There are all sorts of reasons the wheels came off in the fourth quarter for Cal against Miami on Saturday night.

And just as many ways the Bears could have averted letting a 25-point lead turn into a 39-38 nightmare defeat.

One more first down at some point in the fourth quarter might have taken another couple minutes off the clock and dented the Miami rally. Avoiding a catastrophic blown coverage on the Hurricanes’ 77-yard pass play on the final drive would almost certainly have changed the outcome.

And that doesn’t address what everyone seems to agree was an egregious non-call on the targeting play against Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza late in the game.

None of it excuses squandering leads of 35-10 in the third quarter and 38-18 in the fourth, even against a talented and explosive Hurricanes’ offense.

Hidden amongst the wreckage of the night is one undeniable shortcoming: The Bears cannot run the ball.

Think about it, the coaching staff has worked for a couple years at developing a big-play offense. Mendoza had four pass completions in excess of 50 yards against Miami — something Cal hasn’t accomplished in at least a dozen seasons.

Even the prolific Bears of Jared Goff under coach Sonny Dykes never had four plays of at least 50 yards in a game, although they did have three of them against Arizona State in 2015 plus two more that went 49 yards.

Mendoza, who has passed for 588 yards in defeats the past two games, is among six ACC quarterbacks named on Monday to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Top-25 watch list.

His four big plays against Miami added up to 230 yards. On their other 45 offensive snaps, the Bears totaled just 140 yards.

The key number there was the Bears’ total plays — 49, including the four big ones. Miami ran 86 plays — 37 more snaps than Cal managed. Coach Justin Wilcox talks about that discrepancy in the video above.

The most glaring numbers are in the run game. Cal had 73 net rushing yards on 25 attempts, but those include eight rushes (or sacks) credited to Mendoza and backup QB Chandler Rogers (who played well) and a creative 20-yard end-around by wide receiver Jonathan Brady.

So what did the Cal running backs get done? Not much. Certainly not enough.

They ran the ball just 15 times and netted 23 yards. That’s 1.5 yards per attempt by the running backs. Nine of those 15 tries went for 1 yard or less. Ouch.

Preseason All-America candidate Jaydn Ott, who has been hobbled by an ankle injury, was healthy enough to score on a 66-yard screen pass play down the right sideline. And he had a 5-yard touchdown run. His other six running plays netted minus-3 yards, leaving him with a career-low 2 rushing yards.

Backup Jaivian Thomas had a 19-yard run, but totaled 1 yard on his other six rushes. 

It’s important to remember Cal was ahead on the scoreboard most of the game — way ahead for a long time. That’s when teams will run the ball to milk the clock. The Bears didn’t run it, probably because they know they can’t.

The offensive line is not the whole problem but it is part of it. Cal allowed 13 sacks the two previous games and couldn’t get its ground game going in this one against a Miami defense that gave up 206 rushing yards to Virginia Tech in its previous outing.

This actually has been an issue since the Bears’ opening game against UC Davis, when Cal’s backs carried 28 times for 88 yards — just 3.1 yards per attempt — against an FCS opponent.

Things were worse still at Auburn, where Cal backs rushed 26 times for 75 yards, an average of 2.9 per try. But Cal won the game, so it went largely unnoticed.

The Bears appeared to remedy the issue a week later in an easy win over San Diego State, even with Ott shelved by his ankle injury Thomas had a career-best 169 rushing yards and Cal’s backs carried the ball 29 times for 267 yards — a whopping 9.2 yards per attempt.

Then, in a 14-9 loss at Florida State, Ott returned and contributed to the Cal backs gaining 99 yards on 23 rushes, a suitable 4.3 yards per try.

It didn’t help Saturday that Cal again played without starting guard Sioape Vatikani, their most experienced O-lineman. He missed the first three games with a foot injury, then sat out the Miami game while recovering from  a neck or head injury at FSU. His status for Saturday’s game at No. 22 Pitt is unknown.

One thing that’s clear is that for the Bears to end their two-game losing skid and regain their early-season momentum, they’re going to have to find a running game.

