BERKELEY – The California football team held an opponent without a touchdown for the first time in almost four years and running back Kendrick Raphael rushed for a career-high 131 yards and a touchdown as the Golden Bears pulled away in the second half for a 35-3 victory over Texas Southern on Saturday afternoon at California Memorial Stadium.

The Golden Bears (2-0) took a shutout into the fourth quarter before the Tigers got on the board on a 39-yard field goal by Christian Avelar. Cal held Texas Southern to 194 yards of total offense.

It marked the first time the Bears have held an opponent without a touchdown since a 26-3 victory against Colorado on Oct. 23, 2021.

"If we keep the other team from scoring a touchdown, that's really good. However, there is an expectation of how we play," Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox said. "There were a lot of things that we are going to need to improve upon. We need to be competing against what we are capable of out there."

Redshirt freshman linebacker Luke Ferrelli recorded a game-high 11 tackles in his second career game and safety Isaiah Crosby had a career-best nine tackles to lead Cal's defensive effort. It was also the least amount of yards the Bears have yielded in a game since giving up 104 in the loss to Colorado in 2021.

Raphael, making his first career start, carried 18 times and scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter for his first touchdown at Cal and fifth of his career.

"We started off flat, and that resulted in the start that we had," Raphael said. "Guys picked each other up and we were just patient and stayed the course. It was just about trusting the process and playing ball."

Reigning ACC Rookie of the Week Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw for a career-high 259 yards on 26-for-37 passing and the Bears scored four touchdowns on the ground as Cal improved to 2-0 for the second consecutive season.

The Bears led 11-0 at halftime after a 44-yard field goal by Abram Murray and a 1-yard touchdown run by Sagapolutele – the first rushing TD of his career. Mason Mini's run gave Cal a two-point conversion.

The Bears' offense found a rhythm in the second half, scoring on all four of its possessions. After Raphael's touchdown run, fellow running back LJ Johnson Jr. scored on a 12-yard scamper, Chase Meyer nailed a 43-yard field goal and backup quarterback Devin Brown connected with wide receiver Jayden Dixon-Veal on a 14-yard scoring throw.

Cal returns to California Memorial Stadium next Saturday for a nationally televised game on ESPN against Minnesota. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT.