BERKELEY, Calif. (Interstat) — Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele passed for 413 yards and three touchdowns, and California defeated Wagner 49-7 on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, at California Memorial Stadium. The Golden Bears improved to 2-1. The Seahawks fell to 1-3. The NCAA Football Bowl Division game was played in Berkeley, and California controlled the matchup from the opening possessions. Sagapolutele, a quarterback from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, completed 27 of 33 attempts and guided an offense that scored in every quarter. California’s defense limited Wagner to a single touchdown. The visiting Seahawks moved the ball intermittently but could not keep pace once the Golden Bears found a rhythm. The result gave California a second win in three games this season and sent Wagner to its third loss in four contests.

California started fast when Adam Mohammed rushed right for a 28-yard touchdown. Towns McGough added the extra point. Mohammed later scored on a 6-yard run, though a California unnecessary roughness penalty followed the play. Sagapolutele then connected with K. Grayes on an 80-yard touchdown pass, and Mason Mini converted a two-point rush. The Golden Bears kept pressure on Wagner with a balanced mix of runs and quick passes. McGough later made a 36-yard field goal. California added another touchdown when Sagapolutele found Cooper Perry for a 16-yard score. A potential 32-yard touchdown pass to Ian Strong was nullified by a holding penalty. Ashten Emory rushed left for an 8-yard touchdown in the third quarter. A 2-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Brousseau to Anthony League was erased by a face-mask penalty. Chase Meyer made a 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and missed from 35 yards in the third. The Golden Bears finished with 49 points despite several penalties that wiped out scoring plays.

Wagner’s only touchdown came in the second quarter when Benjamin Newman found Malik Redd for an 8-yard pass to the end zone. Johnny DiSalvatore made the extra point. Newman, a quarterback from East Rochester, New York, completed 15 of 31 passes for 86 yards and added 23 rushing yards. Redd caught three passes for 20 yards and the score. Jeremiah Colclough and Derek Burrell each had three receptions for 24 yards. Zion Fowler-El caught two passes for 8 yards. Teree McDonald had one catch for 2 yards. Matt Morad led Wagner’s rushers with 19 yards on eight carries and added two receptions for 3 yards. Shawn James ran eight times for 36 yards. Uriah Moats-Maynard had five carries for 9 yards and one catch for 5 yards. Andrew Ransome gained 11 yards on three carries. Cristian Pinto had two carries for 14 yards. Karlos Grier returned four kickoffs for 103 yards. Vincent Muscillo punted eight times for 288 yards. Ryan Liszner missed a 45-yard field goal before halftime, and DiSalvatore had a 32-yard attempt blocked by A. Hampton in the fourth quarter. Jason Wiley attempted one pass and did not complete it.

California’s Jackson Brousseau completed 8 of 10 passes for 79 yards in relief. Taimane Purcell caught one pass for 9 yards. Niles Davis returned one kickoff for 23 yards and recorded four tackles. Ricky Fletcher and Tristan Dunn each made two tackles. Tristan Jernigan recorded three tackles and one quarterback hurry. The Golden Bears also got contributions from their special teams, with McGough handling kicking duties early and Meyer punting and kicking later. California’s offense repeatedly attacked the edges and found room in the passing game. Sagapolutele’s 413 yards and three touchdowns stood as the central performance of the afternoon. He spread the ball to multiple receivers and kept the Golden Bears ahead comfortably. The Seahawks’ defense had to defend a short field several times after California’s quick strikes.

Wagner’s defensive effort was led by Shamar Williams, who made 10 tackles. Brendan Leal and Evan Dukes each finished with six tackles. Vincent Bertone had five tackles. Austin Bailey, Freddie Camp and Eli Hiscock each recorded four tackles. Julio Tatis, Kasiem Cromwell, Ernest Blackshire Jr., Cam Haynes, Nathan Moorehead, Acear Cornish, Olanrewaju Adeyemi, Abdoul Idriss, Grant Edmond and Kahmari Valentine each had three tackles. Adeyemi added one quarterback hurry. Auston Francis, Logan Barnes and Jordan Gaston each made two tackles. Dashawn Long, Yasin Elhossieni, Nick Parisi and Ryan Sissel each had one tackle. The Seahawks struggled to contain Sagapolutele and the California passing attack, especially on deep throws and throws outside the numbers. Wagner’s tackling leaders kept the game from becoming even more lopsided, but California’s speed at receiver and precision at quarterback proved difficult to counter.

The game marked a nonconference test for both programs. Wagner entered after a 3-87 loss at James Madison on Sept. 12. The Seahawks had beaten Southern Connecticut State 31-7 on Sept. 5 and lost to Robert Morris 28-7 on Aug. 29. California entered after a 21-18 win at Syracuse on Sept. 12 and a 45-24 loss to UCLA on Sept. 5. Wagner’s next game is at Central Connecticut on Oct. 3. The Seahawks then host Princeton on Oct. 10 and Long Island University on Oct. 17 before playing at Duquesne on Oct. 24, at Merrimack on Oct. 31 and at Mercyhurst on Nov. 7. Wagner hosts New Haven on Nov. 14 and plays at Stonehill on Nov. 21. California hosts Clemson on Friday, Sept. 25, then plays at UNLV on Oct. 3. The Golden Bears host Virginia Tech on Oct. 10 and Wake Forest on Oct. 17 before playing at SMU on Oct. 24 and at North Carolina State on Oct. 31. California plays at Virginia on Nov. 14, hosts Stanford on Nov. 21 and hosts Pittsburgh on Nov. 28.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of California 39, Wagner 7. Interstat’s ELO system had projected California with a 99.3 percent probability to win. Wagner had been installed with a pregame spread of +58.5. The over/under line was 65.5, and the game’s combined 56 points finished under that number.