Evan Funke, the Roman cuisine pro behind LA’s perpetual hotspots Felix and Mother Wolf, has brought his latest venture, Mother Wolf Miami, to the Miami Design District in partnership with Ten Five Hospitality, known for its high-profile restaurant projects like Baia Beach Club. The new outpost showcases Funke’s traditional approach to Roman cooking, blending age-old culinary techniques with Miami’s sleek, modern vibe.

Funke, a two-time James Beard nominee who also happens to star in the latest season of Chef’s Table on Netflix (focused, of course, on pasta), tells Eater Miami he’s not interested in opening just another Italian restaurant—something Miami has plenty of. “Mother Wolf is not an Italian restaurant. It’s a Roman restaurant,” he explained. “Roman food is very strict, almost dogmatic. There’s one way to make cacio e pepe, there’s one way to make amatriciana.”

Mother Wolf shot to national fame in 2022, attracting a 1,500-person waitlist before it even opened and quickly becoming a hotspot for A-list celebrities like Mark Wahlberg, Chrissy Teigen, and Vanessa Hudgens. The buzz only intensified with the expansion last year, adding a second location inside the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

In this newest outpost, Funke’s signature “pasta lab” takes center stage as guests walk into the space, offering diners a view into the daily pasta-making process. Alongside his staple dishes—like cacio e pepe and rigatoni alla carbonara—Funke introduces new Miami-inspired items like spaghetti Ricci di Mare, with sea urchin, and a seafood-heavy Fritto Misto di Mare. “We’re moving toward coastal Roman,” Funke said of the Miami location. “Italian food is very much environmentally driven, and here we’re cooking as Italians would—leaning into what’s available around us.”

At Mother Wolf, Funke aims to transport guests straight to the streets of Rome. Fired in a wood oven, the pizzas stay true to Roman tradition with thin crusts and simple ingredients like the classic Margherita and spicy Diavola. Beyond the pizza and pasta, diners can expect dishes like fried squash blossoms and short rib-filled meatballs, while mains like whole roasted branzino, lamb rib chops, and dry-aged ribeye round out the offerings.

Designed by London’s Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, Mother Wolf blends Roman influences with Miami’s art deco style. Murano glass chandeliers hang from a custom fabric ceiling, while terrazzo floors and Horus gold marble tables fill the dining room. Timber-framed banquettes and a 30-foot bar add a touch of old-school glamour, mean to balance the rustic nature of the food. “The space is really over the top while the food is extremely rustic,” Funke says. “I like that juxtaposition.” Oak paneling, brass accents, and glazed ceramic details can be found throughout the space, while the open kitchen offers a front-row seat to the action, with bar seats in front saved for walk-ins.

In keeping with the Italian theme, servers wear tuxedo jackets, while sommeliers provide rare Italian wines by the glass, adding to the celebratory atmosphere. The wine list, featuring over 400 bottles, highlights producers from Italy’s Piedmont, Tuscany, and Sardinia. Drinks are no afterthought either. The cocktail list balances Italian classics with local twists. The San Lorenzo mixes gin, sage, and black pepper, while the R&R plays with whiskey and Italian herbs.

However, Funke admits that Miami wasn’t always on his radar. “I don’t really target markets like, ‘I want to open here,’” he said. “I like to go where there’s great people, where I can get good products, where people want to cook this food. And Miami—there’s no shortage of Italian restaurants, so I knew there would be a set of cooks I could possibly work with.” Funke found himself pulled in by the Design District’s mix of art and fashion, which he felt aligned with the restaurant. “The space and energy just felt right,” he said.

For Funke, creating a connection between Miami and Rome is key. “If you eat cacio e pepe here and then go to Rome, I want you to remember that time at Mother Wolf Miami,” he said.

Mother Wolf Miami is now open at 3841 NE 2nd Avenue in the Miami Design District from Tuesday through Sunday, from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Giovana Canali continues to have an incredible freshman season as she scores her eighth goal of the season in the second half and the University of Miami soccer team (4-5-3) earned a 1-0 victory over Florida Atlantic (2-7-3) Sunday evening.

Miami recorded 19 shots in the match, eight of which were on frame, while FAU compiled four shots, three of which were on frame. 

The Canes will return to the field next Saturday, October 12, when they will travel to face Clemson. 

Volleyball: Virginia 3, Miami 0

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