November 8, 2025 Week 11 · Regular Season Belt changed hands

California takes the belt, 29–26, on the road at Louisville.

Home · Defending Holder

LouisvilleAP No. 14 26

Away · New Holder

California 29

AP poll, week 11: California unranked at Louisville No. 14 · No. 1 that week: Ohio State. The belt vs. the polls →

Belt context

Where this game sits in the lineage

California took the belt here, ending Louisville’s run of 22 days and 2 defenses (reign #329) and starting reign #330. It lasted 14 days and 0 defenses, until Stanford took it on November 22, 2025.

For California this was its 20th shot at the belt; it had held the belt twice before — and it took it back here.

This is the only time California and Louisville have met with the belt on the line.

AI-Written

Recap

California claimed the College Football Belt in a thrilling back-and-forth contest at Louisville, prevailing 26-29 in a game that featured five overtimes. The Bears' offense proved more efficient throughout, with quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele leading multiple scoring drives and connecting with receivers like Jacob De Jesus and Quincy Adams on deep balls. Louisville kept pace with field goals from Cooper Ranvier and touchdowns from Derrick Watson and Marcus Moss, but California's ability to convert third downs (8-18) and avoid turnovers proved decisive. The game came down to the final overtime, where De Jesus caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Sagapolutele to lift California over Louisville's 49-yard Ranvier field goal attempt.

California's two first-half touchdown drives (Q1 end zone pass to Morris, Q2 end zone rush by Raphael) established early momentum despite Louisville's defensive efforts
Louisville's K. Brown 35-yard rush late in Q2 kept the Cardinals in striking distance and set up another Ranvier field goal
California's interception of Marcus Moss in Q3 and subsequent Meyer field goal extended the Bears' lead when Louisville threatened
De Jesus' overtime touchdown reception sealed the belt for California after both teams traded scores through multiple extra periods

Written by Claude from the box score and play-by-play on this page — a plain-English recap of the numbers below, not a substitute for them.

By Quarter

Line score

Team	1	2	3	4	OT	Final
Louisville	7	6	7	3	3	26
California	7	10	6	0	6	29

Pulled directly from CFBD’s play-by-play record, the same source as every score in the lineage.

Full Box Score

Team stats

CFBD box score

LouisvilleCalifornia

Total yards351427

Rushing yards14877

Passing yards203350

First downs1621

3rd down conv.6/178/18

Turnovers10

Penalties–yards4–458–60

Time of possession30:0829:52

Full team box score from CFBD’s /games/teams data. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have team-level stats that far back.

