

lost by 21 as a 4.5-point favorite

W 29-26 @ LouisvilleTop 25 #35 of 667

won by 3 as an 18.5-point underdog

L 21-31 vs VirginiaTop 25 #42 of 667

lost by 10 as a 5.5-point underdog

L 34-42 @ Virginia Tech #74 of 667

lost by 8 as a 6.5-point underdog

W 21-18 vs North Carolina #90 of 667

won by 3 as an 8.5-point favorite

L 21-45 vs Duke #37 of 667

lost by 24 as a 3.5-point underdog

W 28-24 @ Boston College #64 of 667

won by 4 as a 6.5-point underdog

L 0-34 @ San Diego State #94 of 667

lost by 34 as a 13.5-point favorite

W 27-14 vs Minnesota #24 of 667

won by 13 as a 3.5-point underdog

W 35-3 vs Texas Southern #219 of 667

won by 32 as a 44.5-point favorite

W 34-15 @ Oregon State #80 of 667

won by 19 as a 2.5-point favorite

Matchups

Biggest mismatch: UCLA’s rushing EPA against California, 90 points

Each row ranks the two sides among all teams. The longer the line, the bigger the mismatch.

California’s EPA/play against UCLA’s defense
California offense, 11th percentile · UCLA defense, 98th
UCLA’s rushing EPA against California’s defense
UCLA offense, 93rd percentile · California defense, 3rd
California’s explosive plays against UCLA’s defense
California offense, 38th percentile · UCLA defense, 91st

Season profile, all the rows

Season profile

UCLACalifornia

EPA/play, offense

EPA/play, defense

Success rate, offense

Success rate, defense

Explosive-play rate, offense

Explosive-play rate, defense

Rush EPA, offense

Rush EPA, defense

Pass EPA, offense

Pass EPA, defense

The series

UCLA leads the series 58-35-1

94 meetings since 1933 · California won the last meeting

2023California 33-7
2022UCLA 35-28
2021UCLA 42-14
2020UCLA 34-10
2019California 28-18

Each line is California’s chance to win through that meeting. Older meetings have no play by play, so no line.

Line, fans and home field

The betting line, and the fans

California fans are feeling it about like the typical fanbase this week (59th among FBS fanbases), in line with the numbers.

UCLA favored by 2.5 · Total 53.5

How games like this usually go

UCLA by 2.5, and it went to form

Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game

The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 252 games since 2025 with a favorite of under 3.5 points.

The market

The spread moved 4 points toward UCLA.

The books’ cut: 4.1%, the margin built into the odds

Weather at kickoff

Mild and dry. Feels like 64° at kickoff.

UCLA at California · Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026 · California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley

64°feels like at kickoff
Dryno rain at kickoff
100weather score, Ideal

At kickoff, Sept. 5, 2026.

Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better, for the first 3 hours and 20 minutes of the game. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.

Kickoff times that Saturday

Games in this time zone used 3 kickoff times that day, local time (kickoffs within 30 minutes of each other count as one). This game is ringed. At California Memorial Stadium that day, a 12:30 pm kickoff would have scored 99, against 100 at 7:30 pm.

12:30 pm: 99, Comfortable
6:30 pm: 100, Ideal
7:30 pm: 100, Ideal (this game)

Weather score at each kickoff time.

Tap a dot to read that kickoff time.

At kickoff, Sept. 5, 2026. Wind is not drawn here; gusts are in each score.

Home field

California is worth +1.6 points (±3.4) more at home than on the road since 2018 — bottom third of FBS, 10th percentile.

49% at home, 39% on the road against FBS opponents (22-23 home, 17-27 away).

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads -3.4 at home vs. away over 96 games — inside the ±6.2 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.

Night kickoff — historically worth about half a point more to the home side against the number, and not much more than that. The visitors travel about 343 miles to get here.

Last meeting in our History pages

UCLA 30, California 27Nov 24, 2017

UCLA beats California 45-24