California Golden Bears Athletics
Saturday, October 3
Las Vegas, Nev.
12:30 PM
California
at
UNLV
Bears travel to Las Vegas for Saturday afternoon game.
Photo by: Max Wood/Cal Football
Cal Readies For Rumble With Rebels
9/29/2026 2:00 PM | Football
Bears Head To UNLV For Final Nonconference Matchup Of Regular Season
California football (2-2, 1-1 ACC) will face UNLV (2-2, 1-0 MWC) at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon in what will be the Golden Bears' final nonconference tilt of the regular season. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT with the game to be aired live on CBS Sports Network.
SATURDAY LINEUP
Venue: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.
Time: 12:30 p.m. PT
Watch (CBS Sports Network): John Sadek (PxP), Randy Cross (Analyst), Hailey Sutton (Sideline Reporter)
Listen (English Radio): 810 AM – Justin Allegri (PxP), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Ben Ross (Sideline Reporter); Sirius XM Ch. 266/Sirius XM App, The Varsity App, YouTube Live Stream
BEARS VS. REBELS
- This will be the third all-time meeting between Cal and UNLV and first at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Cal won the first-ever matchup between the Golden Bears and the Rebels on Sept. 10, 2022, in Berkeley with a final score of 20-14.
- The most recent contest between the two programs was at the 2024 Art of Sport LA Bowl game when the No. 24 Rebels downed the Bears 24-13 at SoFi Stadium.
CAL...
- Ranks first in the ACC and fourth nationally in defensive touchdowns with two. DB Kingston Lopa registered a pick-six against Syracuse while ILB Kamar Mothudi had a scoop-and-score against Clemson this past weekend.
- Ranks first in the ACC and fifth nationally in passes intercepted with six. Five of those interceptions were registered to Lopa through the first three games while DB Isaiah Crosby logged an interception in the opening drive of the game against the Tigers.
- Has produced strong results in the redzone this season with the Bears ranking second in the ACC and tying for 18th nationally in red zone defense (0.714) and fifth in the conference and tied for 37th nationally in red zone offense (.923).
- Ranks fifth in the conference in sacks allowed (1.5 avg per game).
- Ranks second in the ACC and fifth nationally in passing defense efficiency (95.36).
- Ranks second in the ACC and 17th nationally in turnovers gained (7).
DEFENSE REMAINS SOLID THROUGH WEEK 4
- DB Aiden Manutai recorded his first career sack and forced fumble in the first quarter against Clemson. The Tigers' Tait Reynolds scrambled and Manutai upended him, forcing the ball to come loose just before Reynolds hit the turf.
- Manutai is one of three Bears to be credited with a forced fumble this season after Cam Sidney and Khamani Hudson each forced a fumble in the Syracuse and UCLA games, respectively.
- ILB Kamar Mothudi registered his first career touchdown and fumble recovery against Clemson. He scooped up the loose ball that Manutai forced out of Reynolds' hands and ran it 35 yards into the end zone. Mothudi was named to the PFF ACC Team of the Week following his performance.
- DBs Kingston Lopa and Isaiah Crosby each registered a career-high 11 tackles against the Tigers to lead the Bears.
- Lopa leads the Bears with 20 solo tackles and 27 total tackles this season, with Crosby just behind him with 12 solo tackles and 20 total tackles.
- Crosby, Daniel Harris and Solomon Williams tie for most tackles-for-loss by a Bear this season with 2.0 each, with Harris' TFLs pushing opponents back a team-leading 17 yards. Harris also leads the team in pass breakups with four.
TUITELE TIME
- ILB AJ Tuitele had his first career sack against Clemson. He pushed the Tigers back 8 yards with his take-down of Tait Reynolds.
- Tuitele leads the Bears with six quarterback hurries this season. He also has 18 tackles on the season, which is fourth-most by any Bear.
