Cal students delay start of Saturday’s game vs. No. 24 USC by staging a sit-in supporting a professor on leave for allegedly stalking and harassing a peer

Fifteen people, mostly students at the University of California at Berkeley, were arrested and led away in handcuffs after storming the field and staging a sit-in that delayed the start of Saturday’s game between Cal and No. 24 Southern California at Memorial Stadium slowed down.

People were protesting the suspension of a professor, according to a statement from the Cal Police Department.

The protesters, many of whom wore T-shirts that read “Justice for Ivonne,” sat back to back in the center of the Cal logo.

Ivonne del Valle, a Spanish and Portuguese professor, was recently suspended by the university for allegedly stalking and harassing a professor from another school.

Police and security guards approached the group as players from both teams stood and watched.

They staged a sit-in to support a suspended professor accused of stalking a colleague

Cal went on to lose 50–49, collapsing late and failing to hit a winning 2-point conversion

The fans were eventually put in handcuffs and led away. According to the police statement, 13 of the 15 protesters were Cal students.

What these protesters missed was the collapse of their school at the hands of USC, when the Golden Bears gave up a 14-point lead in the final quarter.

Leading 43-29 with 14:06 remaining, Cal allowed the Trojans to hit three straight touchdowns at 50-43.

With less than a minute left, Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza hit Jaivian Thomas for a 13-yard touchdown pass to make it a one-point game.

But when Cal head coach Justin Wilcox was given the choice of going for the tie or the win, he chose the latter.

Unfortunately, USC safety Jaylin Smith batted away what would have been a potential game-winning pass and the Trojans won 50-49.