Mendoza had a solid first start against Oregon State on Saturday
California Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza had 207 passing yards, two touchdown passes and an interception in a shootout against Oregon State.
The Golden Bears fell to the No. 15 Beavers 52-40. Oregon State quarterback D.J. Uiagalalei needed to throw five touchdown passes to avoid an upset. As the Beavers were leading the game in the third quarter, Mendoza went viral on social media.
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Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza passes against the Oregon State Beavers at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Oct. 7, 2023. (Kyle Terada-USA Today Sports)
Mendoza was seen shaking the hand of a college football official during the game. The moment was caught by the X account No Context College Football and posted on the platform. Mendoza responded.
"I'm just looking for friendship," he wrote.
It was Mendoza’s first collegiate start. The redshirt freshman from Miami, Florida, made an appearance in the team’s win earlier this season against North Texas. Since then, Sam Jackson V and Ben Finley started games, but it was Mendoza’s time on Saturday.
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California Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza warms up before the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon, on Nov. 12, 2022. (Soobum Im-USA Today Sports)
"There was a little bit of nervousness," he said after the game, via the San Francisco Chronicle. "However, especially after the first completed pass, I was kind of like, ‘OK, I’ve got this. This is just like glorified practice.’ So, that was kind of my mindset throughout the game."
Mendoza said he had his mind set on going to Yale before Cal swooped in at the last second.
"I thought that it was a gift from God," he added. "They recruited me and once I knew how great the academics were here, how competitive the football team was here and how they can help achieve my goals, both off the field in the classroom, and then on the field – to make it to the NFL – I was all-in."
Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza after the game against the Arizona Wildcats at FTX Field at California Memorial Stadium on Sept. 24, 2022. (Darren Yamashita-USA Today Sports)
Cal is 3-3 overall this season and already 1-2 in Pac-12 play. The team takes on No. 16 Utah this coming Saturday.
Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
