For more reasons than one, Saturday was a historic day for the Cal football program. The Bears beat UCLA and earned a bowl game berth for the first time since 2019. This was also the Bears’ last Pac-12 game, and the last Pac-12 game as many know it.

Here are five takeaways from the Bears’ victory at UCLA looking ahead to the coming offseason.

For many Cal fans, the Justin Wilcox era is marked by close losses to top programs. This season alone, the Bears held a lead at some point in their losses against Utah, Oregon State, USC and Auburn. This time around, as 9.5 underdogs against UCLA, the script appeared to be more of the same — the Bears not being able to finish games against superior competition.

The magnitude of a 33-7 road victory with everything on the line cannot be understated. Everything came together for the Bears at the exact time that it needed to in all three phases. On paper, the Bruins were a tough matchup for the Bears. However, a Cal defense that held Auburn to 14 points proved its worth, as the Bears got a strong performance in the front seven marked by the likes of David Reese and Cade Uluave, among others.

On the other side of the ball, Fernando Mendoza and the offense were able to capitalize on the opportunities given to them by the defense. Against a tough UCLA rush defense, the Bears stuck with the run game and converted on several red zone trips. As costly as the two Mendoza interceptions were, the offense never backed down, and it paid off.

This is a confident team with plenty of young and developing talent. Uluave, Jaydn Ott and Trond Grizzell, among other key contributors, are still early in their careers.

This game was a perfect time to shift the tide for the program. After several less-than-ideal seasons since the COVID-19 pandemic riddled with close losses, the Bears finally put the hammer down against UCLA. Cal will have a chance to prove itself in the national spotlight with a bowl berth, which is especially crucial with the move to the ACC next season.