Cal Football: Chase Garbers Still Not Cleared; Looks Like Devon Modster May Start
Cal has not announced its starting quarterback for Saturday's Big Game at Stanford, but it is looking more and more as though it will be Devon Modster.
Bears offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin said Tuesday night that Chase Garbers still has not been cleared to play in a game. Garbers is doing a few things during practice, but time is running out for him to be ready to play Saturday.
"Chase has been cleared yet," Baldwin said Tuesday in the video. "Devon has practiced really well. So that's where we're at today. We'll know more later in the week."
Garbers left Saturday's game against USC in the second quarter with an unspecified injury that was unrelated to the Sept. 27 shouder injury he sustained that sidelined him for four games. And he must be medically cleaed before he can participate in a game.
But what if Garbers is cleared too late in the week to get him prepared to play against Stanford?
"Yeah, we just have to decide that," Baldwin said. "And that's for coach Wilcox and I to sit down to decide what's the best fit."
You would think that head coach Justin Wilcox would have a definitive idea of Garbers' game status on Wednesday, because if he hasn't been cleared by then, playing on Saturday would seem like a long shot.
It is noteworthy that Stanford coach David Shaw said on Tuesday afternoon that he expects Modster to be Cal's starting quarterback on Saturday.
Shaw also said Davis Mills will be Stanford's starting quarterback on Saturday so both teams may go with their backup quarterbacks in the Big Game.
It's easy to see why Cal is holding out hope that Garbers can play Saturday. The Bears (5-5) are 4-0 when Garbers plays more than half a game, and 1-5 when he doesn't. That includes a 1-4 record when Modster plays more than one half. The fact that Cal's schedule was more difficult the second half of the season plays a role in those numbers too.
Baldwin said the status of starting tailback Christopher Brown Jr. remains uncertain as well. If he can't participate on Saturday, it will allow DeShawn Collins, a transfer from City College of San Francisco, to get more playing time.
Collins became the first Cal player this season to rush for more than 100 yards against an FBS opponent when he ran for 103 yards against USC. Granted, 55 of his rushing yards came in the final 10 minutes of the game, after the Trpjans had taken a 41-10 lead, so his production did not come when the game was on the line. But he did show promise.
"His vision between the tackles is really good," Baldwin said of Collins. "He has the ability -- and you see it on some of the runs, not just this last game, but even at the end of the Utah game -- he can put his foot in the ground and get going. He has some explosive stuff and he can break some tackles.
"He has a lot of natural tailback ability. Stuff you can't necessarily teach."
