Who is Minnesota's Counterpart to Cal QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele?

There will be neophyte quarterbacks on both sides Saturday when Cal hosts Minnesota for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at Memorial Stadium.

While the Bears (2-0) are led by true freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, the Golden Gophers (2-0) go with redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey.

Both have been very good through the first two games of the season.

Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck, who is 60-39 and unbeaten in six bowl games in his ninth season with the program, was effusive in his praise for Sagapolutele.

“He doesn’t look like a true freshman. He looks like he’s been there a long time,” Fleck said. “He’s very poised, very mature. He’s got good pocket presence. He knows when to use his legs. He’s very accurate.

"They do a really good job catching the ball for him. But he is a really, really talented QB. The poise for him as a true freshman is very rare. We’ve got our work cut out for us, that’s for sure.”

Sagapolutele has completed nearly 69 percent of his pass attempts for 493 yards with three touchdowns, one interception and one sack.

The Golden Gophers will counter with Lindsey, a 6-foot-5 230-pounder who Minnesota plucked from Fayetteville, Arkansas, where his father, grandfather, uncle and a cousin all played football for the Razorbacks. His sister played basketball at Arkansas.

Lindsey was the high school Gatorade state player of the year in 2023, leading his team to a 13-0 record and a state championship. He threw 54 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

After redshirting last season, when he saw limited action off the bench in three games, Lindsey won the starting job before this season. In his first two starts, he has connected on 61 percent of his pass attempts for 429 yards with three touchdowns, one interception and two sacks. He wasn’t on the field long on Saturday when the Gophers crushed FCS-level Northwestern State 66-0.

Fleck’s evaluation of his quarterback sounds similar to what Cal coach Justin Wilcox has said about Sagapolutele.

“I think Drake’s a very mature young man for being a freshman,” said Fleck, who has not adjusted the game plan based on Lindsey’s youth. “I don’t believe in that. He’s got the same system Max Brosmer did (last season). If not, he’s probably got a bit more on his plate.

“It’s about here’s what we’re doing, we’ve got to get as good at it as fast as possible and continue to mature. I think he’s shown that he can handle himself in a lot of high-pressure situations. He traveled with the team all last year, but everything he does as a starter is always for the first time.”

Impressed by Cal’s defense

Fleck said he’s familiar with Wilcox and knows Cal’s coach makes defense a priority. “You can see his DNA all over that defense,” Fleck said.

He’s been impressed by Ryan McCulloch on the edge, Cade Uluave at inside linebacker and the Bears’ secondary, an almost entirely rebuilt unit after three starters were taken in the NFL draft.

Fleck is aware the Bears lost four ACC games last season by a combined nine points. “This could have been a 10-win team easily last year,” he said. “We know they’re a really good football team.”

Gophers running back update

Fleck provided no update Monday on the status of redshirt junior running back Darius Taylor, who rushed for 141 yards in the season-opening win over Buffalo and is just 54 yards shy of 2,000 for his career.

Taylor left the Northwestern State game early with an injury. Fleck said the team’s medical staff gave him “good news,” which suggests the ailment isn’t serious or long-term. But the Gophers won’t reveal whether he’ll be active this week until two hours before kickoff.

Follow Jeff Faraudo on Twitter, Facebook and Bluesky

Recent articles:

Just how good was Aaron Rodgers' debut with the Steelers?

Cal opens as a slight underdog vs. visiting Minnesota

Five things we liked about Cal in its win over Texas Southern

Why Justin Wilcox was unsatisfied with Cal's win over Texas Southern