Down 25, No. 8 Miami storms back in epic comeback vs. Cal

BERKELEY, Calif. — For the second straight week, Miami avoided a near-certain defeat to remain unbeaten, this time rallying from a 25-point second-half deficit to beat California  39-38.

Miami quarterback Cam Ward played a brilliant fourth quarter as the Hurricanes scored the final 21 points, connecting with Elijah Arroyo on a 5-yard game-winning touchdown with 26 seconds left.

“Nobody played their best ball, so we just can’t put ourselves in these situations to have to come back,” Ward said. “That’s two games straight we had to do that. We got to lock in. … It’s good to get a win. We’re not going to complain. Ugly wins are better than good losses.”

Ward led four straight touchdown drives to end the game and spoil what looked like the most monumental day in years for the Golden Bears (3-2, 0-2 ACC), who hosted ESPN’s “College GameDay” for the first time and were on the verge of their second win over a top-10 team in the past 21 seasons.

Instead, Ward made sure the rare sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium went home unhappy after overcoming a 35-10 deficit in the third quarter. That gave the Hurricanes (6-0, 2-0) a second straight dramatic victory after needing a replay review to hold off Virginia Tech 38-34 last week.

Cal coach Justin Wilcox, when asked afterward about his team’s mood in the locker room, said, “It’s as bad as you can imagine.”

“Football is a humbling game,” he said. “We had every opportunity to win that game, obviously. We didn’t get it done. So every individual has to own it. I think this is a pivotal moment for the team. I hope that all coaches, players, administrators, everybody involved will be proud of how they responded in a month or two months or six months or even a year in this moment right now.”

With 1:50 remaining, the ACC officiating crew reviewed a possible targeting hit to Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza that would have set the Bears up with a crucial first down, but the crew upheld the decision on the field, forcing a punt.

“I’m not going to talk about that,” Wilcox said. “You can write whatever you want.”

It was the second straight week the Hurricanes benefited from an officiating decision that likely would have swung the outcome of the game. Against Virginia Tech last week, officials overturned a Hail Mary touchdown that would have given the Hokies the victory.

Over the past 20 years, ACC teams were 1-401 when facing a 25-plus point deficit at any point, with NC State overcoming a 27-point deficit in 2011, according to ESPN Research. This was Miami’s largest comeback since 1999 and the largest in FBS this season.

Ward struggled early, including throwing a pick-six that put Cal ahead 28-10 in the second quarter, but his belief never wavered.

“Just keep playing,” he said. “Can’t come back from 25 trying to get it in one drive. So just take it play by play, have belief, and when you got the right guys on the team like we do, you can do some good stuff.”

Ward completed 35 of 53 passes for 437 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He also scored on a 24-yard run with 4:04 left that cut Cal’s lead to 38-32.

“I’ve said it a million times,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “I’ve got complete and utter faith in that guy and everything he represents and stands for.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.