WEEK 5, 2026
#25 CALIFORNIA (4-0, 2-0) @ UNLV (3-1, 0-1)
10/3/26 • 4 PM
Allegiant Stadium • Las Vegas, NV
LAS VEGAS, NV • California's first true road test of the season looked more like a statement than a challenge.
The No. 25 Golden Bears improved to 5-0 with a commanding 38-6 victory over UNLV on Saturday night, overwhelming the Rebels from the opening drive behind another masterful performance from quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and a defense that never allowed the home crowd to find its voice.
The sophomore quarterback looked completely in control from start to finish, carving up the UNLV secondary for 345 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Sagapolutele spread the football around all night, connecting with four different touchdown targets while consistently extending drives. Cal converted 6-of-8 third downs, and the Bears' offense finished with 425 total yards despite holding the ball for just over 21 minutes.
His first touchdown found tight end Dorian Thomas from nine yards out to open the scoring, and after UNLV trimmed the lead to 7-3 early in the second quarter, Sagapolutele immediately answered.
He threw another touchdown to Thomas, found Ian Strong for a four-yard score before halftime, then capped his evening with a beautiful 23-yard strike to Dajuan McKinley late in the third quarter that effectively ended any hopes of a Rebel comeback.
While the offense grabbed headlines, the defense quietly turned in another elite performance. The Bears limited UNLV to 252 total yards, 15 first downs and sacked quarterback Alex Orji four times.
For the first time since 2015, the Cal Golden Bears have opened the season 5-0 and each week the offense appears more explosive while the defense continues to play championship-level football.
A difficult stretch of the schedule still awaits, but after dismantling UNLV on the road, the Golden Bears leave Las Vegas unbeaten, confident, and carrying plenty of momentum into Game 6.
STATS
► Show Spoiler
