California pulled off a surprising upset to defeat SMU. California entered the game as the decided underdog, with a 18% chance to win before the game started.
From the outset, California refused to go away, chipping away at SMU's lead until California took their first lead during the middle stretches of the game. SMU did not go quietly, recapturing the lead for themselves, until California regained control for good at the very end of the game.