For everything that went right for Wake Forest on Friday night against California, something else went wrong.

That was the essence of a 46-36 loss to the Golden Bears, dropping the Deacons to 0-5 at home against FBS teams this season.

Wake Forest (4-5, 2-3 ACC) had a chance at the end, getting the ball back down three with more than two minutes left and all three timeouts. But on the other side of the 2-minute stoppage, quarterback Hank Bachmeier was intercepted when he tried to force a throw to Taylor Morin.

Cal (5-4, 1-4) punched in a late touchdown that gave it a double-digit margin, and Bachmeier was picked off again to virtually end the game.

The Deacons were fortunate to be in position to be driving for a game-tying field goal or game-winning touchdown. Special teams units were a disaster, with a fumbled kickoff returned for a touchdown, a blocked field goal, two kickoffs out of bounds, and a would-be turnover by Morin if not for a penalty called away from the punt return.

That, plus a defense that surrendered 500 yards, made it seem like the Deacons should’ve lost convincingly.

But a 4-yard touchdown run by Bachmeier early in the fourth quarter, and the 2-point conversion, made the deficit 36-29. Cal took a field goal, and Wake Forest answered with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Tate Carney.

Wake’s defense got a stop — one of two three-and-outs it forced of Cal’s 14 full possessions — before Bachmeier’s ill-fated throw to Morin.

Demond Claiborne led Wake’s offense with 113 yards on 23 carries, and 51 yards on three catches. He scored once each on the ground and through the air — the latter coming on a trick play that involved him taking a direct snap, handing to Horatio Fields, who tossed to Bachmeier, who found Claiborne free behind the defense.

Morin had 110 yards on nine catches as he moved closer to the program’s all-time leading records in both categories.

Both teams traded touchdowns in a wild third quarter. Donavon Greene scored for the Deacons, playing for the first time in more than a month and Moss’ing Cal cornerback Nohl Williams for a 45-yard touchdown.

Cal got the margin back to a two-touchdown lead with quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s 5-yard keeper.

Mendoza had a spectacular night carving up Wake’s secondary. He was 40 of 56 for 385 yards and two touchdowns, and added 51 yards and a touchdown as a runner. He completed 30 of 40 passes in the first half, when Cal had 54 plays and Wake Forest only had 27.

Cal scored 10 points in the first 5½ minutes of the first half and nine in the last 1½ minutes.

The end-of-half situation was puzzling. Cal got a touchdown on Mendoza’s fade to Tobias Merriweather — the Notre Dame transfer playing for the first time this season — with 1:30 left.

Wake’s 2-minute drill drive got a first down on the first play but stalled and faced a fourth-and-3 from the Deacons’ 43-yard line. Wake Forest punted, putting back on the field a defense that had already played 40-plus plays and given up scoring drives on four of seven possessions.

That led to Cal’s Ryan Coe — the kicker who was 7-for-14 and benched — making a 54-yard field goal as time expired, sending the game to halftime with Cal leading 29-14.

Wake Forest spotted Cal a 10-point lead before its offense got on the field.

Cal got down to Wake’s 1-yard line on the game’s first drive and had a touchdown nullified by a holding call on fourth down, so the Golden Bears took a 29-yard field goal.

On the ensuing kickoff, Claiborne was stripped and the ball rolled to Cal’s Miles Williams, who returned it 16 yards for a touchdown.

EXTRA POINTS: Wake Forest appeared to be missing left tackle DeVonte Gordon, and Bryce Ganious was out as a late scratch, per the ACC Network broadcast. … Greene’s touchdown catch was the only catch by a wide receiver for Wake Forest — though, Morin played on the outside and was probably lined up on the perimeter for at least a couple of his catches. … Nick Andersen led Wake Forest with 12 tackles, ahead of his ACC-leading pace of tackles per game (10.3 entering the night). Branson Combs had 11 tackles for the Deacons.