Are There Reasons for Cal Fans to Feel Hope After UNLV Defeat?

After its 39-31 loss at UNLV on Saturday, Cal is 2-3, the loser of two in a row and set to take on seven consecutive ACC opponents, six of whom are projected as massive favorites, according to ESPN Analytics.

We don’t know the status of the Bears’ best player on either side of the line of scrimmage — quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and safety Kingston Lopa — both injured against UNLV.

And we can’t be sure if or when ailing running backs Adam Mohammed and Carter Vargas could return from their own ailments.

It doesn’t bode well for their game Saturday at Memorial Stadium against Virginia Tech, which is 4-1 after its 35-33 loss to unbeaten Pitt. The Bears and Hokies are both 1-1 in ACC play, but DraftKings has installed Tech as a 10.5-point favorite.

None of this is likely how many Cal fans envisioned the season’s first five games.

First-time head coach Tosh Lupoi returned to his alma mater after four seasons as defensive coordinator at Oregon, where the Ducks assembled a record of 48-8.

He was on the coaching staff for two national championship teams at Alabama, and he never lost a game during his prep career at De La Salle High.

Given that resume, it seems safe to say, Lupoi did not see a 2-3 start to his debut season.

“We’re in the situation we’re in,” said Lupoi, the realist. “There’ll be no excuses made as far as our injury situation.”

That situation going forward won’t be easy to sort out. Injuries are just the start.

The offensive line continued to be an issue against the Rebels. There were more dropped passes, a weekly problem. The defense surrendered four plays of at least 36 yards and rarely corralled quarterback Jackson Arnold, who rushed for 110 yards and accounted for five touchdowns.

Sixteen Cal penalties added up to 147 yards, five UNLV first downs and two player ejections.

Out of this quagmire of often self-inflicted pain, there were hopeful signs:

Lupoi makes bold change to offense

After another anemic offensive performance in a 24-10 loss to Clemson, Lupoi said there would be changes. We saw that from Cal’s first snap on Saturday, when the Bears lined up with an empty backfield and five receivers.

The Bears have struggled to run the ball, so they threw it 59 times in what seemed influenced by the pass-oriented attack that quarterbacks coach Nick Rolovich used as a player and coach during his days at Hawaii.

It wasn’t perfect. Cal scored early on a 91-yard touchdown pass to Taimane Purcell but the offense didn’t get in the end zone again in the first half. Still, the Bears put up 464 yards and 31 points, both high-water marks against an FBS opponent.

Lupoi gets credit for trying something new when the status quo wasn’t getting it done.

Taking no risks with Sagapolutele

Sagapolutele came out of the game late in the first half after he was taken to the ground and his head bounced off the turf. He was medically cleared at halftime after undergoing concussion protocols. Lupoi said no.

“I just wasn’t comfortable the way he came off the field, literally wobbling,” Lupoi said. “I was not going to jeopardize him. Much more important than any game (is) his health, his life, his career.”

It was clearly the right decision, but also one that will reflect well on Lupoi, who never considered giving in to the moment.

The Bears stay aggressive

JKS was out, the Bears already had lost two starting defensive backs and UNLV was up 24-7 at halftime. It looked nearly hopeless for Cal.

Instead, Lupoi called for an onside kick, which the Bears executed perfectly to trigger a sudden change in momentum. It was a message to his team that surrender is not in his playbook.

Perhaps inspired, the Bears went on to score 24 points in the second half and actually took the lead before UNLV claimed victory.

Showing faith in newcomers to the stage

Without Mohammed or Vargas, third-string running back Ashten Emory became the Bears’ primary running back. The UTEP transfer responded by rushing for 48 yards on 12 attempts — a solid 4.0 yards per rush.

Freshman wide receiver Tyee Sams, who has seen only minimal action in one previous game, got snaps at running back and receiver, and provided 52 yards on eight touches.

In all, the Bears used more than 60 players, partly out of necessity and partly because Lupoi was getting effort from players up and down the roster.

“It told me I have a team still that believes in me as I believe in them,” he said.

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