- He will be returning to his hometown this weekend as a native of North Las Vegas, Nevada, where he attended Mojave High School. Tuitele was rated as the No. 1 player in the state of Nevada by On3, No. 10 by 247Sports and No. 11 by ESPN coming out of high school as part of the class of 2025. He spent his fall freshman campaign at USC where he played in three games before taking a redshirt year.
MINI SHOWS VERSATILITY
- TE Mason Mini had a rushing attempt and a pass attempt in a game for the second time in his career this past weekend against Clemson.
- Mini completed a 26-yard pass to WR Ian Strong in the third quarter. It was his second pass completion as a Bear after throwing a 42-yard touchdown pass to Kendrick Raphael against Virginia last season, which made him Cal's first non-quarterback to throw a touchdown pass since WR Vic Wharton III at Colorado on Oct. 28, 2017.
- He is the only non-quarterback in the ACC to have completed a pass this season.
- Mini continues to be a reliable target for QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. He leads the tight ends in receptions this season with nine catches for 110 receiving yards and has the fourth-most catches and receiving yards by a Cal player in 2026.
BEARS LEAD INTERCEPTIONS IN NCAA & NFL
- Bears are currently atop both the NCAA and NFL leaderboards in interceptions with DB Kingston Lopa leading the collegiate football ranks with five and recently graduated Bear CB Hezekiah Masses leading the NFL in interceptions with his three over the last two weeks of the NFL season.
- Lopa leads the nation with five interceptions for the third straight week. He registered at least one takeaway in each of Cal's first three games this season. Lopa needs one more interception to move into a tie for ninth place on Cal's single-season interceptions list.
- He is the highest-graded Cal safety, according to PFF (89.0).
- Lopa tallied a career-best three interceptions in the Bears' win over Syracuse, making him the first Bear to record three interceptions in a single game since Jaylinn Hawkins intercepted three passes against TCU at the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl.
- The last Bear to lead the nation in interceptions was Nohl Williams who finished the 2024 season atop the NCAA leaderboard with seven before being selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.
- Lopa returned one interception 24 yards for a go-ahead touchdown against Syracuse, which was the first pick-six of his career and the first by a Bear since Williams' 40-yard interception return for a score against Miami on Oct. 5, 2025. Lopa returned his first interception against Syracuse a career-high 53 yards.
SATURDAY LINEUP
Venue: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.
Time: 12:30 p.m. PT
Watch (CBS Sports Network): John Sadek (PxP), Randy Cross (Analyst), Hailey Sutton (Sideline Reporter)
Listen (English Radio): 810 AM – Justin Allegri (PxP), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Ben Ross (Sideline Reporter); Sirius XM Ch. 266/Sirius XM App, The Varsity App, YouTube Live Stream
BEARS VS. REBELS
- This will be the third all-time meeting between Cal and UNLV and first at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Cal won the first-ever matchup between the Golden Bears and the Rebels on Sept. 10, 2022, in Berkeley with a final score of 20-14.
- The most recent contest between the two programs was at the 2024 Art of Sport LA Bowl game when the No. 24 Rebels downed the Bears 24-13 at SoFi Stadium.
CAL...
- Ranks first in the ACC and fourth nationally in defensive touchdowns with two. DB Kingston Lopa registered a pick-six against Syracuse while ILB Kamar Mothudi had a scoop-and-score against Clemson this past weekend.
- Ranks first in the ACC and fifth nationally in passes intercepted with six. Five of those interceptions were registered to Lopa through the first three games while DB Isaiah Crosby logged an interception in the opening drive of the game against the Tigers.
- Has produced strong results in the redzone this season with the Bears ranking second in the ACC and tying for 18th nationally in red zone defense (0.714) and fifth in the conference and tied for 37th nationally in red zone offense (.923).
- Ranks fifth in the conference in sacks allowed (1.5 avg per game).
- Ranks second in the ACC and fifth nationally in passing defense efficiency (95.36).
