In a game where momentum was the key to victory for Cal, the Bears came back from down 17 points to win 31-17 against Idaho on Saturday. There was plenty to like about the Bears’ comeback, particularly their performance on the ground and defensively. We will delve into five takeaways from Cal's performance on Saturday night, and what they mean as the Bears now prepare to begin facing ranked Pac-12 competition beginning with a high-powered Washington offense this week.

Saturday’s game featured two different versions of the Bears. The first appeared unprepared, out of character and lifeless as it went down 17-0 early in the second quarter. After the 9:08 mark of the second quarter — when the Bears’ first scoring drive began — Cal looked like a different animal, eventually outscoring the Vandals 31-0 and handily winning the game. Perhaps the biggest storyline from the victory was the Bears’ change of pace. It begs the question, what changed after the Bears went down 17-0?

The trend of outperforming against favored teams and underperforming when they are favored dates back to last season. In 2022, Cal went toe-to-toe with a ranked Notre Dame team only to lose to an 0-5 Colorado team several games later. Saturday’s game was a nearly identical scenario, as the Bears put up a formidable performance against Auburn, and went down 17-0 to an FCS team at home the following week. Though the Bears ultimately came back, they’ve proven susceptible to the classic “trap game.” That is, though a heavily favored team is more talented, they are outperformed nonetheless by an underdog due to lack of effort.