Cal is playing Texas Tech in the Independence Bowl, and it could not have opened with a funnier sequence of events.

The Golden Bears kicked off to the Red Raiders to get things rolling. In the process, Michael Luckhurst slipped on the opening kick and delivered a slow dribbler of a ball to Texas Tech’s Drae McCray. Two would-be tacklers for Cal bounced right off him before Dejuan Butler punched the football loose from behind.

Who was there to recover it? None other than Luckhurst.

Cal scored on the very next play. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza fired deep down the seam to Monroe Young for a 25-yard touchdown.

The Bears are playing in their first bowl game since 2019 after closing out the regular season with three consecutive victories.