BERKELEY – Jaivian Thomas rushed for a career-high 169 yards and the Golden Bears held San Diego State without a touchdown until the fourth quarter in a 31-10 whitewashing of San Diego State on Saturday night at California Memorial Stadium.

With the win, Cal is off to its first 3-0 start since 2019 and has won six regular season games in a row for the first time since capturing the final regular season game of the 2006 season and the first five in 2007.

Four different Golden Bears scored touchdowns, including two who reached the end zone for their first time at Cal – running back Kadarius Calloway and tight end Corey Dyches. Wide receiver Nyziah Hunter continued his eye-opening freshman season with his fourth scoring catch of the year.

Calloway finished with 87 yards rushing as the Bears amassed 275 yards on the ground as a team. Jaydn Ott missed the game due to injury.

Cornerback Nohl Williams, who entered the game leading the nation in interceptions, added his fourth of the season in the second quarter. Xavier Carlton had a career-high 2.5 sacks for Cal.

The Aztecs scored first on a 29-yard field goal from Nick Lopez with 5:42 left in the first quarter but the Bears answered immediately with a seven-play, 69-yard drive that culminated in an 8-yard scoring run by Mendoza. The score remained 7-3 at halftime as the teams combined to commit 19 penalties in the first half – including 13 by the Aztecs.

The Bears established some breathing room with two long scoring drives in the third quarter – an 8-play, 85-yard possession that ended with Calloway's 7-yard scoring run, and a 13-play, 90-yard drive that culminated in a 20-yard touchdown pass from Mendoza to Dyches.

A 48-yard field goal by Ryan Coe pushed Cal's advantage to 24-3, and San Diego State finally reached the end zone to make it 24-10 early in the fourth quarter. Hunter capped off the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown catch with 9:48 to play.

The Bears resume play next Saturday when they play their first ACC football game ever at Florida State. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PT and the game will air on ESPN2.

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