Play By Play

Key plays

CFBD play-by-play

When	Team	Yards	Play
Q5 0:00	Louisville	+49 yd	Cooper Ranvier 49 Yd Field Goal
Q5 0:00	California	+3 yd	Jacob De Jesus 3 Yd pass from Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele
Q1 10:33	California	+40 yd	(10:36) #91 C.Meyer field goal attempt from 40 yards NO GOOD (H: #40 B.Honore Jr., LS: #39 R.Monteforte), clock 10:33
Q1 14:35	California	+27 yd	(15:00) Shotgun #21 J.De Jesus pass complete deep right to #7 T.Grizzell caught at CAL48, for 27 yards to the LOU48 (#4 J.Mack), 1ST DOWN
Q1 6:25	Louisville	+40 yd	(06:33) Shotgun #7 M.Moss pass complete deep middle to #5 C.Lacy caught at CAL26, for 40 yards to the CAL08 (#5 H.Masses), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
Q1 5:11	Louisville	+1 yd	(05:11) #26 D.Watson rush right for 1 yard gain to the CAL00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 05:11 #36 C.Ranvier kick attempt good (H: #93 D.Chapeau, LS: #48 S.Kochav)
Q1 1:33	California	+39 yd	(01:45) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 J.Sagapolutele pass complete deep middle to #18 Q.Adams caught at LOU30, for 39 yards to the LOU21 (#50 C.Lubin), 1ST DOWN
Q1 0:40	California	+20 yd	(00:47) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 J.Sagapolutele pass complete short right to #81 L.Morris caught at LOU02, for 20 yards to the LOU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 00:40, 1ST DOWN #91 C.Meyer kick attempt good (H: #40 B.Honore Jr., LS: #39 R.Monteforte)
Q2 11:01	Louisville	+30 yd	(11:01) #36 C.Ranvier field goal attempt from 30 yards GOOD (H: #93 D.Chapeau, LS: #48 S.Kochav), clock 11:01
Q2 12:22	Louisville	+21 yd	(12:31) Shotgun #7 M.Moss pass complete short middle to #3 D.Collins caught at CAL25, for 21 yards to the CAL18 (#20 C.Sidney; #2 D.Polidore Jr.), 1ST DOWN
Q2 5:58	California	+27 yd	(05:58) #91 C.Meyer field goal attempt from 27 yards GOOD (H: #40 B.Honore Jr., LS: #39 R.Monteforte), clock 05:58
Q2 10:51	California	+25 yd	(11:00) Shotgun #3 J.Sagapolutele pass complete short left to #21 J.De Jesus caught at CAL40, for 25 yards to the CAL50 (#24 C.Gordon), 1ST DOWN
Q2 10:18	California	+24 yd	(10:22) No Huddle-Shotgun #1 K.Raphael rush middle for 24 yards gain to the LOU26 (#24 C.Gordon), 1ST DOWN
Q2 8:21	California	+20 yd	(08:31) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 J.Sagapolutele pass complete short middle to #82 C.Boscia caught at LOU20, for 20 yards to the LOU05 (#24 C.Gordon), 1ST DOWN
Q2 2:34	Louisville	+49 yd	(02:34) #36 C.Ranvier field goal attempt from 49 yards GOOD (H: #93 D.Chapeau, LS: #48 S.Kochav), clock 02:34
Q2 4:24	Louisville	+35 yd	(04:30) No Huddle-Shotgun #22 K.Brown rush left for 35 yards gain to the CAL31 (#5 H.Masses; #8 J.Wagoner), 1ST DOWN
Q2 3:03	Louisville	-5 yd	(03:28) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 M.Moss rush middle for 5 yards loss to the CAL31 fumbled by #7 M.Moss at CAL26 recovered by LOU #7 M.Moss at CAL31, End Of Play
Q2 1:49	California	+21 yd	(01:54) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 J.Sagapolutele pass complete deep right to #21 J.De Jesus caught at LOU41, for 21 yards to the LOU41 (#12 K.Perry), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
Q2 0:23	California	+23 yd	(00:30) Shotgun #3 J.Sagapolutele pass complete short middle to #1 K.Raphael caught at LOU28, for 23 yards to the LOU10 (#24 C.Gordon), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
Q2 0:07	California	+2 yd	(00:10) #1 K.Raphael rush middle for 2 yards gain to the LOU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 00:07, 1ST DOWN #91 C.Meyer kick attempt good (H: #40 B.Honore Jr., LS: #39 R.Monteforte)
Q2 0:02	California	+37 yd	(00:07) #27 A.Murray kickoff 37 yards to the LOU28 #86 J.Stewart return for loss of 6 yards to the LOU22 lateral to #0 C.Bell for 12 yards gain to the LOU34 (#53 E.Osondu; #19 O.Okaka)
Q3 14:06	Louisville	+0 yd	(14:11) Shotgun #7 M.Moss pass intercepted by #5 H.Masses at LOU37, End Of Play
Q3 11:34	California	+45 yd	(11:38) #91 C.Meyer field goal attempt from 45 yards GOOD (H: #40 B.Honore Jr., LS: #39 R.Monteforte), clock 11:34
Q3 9:04	Louisville	+21 yd	(09:09) Shotgun #22 K.Brown rush right for 21 yards gain to the CAL01 (#46 A.Hampton; #20 C.Sidney), 1ST DOWN
Q3 7:43	Louisville	+1 yd	(07:44) #7 M.Moss rush middle for 1 yard gain to the CAL00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 07:43 #36 C.Ranvier kick attempt good (H: #93 D.Chapeau, LS: #48 S.Kochav)
Q3 0:23	California	+26 yd	(00:25) #91 C.Meyer field goal attempt from 26 yards GOOD (H: #40 B.Honore Jr., LS: #39 R.Monteforte), clock 00:23
Q3 3:15	California	+21 yd	(03:29) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 J.Sagapolutele pass complete deep left to #21 J.De Jesus caught at LOU23, for 21 yards to the LOU23 (#21 D.Hutchinson), 1ST DOWN
Q4 11:08	Louisville	+39 yd	(11:08) #36 C.Ranvier field goal attempt from 39 yards GOOD (H: #93 D.Chapeau, LS: #48 S.Kochav), clock 11:08
Q4 14:02	Louisville	+37 yd	(14:10) Shotgun #7 M.Moss pass complete deep right to #85 N.Kurisky caught at LOU45, for 37 yards to the CAL38 (#2 D.Polidore Jr.), 1ST DOWN
Q4 2:57	California	+24 yd	(03:01) No Huddle-Shotgun #3 J.Sagapolutele pass complete deep left to #21 J.De Jesus caught at CAL32, for 24 yards to the CAL32, out of bounds at CAL32, 1ST DOWN

Scoring plays, turnovers, and gains of 20+ yards, pulled from CFBD’s play-by-play. This section only appears for belt games with play-by-play on file (2003 onward).

