On Saturday, thousands of Cal fans flooded the campus’s Memorial Glade for ESPN’s College GameDay. It was the first time the massively popular college football pregame show was hosted at UC Berkeley in its 37-year history.
True to form, students and fans brought passion and humorous signs to the broadcast, gathering throughout the night before the program’s 6 a.m. PT kickoff.
MARSHAWN LYNCH IS BACK ON THE CART 😂 @jess_sims | @MoneyLynch pic.twitter.com/QCHNZRFdlk
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 5, 2024
“I am thankful to be here amongst these nerds and future geniuses,” ESPN’s Pat McAfee said during the show.
Despite Cal losing by a hair to the University of Miami in a 39-38 game, the day’s broadcast was full of highlights, including an appearance by celebrity guest picker Marshawn Lynch, who was a star player for Cal from 2004 to 2006. Reprising one of his most famous moments at Cal, when he drove a medical golf cart onto the field after a win in 2006, Lynch drove ESPN host Jess Sims through a field goal set on the show as she threw Skittles out to the crowd.
That same set would later be the site of one of the most exciting moments from the broadcast, when UC Berkeley sophomore Daniel Villaseñor completed a 33-yard field goal to win $100,000 for himself and a $600,000 donation for hurricane relief from host Pat McAffee. A civil engineering major from Livemore, California, Villaseñor told the crowd he’s a soccer player, yet had only kicked a few field goals in his life before Saturday. After missing his first attempt, McAffee offered to up the prize from $75,000 if he made the second one — and after doing so, the crowd burst into one of the loudest cheers of the day.
ONE MORE KICK
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 5, 2024
FOR $100,000 💰💰
AND A $600,000 DONATION FOR THE HURRICANE RELIEF
DAMN DANIEL
HE DID IT #CollegeGameDay https://t.co/IEdAEkGq1X pic.twitter.com/2Tncm12OmJ
By the end of the show, the GameDay hosts seemed convinced of Cal’s spirit. “I’ve been doing this show for a decade, and people ask me all the time, ‘Where’s the best place to go?’” ESPN’s Rece Davis said. “And after today, I’m going to tell them the best place is where the whole damn world is in Bear Territory.”
Check out photos from the event below.
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