Cal Sports Report

Chase Garbers Has a Big Game in His UFL Debut on Sunday

Former Cal standout Chase Garbers was San Antonio's starting quarterback in its first 2024 game of the spring pro league known as the United Football League
Jake Curtis|
Mar 31, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Brahmas quarterback Chase Garbers (14) looks to
Mar 31, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Brahmas quarterback Chase Garbers (14) looks to | Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

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Las Vegas RaidersSan Antonio Brahmas

Former Cal star Chase Garbers had an impressive debut in the United Football League while leading the San Antonio Brahmas to a 27-12 victory over the DC Defenders at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Sunday.

Garbers went 19-for-25 for 158 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for a touchdown and accounted for all three of San Antonio’s touchdowns.

Garbers spent the past two seasons in the Las Vegas Raiders’ organization after going undrafted in the 2022 NFL draft. He was on the Raiders practice squad for most of the 2022 season, but was elevated to the active roster late in the season. He did not get any playing time, though.

He went through the 2023 preseason camp with the Raiders but was waived just before the regular-season opener.

So Garbers is keeping his professional career alive in the UFL, and his had an auspicious debut.  He was named the starting quarterback for San Antonio, whose head coach is Wade Phillips, and he showed he was worthy of being the starter with his strong performance on Sunday.

He produced the first score of the UFL season when a threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Anthony McFarland, giving the Brahmas a 7-0 lead.  Garbers then threw his second touchdown pass of the first quarter, hitting Jontre Kirklin with a 4-yard scoring pass for a 14-3 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Garbers provided the clinching blow with a 5-yard touchdown run that increased the San Antonio lead to 27-12.

Garbers demonstrated his leadership before the game began.

Garbers presumably would like to be impressive enough in the UFL to get another shot at making it in the NFL. He will try to build on his strong showing in the opening game when San Antonio faces the Memphis Showboats next weekend.


Pro Football Talk gave the UFL a compliment with these notes:

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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