Box Score

Player stats

CFBD player stats

Passing

Louisville

Player	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	QBR
Miller Moss	20/38	203	5.3	0	1	20.5
Team	0/1	0	0.0	0	0	--

California

Player	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	QBR
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele	30/47	323	6.9	2	0	84.4
Jacob De Jesus	1/2	27	13.5	0	0	50.7

Rushing

Louisville

Player	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Keyjuan Brown	14	136	9.7	0	35
Duke Watson	8	19	2.4	1	9
Miller Moss	8	-7	-0.9	1	4

California

Player	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Kendrick Raphael	19	83	4.4	1	24
Quaron Adams	1	8	8.0	0	8
Jacob De Jesus	1	1	1.0	0	1
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele	4	-15	-3.8	0	0

Receiving

Louisville

Player	REC	YDS	AVG	LONG
Caullin Lacy	4	60	15.0	40
Chris Bell	6	49	8.2	13
Nate Kurisky	2	41	20.5	37
Dacari Collins	2	25	12.5	21
Miller Moss	2	15	7.5	19
Jacob Stewart	1	11	11.0	11
Keyjuan Brown	1	5	5.0	5
Jaleel Skinner	2	-3	-1.5	0

California

Player	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Jacob De Jesus	16	158	9.9	1	25
Quaron Adams	1	39	39.0	0	39
Trond Grizzell	2	37	18.5	0	27
Kendrick Raphael	5	37	7.4	0	23
Landon Morris	2	33	16.5	1	20
Mark Hamper	3	23	7.7	0	12
Cole Boscia	1	20	20.0	0	20
Jordan King	1	3	3.0	0	3

Show more stats (6 more categories)

Defense

Louisville

Player	TOT	SOLO	SACKS	TFL	PD	QB HUR
Clev Lubin	10	9	0	1	0	0
TJ Quinn	8	4	0	0	0	0
Jabari Mack	6	4	0	0	0	0
Corey Gordon	5	5	0	0	0	0
Antonio Watts	5	4	0	1	0	0
JoJo Evans	5	1	0	0	1	0
Wesley Bailey	3	3	1	1	0	1
D'Angelo Hutchinson	3	3	0	0	2	1
Kalib Perry	3	2	0	0	0	0
Tayon Holloway	2	2	0	0	1	0
T.J. Capers	2	2	0	0	0	0
Adonijah Green	2	1	1	1	0	0
Jordan Guerad	1	1	1	1	1	0
Rodney Johnson	1	1	0	0	0	0
Jerry Lawson	1	1	0	0	0	0
Rene Konga	1	0	0	0	1	0
Denzel Lowry	1	0	0	0	0	1

California

Player	TOT	SOLO	SACKS	TFL	PD	QB HUR
Dru Polidore	10	6	0	0	1	0
Luke Ferrelli	7	4	0	1	0	1
Hezekiah Masses	6	5	0	0	1	0
Aaron Hampton	6	3	0	0	0	0
Cameron Sidney	5	3	0	1	0	0
Harrison Taggart	5	2	0	1	0	1
Aidan Keanaaina	4	3	1	1	0	0
Jayden Wayne	3	3	0	0	0	1
T.J. Bush	2	2	1	2	0	1
Odera Okaka	2	1	0	0	0	0
Eze Osondu	2	0	0	0	0	0
Stanley McKenzie	1	1	0	0	0	0
Derek Wilkins	1	1	0	0	2	0
Jordan Sanford	1	1	0	0	0	0
BJ Canady	1	1	0	0	0	0
Brent Austin	1	1	0	0	3	0
Michael-Anthony Okwura	1	1	0	0	0	0
Tyson Ford	1	0	0	0	0	0
Jasiah Wagoner	1	0	0	0	0	0
Chris Victor	1	0	0	0	0	0
Carson Perry-Smith	1	0	0	0	0	0

Fumbles

Louisville

Player	FUM	LOST	REC
Miller Moss	1	0	0

California

No recorded stats in this category.

Interceptions

Louisville

No recorded stats in this category.

California

Player	INT	YDS	TD
Hezekiah Masses	1	0	0

Kick Returns

Louisville

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	LONG
Caullin Lacy	2	30	15.0	16
Chris Bell	0	12	0.0	12
Jacob Stewart	1	-6	-6.0	0

California

No recorded stats in this category.

Kicking

Louisville

Player	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Cooper Ranvier	4/4	100.0	49	2/2	14

California

Player	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Chase Meyer	3/4	75.0	45	2/2	11

Punting

Louisville

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	TB	In 20	LONG
David Chapeau	4	163	40.8	0	2	49

California

Player	NO	YDS	AVG	TB	In 20	LONG
Brook Honore'	5	168	33.6	0	0	40

Full player stats from CFBD’s /games/players data, split out by team. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have player-level stats that far back. Linked player names go to that player’s stat line in every other belt game they’ve appeared in.

Sources Box score at ESPN · Game record: College Football Data (id 401754585) · This game in the downloadable dataset

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