The result, the player statistics, and the AP poll response.
Saturday, September 12 at 2:30 PM CDT · JMA Wireless Dome
AP at Kickoff: NR
California's 3-point win on September 12 was followed by the September 13 AP poll.
How voters ranked these teams before the game, and what changed in the next poll.
September 8 AP Poll · 69 Complete Ballots
No voter ranked both teams, so there is no head-to-head ordering to compare. Rankings are not game predictions.
Explore the Pregame Poll →September 13 AP Poll
0 of 69 → 0 of 68 voters ranked California.
Voter counts can change between polls. This describes what changed, not why each voter changed their ballot.
Explore the Following Poll →Choose a team and category to explore every available player.
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele | 21/34 | 182 | 5.4 | 2 | 0 | 54.4 |
California · Passing. A dash means unavailable. Dotted terms have explanations on hover, focus or tap.
2026 Season
Results from completed games before kickoff. Points are per game and include all opponents.
1 Completed Game
1 Completed Game
Final team statistics.
| Statistic | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 249 | 436 |
| Passing Yards | 182 | 318 |
| Rushing Yards | 67 | 118 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Third Downs | 3-12 | 7-17 |
| Possession | 25:50 | 34:10 |
| Statistic | California | Syracuse |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing Touchdowns | 0 | 1 |
| Punt Return Yards | 2 | 46 |
| Punt Return Touchdowns | 0 | 0 |
| Punt Returns | 1 | 3 |
| Passing Touchdowns | 2 | 1 |
| Kicking Points | 3 | 6 |
| Interception Return Yards | 53 | — |
| Interception Return Touchdowns | 1 | — |
| Passes Intercepted | 3 | — |
| Tackles for Loss | 5 | 7 |
| Defensive Touchdowns | 1 | 0 |
| Tackles | 39 | 33 |
| Sacks | 3 | 1 |
| Quarterback Hurries | 3 | 1 |
| Passes Deflected | 3 | 2 |
| Possession | 25:50 | 34:10 |
| Interceptions Thrown | 0 | 3 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 0 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Penalties / Yards | 9-87 | 15-132 |
| Yards per Carry | 2.6 | 3.3 |
| Rushing Attempts | 26 | 36 |
| Rushing Yards | 67 | 118 |
| Yards per Pass Attempt | 5.4 | 6.4 |
| Completions / Attempts | 21-34 | 25-50 |
| Passing Yards | 182 | 318 |
| Total Yards | 249 | 436 |
| Fourth Downs | 0-1 | 1-1 |
| Third Downs | 3-12 | 7-17 |
| First Downs | 16 | 27 |
| Kick Return Yards | — | 29 |
| Kick Return Touchdowns | — | 0 |
| Kick Returns | — | 1 |
| Fumbles Recovered | — | 0 |
| Total Fumbles | — | 1 |
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Syracuse | 3 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 18 |
Compare this game with a measured season average and the typical range.
2026 FBS vs. FBS games started before September 12 at 3:30 PM EDT. 63 of 63 eligible games have both offenses available. Each team-game counts equally; both offenses need at least 20 included plays.
These comparisons include garbage-time plays and are not opponent-adjusted. A typical range describes the middle half of this sample, not a universal good/bad cutoff.
· Higher means more expected scoring value gained.
Middle 50% Average
126 offensive team-game performances. Higher means more offensive value per play in this comparison.
· How often plays gained enough for their situation.
Middle 50% Average
126 offensive team-game performances. Higher means more offensive consistency in this comparison.
· How much value the successful plays created.
Middle 50% Average
126 offensive team-game performances. Higher means more offensive value on successful plays in this comparison.
| Team | Passing | Rushing | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -0.067 | -0.171 | -0.117 | 0.039 | -0.141 | -0.324 | |
| -0.057 | -0.045 | 0.058 | -0.140 | 0.005 | -0.427 |
All values are PPA per included play. Season benchmarks above describe whole-game offense, so they are not applied to these smaller splits.
Statistics are checked again after the final for late updates and corrections.
