TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Ja’Khi Douglas caught a 36-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and Florida State defeated Cal 14-9 on Saturday in the Bears’ first Atlantic Coast Conference game.
Patrick Payton accounted for three of Florida State’s seven sacks. The final sack came from Marvin Jones Jr. and Edwin Joseph, who combined to sack Cal’s Fernando Mendoza on fourth down with 54 seconds left. The Bears had advanced to Florida State’s 23-yard line.
Lawrance Toafili had 17 carries for 80 yards and a 2-yard touchdown for Florida State (1-3, 1-2 ACC).
FSU’s DJ Uiagalelei had an inconsistent performance, completing 16 of 27 passes for 177 yards, but it was his touchdown pass to Douglas that gave the Seminoles the lead early in the fourth quarter.
Mendoza completed 22 of 36 passes for a season-high 303 yards for Cal (3-1, 0-1). The Miami native also had an interception.
Cal running back Jaydn Ott returned from an injury-related absence and managed 73 yards on 13 carries.
California: The Bears managed 422 offensive yards but missed two field goal attempts of less than 40 yards. Pre-snap penalties often hurt California’s drives.
Florida State: The Seminoles were only able to achieve 284 offensive yards, the fourth straight game in which they failed to surpass the 300-yard mark.
Cal has a bye and hosts No. 8 Miami on Oct. 5.
Florida State plays at SMU on Saturday.
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