Jeremiah Hunter

In their last game of the season, the Bears were looking for redemption and momentum against the No. 18 UCLA Bruins. Instead, they found loss.

The latest hope in question took the form of Cal’s opening touchdown against USC, in a game that ultimately ended in a 35-41 blue and gold loss.

Since he was young, the star Cal wide receiver has known that his passion lies with football — but his purpose lies with family.

The Bears put up a fight, but the Cougars simply played a better game. On almost every front, Cougar stats were overwhelmingly above Cal’s, and their productivity followed suit.

In striking opposition to last week’s brutal beginning, the Bears came out firing on all cylinders. With an immediate sack, followed by back-to-back incompletions, Cal came out guns blazing.

This offense is proving to be something special as the Bears inch closer and closer to conference play. Plummer has found his footing with the Bears’ system and will no doubt continue to produce.

But instead of that familiar nervous energy that permeated any game in which Cal started slowly, I felt an intoxicating confidence. It shone in Plummer’s face, and it was revealed on Davis’s failed fourth and one attempt at the end of the first quarter.

There was a lot that was new in Memorial Stadium — but the biggest change was on the field.

With the Bears seeing an uptick in players leaving during the offseason, the team welcomes the start of spring football practice.