Cal had its two-game winning streak snapped in a 33-25 loss to Syracuse in front of a crowd of 33,493 at Cal’s Memorial Statdium on Saturday afternoon. The Bears, who were 10-point favorites in the game, failed to get the sixth win needed to become bowl eligible with two games remaining.

The summary:

SYRACUSE 33, CAL 25

FILES: CAL (5-5, 1-5 ACC), SYRACUSE (7-3, 4-3 ACC)

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord. McCord, who entered the game leading the nation in passing yards per game, passed for 323 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.

GAME STATUS: Syracuse scored on each of its first six possessions – three touchdowns and three field goals. The first time Syacuse didn’t turn a possession into points was in the fourth quarter when Syracuse punted with 14:52 left on the Orange’s seventh possession.

GAME STATUS II: Cal committed more turnovers than its opponent for the first time this season. Syracuse committed no turnovers, the first time this season Cal did not force an opponent into committing a turnover. Cal committed two turnovers, both on interceptions by Fernando Mendoza.

GAME STATUS III: Syracuse was 4-for-4 on fourth-down plays, covering all four on first downs.

TURNING: On Syracuse’s possession after Cal closed to within 13-7 on Jaivian Thomas’ 75-yard touchdown run, Orange quarterback Kyle McCord completed passes of 24 and 26 yards on consecutive plays in a touchdown drive which gave the Orange a 20-7 lead with 9: There are 52 left in the first half.

CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Bears linebacker Cade Uluave did not play Saturday due to a lower body injury.

KEY GAME 1: Syracuse’s Jackson Kennedy kicked a 24-yard field goal to complete a 13-play, 69-yard drive that gave the Orange a 3-0 lead with 8:54 left in the first quarter.

KEY PLAY: On a second-and-19 play from the Cal 44-yard line, Cal’s Fernando Mendoza threw a pass that was intercepted by Syracuse’s Marlowe Wax at the Syracuse 39-yard line and returned 21 yards to the line of Cal’s 40 yards with 6: 14 left in the first quarter. That led to Jackson Kennedy’s 42-yard field goal that gave Syracuse a 6-0 lead with 4:19 left in the first quarter.

KEY GAME 3: On a first down from the Cal 32-yard line, Cal’s Fernando Mendoza threw a pass that was intercepted by Syracuse’s Davien Kerr at the Syracuse 31-yard line with 3:45 left in the first quarter . This led to Syracuse’s first touchdown (see Key Play 4).

KEY GAME 4: Syracuse’s LaQuint Allen Jr. ran 30 yards for a touchdown that gave the Orange a 13-0 lead with 13:37 left in the second quarter. The Orange converted two fourth-down plays into first downs on this 69-yard drive.

KEY GAME 5: Cal’s Jaivian Thomas ran 75 yards for a touchdown that cut Syracuse’s lead to 13-7 with 1:30 remaining in the first half.

KEY GAMES 6: Syracuse’s Kyle McCord completed passes of 24 and 26 yards on consecutive plays to set up LaQuint Allen Jr.’s 1-yard touchdown run to give the Orange a 20-7 lead with 9:52 left in the first half -time.

KEY GAME 7: Syracuse’s Kyle McCord completed a 40-yard pass to Justus Ross-Simmons to the Cal 19-yard line, which led to McCord’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Meeks, which increased the Syracuse’s lead was 27-7 with 4:06 left. the first half.

KEY GAME 8: Cal’s Jaydn Ott scored on a 15-yard touchdown run to complete a 92-yard drive that cut Syracuse’s lead to 27-14 with 8:54 left in the third quarter.

KEY GAME 9: On a fourth-and-2 play from the Cal 49-yard line, Kyle McCord completed a 20-yard pass to Oronde Gadsden II for a first down that ultimately led to Jackson Kennedy’s 43-yard field goal. That extended Syracuse’s lead to 30-14 with 4:53 left in the third quarter.

KEY GAME 10: Jaydn Ott had a 53-yard run that put the ball at the Syracuse 27-yard line and set up Ryan Coe’s 44-yard field goal that cut Syracuse’s lead to 30-17 with 12:43 to go. play in the fourth quarter.

KEY GAME 11: Fernando Mendoza completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Brady, then completed a pass to Jack Endries for the two-point conversion to cut Syracuse’s lead to 33-25 with 1:01 left.

KEY GAME 12: Syracuse recovered Cal’s onside kick attempt with 1:00 left.

INDIVIDUAL GAME STAT: Syracuse running back LaQuint Allen rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 25 yards.

QUARTERBACK STATS: Cal’s Fernando Mendoza was 22 of 34 for 225 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Syracuse’s Kyle McCord finished 29 of 46 for 323 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

WHAT THIS MEANS: With its fifth ACC loss, Cal is assured of having a losing conference record for a 15th consecutive season. This is the longest active streak in the country. The Bears failed to get the sixth win needed to become bowl eligible, and they need two wins to have their first winning season since 2019.

CAL BOWL BAROMETER: Cal’s chances of playing in the bowl stand at about 50%. Cal must win one of its final two games to become bowl eligible for a second straight year with two regular season games remaining, next week against Stanford in Berkeley, and a Nov. 30 game at SMU, which began this weekend alone first. place at the CAC. Stanford’s 38-35 victory over Louisville appears to make next week’s Big Game a bigger challenge for Cal.

NEXT GAME: Cal (5-5, 1-5 ACC) faces Stanford (2-7, 2-5 ACC) in Berkeley, California on Saturday, November 23. Kick-off time: 12:30 p.m. TV: ACC Network. Stanford result on Saturday: Stanford upset 19th-ranked Louisville, 38-35, on Saturday afternoon when Emmet Kenney kicked a 52-yard field goal with four seconds remaining.

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