California quarterback Fernando Mendoza is going viral after leading the Bears to bowl eligibility, but it's not the results on the field that sees him trending.
It's been a long and hard-fought year for the California Bears. In their first season in the ACC, it took Cal until November 8 for them to finally win a conference game, and there were several close calls along the way.
Cal lost 14-9 to Florida State, and then followed that with a 39-38 loss to Miami in a game that they led the Hurricanes for almost the entirety of the night. Cal also suffered a 17-15 loss to Pittsburgh and then a 24-23 loss to NC State. Finally, they were able to close out a conference game with a 46-36 win over Wake Forest.
Though the Bears only had one conference win heading into Saturday's matchup with Stanford, they were a perfect 4-0 in nonconference play, which included a win over Auburn earlier this season.
Knowing they needed just one more win to get to bowl eligibility, California pulled out an emotional 24-21 win over Stanford, which included coming from behind 21-10 in the fourth quarter. The Bears took their first lead of the night with 2:40 remaining in the game on a Jonathan Brady 30-yard touchdown reception from Mendoza.
After the game, Mendoza broke down crying during the post game interview. His emotion and love for his team was felt in a big way.
The full Fernando Mendoza post game interview after defeating Stanford
— c (@calgoldnbears) November 23, 2024
I'm not crying, you are#CALGORITHM #GOBEARS pic.twitter.com/5EPIiq7uwM
Mendoza finished the night 25-of-36 for 299 yards and three touchdowns. The sophomore quarterback has seen some ups and downs this season, but this was moment was pure and one that the entire college football community can appreciate.
California will finish out its regular season with a road tilt against the SMU Mustangs. Then, the Bears will await their bowl destination.