Cal Will Be Without Two Running Backs Against Virginia Tech

Cal running back Kendrick Raphael will have to carry a heavier load than usual on Friday against Virginia Tech, because the Bears' other two prominent running backs – LJ Johnson Jr. and Bandon High Jr. – have been ruled out for Friday’s game in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Raphael has been the Bears’ starting back for the past several games and has been getting most of the carries. He leads Cal in rushing with 595 yards on 115 carries and has rushed for more than 100 yards twice this season.

But Johnson is second on the team in carries with 34 and has rushed for 117 yards on the season. High will miss his second straight game and he has 98 yards on the ground in five games and is averaging 4.3 yards per carry, the same as Raphael.

Johnson also has four receptions this season, and High has one.

A second running back always gets some playing time and a few carries every game for Cal, although it’s unclear who that second running back will be against Virginia Tech (2-5, 1-2 ACC). The best guess is that it will be either true freshman Anthony League, redshirt freshman Jayden Parker or redshirt sophomore Dean-Taylor Chapman. Parker and Chapman each has carried the ball once this season and both got their carry in the blowout win over Texas Southern. League has yet to get his first collegiate carry.

Cal's running game has not been particularly effective this season, but it might be against the Virginia Tech defense, which has allowed 4.3 yards per rushing attempt this season. Syracuse is the only ACC team that has allowed more than that per carry.

One other player of note mentioned on Cal’s availability list is kicker Abram Murray, who is listed as questionable for Friday’s game. If Murray does not play it will be the fourth straight game he has missed. He has been used on Cal’s long field-goal attempts, but if he is out Chase Meyer would handle all of the Bears’ place-kicking and Michael Luckhurst would be used on kickoffs.

Luckhurst, who was Cal’s place-kicker for the early part of the 2023 season, rejoined the football team last week when he performed the kickoff duties against North Carolina.

The only prominent names on the Virginia Tech availability list are linebacker Jaden Keller, who is third on the team in tackles, and running back Terion Stewart, the team’s second-leading rusher with 325 yards and a 7.9 yards-per-carry average. Keller is listed as questionable, which means there is a 50% chance that he will be able to play Friday. Stewart is listed as probable, which means there is a 75% chance that he will play.

Cal needs one more win this season to become bowl-eligible, but Virginia Tech is a 5.5-point favorite in this game at most betting sites, although a few make the Hokies 4.5-point favorites.