Live updates: Notre Dame football vs. Cal

The search for head coach Marcus Freeman‘s first win is still on for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Freeman and the Irish host the Cal Bears (2-0) Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.

An emotional Manti Te’o is at the game supporting his alma mater in the annual “Irish wear green” game. Notre Dame is donning green jerseys for the first time since 2018.

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Follow along for live updates throughout the afternoon.

First quarter

• Notre Dame received the ball first. Junior quarterback Drew Pyne did not get the ball out hard enough on an out-route intended for sophomore wide receiver Lorenzo Styles on first down. He hit junior running back Chris Tyree on a well-developed screen for a gain of nine yards on second down. A false start from fifth-year senior receiver Braden Lenzy wiped away a short gain for a first down on third down. Pyne was sacked by a blitzing linebacker on the next snap.

• Cal went three-and-out on its first possession.

• Notre Dame and Cal went three-and-out on their second possessions to start the game with four consecutive three-and-outs.

• Pyne missed a wide-open Michael Mayer in the flat on first down and a wide-open Mayer running a post on third down for yet another Notre Dame three-and-out.

• A 10-yard sack by Irish defensive tackle Jacob Lacey derailed Cal’s third possession. Six total possessions, six three-and-outs.

• Seven total possessions, seven three-and-outs. Styles dropped an easy would-be first-down pass on a drag route. Pyne put it right in his hands.

• Cal sustained a drive late in the first quarter but doinked a would-be go-ahead 45-yard field goal.

SCORE: Notre Dame 0, Cal 0 at the end of the first quarter

Second quarter

TOUCHDOWN Cal

• The Bears strike first on a gift from Pyne. He fumbled a snap on first down in his own territory. Cal recovered on the Irish 33. Four plays later, quarterback Jack Plummer hit Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus High School product J. Michael Sturdivant on an 18-yard corner route for the TD.

SCORE: Cal 7, Notre Dame 0 with 14:27 left in the second quarter

• A heavy dose of Tyree got the Irish into Cal territory. The drive stalled, and Blake Grupe missed a 45-yard field goal attempt wide left. Cal was offsides on the kick, though, which extended the Notre Dame drive. Tyree scored two plays later on a 21-yard pass from Pyne.

SCORE: Notre Dame 7, Cal 7 with 8:54 left in the second quarter

• A 21-yard scramble from Plummer and a dime of a pass from Plummer to Jeremiah Hunter set Cal up for a short field goal to take the lead. Irish safety DJ Brown made a strong tackle on third down to force the 34-yard kick.

SCORE: Cal 10, Notre Dame 7 with 4:11 left in the first half

• Notre Dame had a promising drive going into Cal territory. Back-to-back false starts by offensive linemen Jarrett Patterson and Zeke Correll stopped the drive in its tracks just before halftime.

SCORE: Cal 10, Notre Dame 7 at halftime

Third quarter

• Notre Dame forced a three-and-out from Cal to start. Jayson Ademilola had a second-down sack.

• The Irish went to the ground game, and it paid off. Audric Estime plunged into the end zone from a yard out. Pyne was hit on a targeting call on Cal that shot the Irish into the red zone.

SCORE: Notre Dame 14, Cal 10 with 9:14 left in the third quarter

• Cal ran eight times for a gain of 58 yards on a 10-play drive that ended in a one-yard touchdown rush. The Bears regained the lead. Irish defensive linemen Isaiah Foskey and Jayson Ademilola were shaken up at various points late in the drive.

SCORE: Cal 17, Notre Dame 14 with 4:48 left in the third quarter

• The Irish have turned to running the ball, too. The Irish face third and five from the Cal 29 when the fourth quarter starts.

SCORE: Cal 17, Notre Dame 14 after the third quarter

Fourth quarter

• Pyne forced a pass into tight coverage on third down. Grupe connected from 47 yards out to tie the game.

SCORE: Notre Dame 17, Cal 17 with 14:48 left in the fourth quarter

• Lacey’s second sack of the day put Cal behind the sticks. The Bears punted.

• Pyne threw his best three passes of the day in succession to Styles, Estime and on a six-yard touchdown toss to Mayer. The Irish went back in front.

SCORE: Notre Dame 24, Cal 17 with 9:16 left in the fourth quarter

• Cal worked the ball deep into Irish territory and faced a fourth 10 from the Notre Dame 22. Plummer was sacked by Foskey for the Irish’s fourth sack of the day.

• On third and five from the Irish 46, Notre Dame could not pick up a first down on a screen to Estime. The Irish lost a yard and had to punt back to Cal with four minutes left in the game.

• Cal started from its own seven-yard line. Plummer threw two-straight incomplete passes on first and second down. Plummer was sacked on third down, and Cal punted from the one-yard line with one timeout remaining. Notre Dame ball at the Cal 42 with 2:44 left.

• Cal got the ball back with 1:03 left. It appeared Clarence Lewis sealed the deal on an interception, but JD Bertrand was called for targeting to negate the INT. TaRiq Bracy had what looked like a fumble return for a touchdown, but it was called back for Plummer’s knee being down before he lost the ball. The game ended on a heave from Plummer to the goal line that bounced around far too many times for Irish comfort before hitting the turf.

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 24, Cal 17