- Ranks second in the ACC and 17th nationally in turnovers gained (7).
DEFENSE REMAINS SOLID THROUGH WEEK 4
- DB Aiden Manutai recorded his first career sack and forced fumble in the first quarter against Clemson. The Tigers' Tait Reynolds scrambled and Manutai upended him, forcing the ball to come loose just before Reynolds hit the turf.
- Manutai is one of three Bears to be credited with a forced fumble this season after Cam Sidney and Khamani Hudson each forced a fumble in the Syracuse and UCLA games, respectively.
- ILB Kamar Mothudi registered his first career touchdown and fumble recovery against Clemson. He scooped up the loose ball that Manutai forced out of Reynolds' hands and ran it 35 yards into the end zone. Mothudi was named to the PFF ACC Team of the Week following his performance.
- DBs Kingston Lopa and Isaiah Crosby each registered a career-high 11 tackles against the Tigers to lead the Bears.
- Lopa leads the Bears with 20 solo tackles and 27 total tackles this season, with Crosby just behind him with 12 solo tackles and 20 total tackles.
- Crosby, Daniel Harris and Solomon Williams tie for most tackles-for-loss by a Bear this season with 2.0 each, with Harris' TFLs pushing opponents back a team-leading 17 yards. Harris also leads the team in pass breakups with four.
TUITELE TIME
- ILB AJ Tuitele had his first career sack against Clemson. He pushed the Tigers back 8 yards with his take-down of Tait Reynolds.
- Tuitele leads the Bears with six quarterback hurries this season. He also has 18 tackles on the season, which is fourth-most by any Bear.
- He will be returning to his hometown this weekend as a native of North Las Vegas, Nevada, where he attended Mojave High School. Tuitele was rated as the No. 1 player in the state of Nevada by On3, No. 10 by 247Sports and No. 11 by ESPN coming out of high school as part of the class of 2025. He spent his fall freshman campaign at USC where he played in three games before taking a redshirt year.
MINI SHOWS VERSATILITY
- TE Mason Mini had a rushing attempt and a pass attempt in a game for the second time in his career this past weekend against Clemson.
- Mini completed a 26-yard pass to WR Ian Strong in the third quarter. It was his second pass completion as a Bear after throwing a 42-yard touchdown pass to Kendrick Raphael against Virginia last season, which made him Cal's first non-quarterback to throw a touchdown pass since WR Vic Wharton III at Colorado on Oct. 28, 2017.
- He is the only non-quarterback in the ACC to have completed a pass this season.
- Mini continues to be a reliable target for QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. He leads the tight ends in receptions this season with nine catches for 110 receiving yards and has the fourth-most catches and receiving yards by a Cal player in 2026.
BEARS LEAD INTERCEPTIONS IN NCAA & NFL
- Bears are currently atop both the NCAA and NFL leaderboards in interceptions with DB Kingston Lopa leading the collegiate football ranks with five and recently graduated Bear CB Hezekiah Masses leading the NFL in interceptions with his three over the last two weeks of the NFL season.
- Lopa leads the nation with five interceptions for the third straight week. He registered at least one takeaway in each of Cal's first three games this season. Lopa needs one more interception to move into a tie for ninth place on Cal's single-season interceptions list.
- He is the highest-graded Cal safety, according to PFF (89.0).
- Lopa tallied a career-best three interceptions in the Bears' win over Syracuse, making him the first Bear to record three interceptions in a single game since Jaylinn Hawkins intercepted three passes against TCU at the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl.
- The last Bear to lead the nation in interceptions was Nohl Williams who finished the 2024 season atop the NCAA leaderboard with seven before being selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.
- Lopa returned one interception 24 yards for a go-ahead touchdown against Syracuse, which was the first pick-six of his career and the first by a Bear since Williams' 40-yard interception return for a score against Miami on Oct. 5, 2025. Lopa returned his first interception against Syracuse a career-high 53 yards.
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