Cal Football: No Quarterback Frontrunner Emerges After Camp's First Scrimmage
Cal offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said Friday he hoped to see some separation among three quarterbacks competing for the starting job when the Bears scrimmaged on Sunday.
If that happened, head coach Justin Wilcox wasn’t willing to acknowledge it immediately after the 105-play event.
Wilcox said Sam Jackson V, Fernando Mendoza and Ben Finley all had good moments but declined to establish a more clear pecking order.
“I wouldn’t say right now it’s been trimmed to two,” he says in the video at the top of this story. “We’ll keep looking for guys to separate themselves but it’s very much a three-man race.”
Jackson, the redshirt sophomore transfer from TCU, got opening reps with the first unit and demonstrated what his edge is over his two teammates. He ran the ball five times for 41 yards, sprinting out of the pocket decisively when the situation called for it. He also compiled unofficial passing numbers of 10 for 14 for 56 yards with a 7-yard touchdown to Trond Grizzell.
Jackson was particularly excited he was able to remove his yellow caution jersey for a portion of the scrimmage, allowing him to be potentially tackled by the defense.
“I feel like since the first practice of spring the defense has wanted to tackle me, just because I run around so much,” Jackson said. “Coach told everybody yesterday we were going to be live, so I was pretty excited just to show ‘em what’s up, for sure.
“I think I’ve gotten better from Day 1 of fall camp to today,” he said before being asked what he must do to win the starting job. “I think the No. 1 thing is to do the things Spav is asking me to do. Just play the play.”
Mendoza, the sophomore returnee from a year ago, looked good throwing the ball, completing 13 of 17 for 170 yards including a 23-yard TD to Mason Mangum.
“Today was a big evaluation day and I was really happy I was able to go live, being thrown in the fire. It’s really important for a young quarterback like myself that I get those live reps,” he said. “Every single day in practice I see myself improving.”
Mendoza has yet to play in a college game and has been something of a surprise this summer. “It kind of feels like I’ve always been counted out in a way,” he said. “So it feels really good to be thrust into the competition and showing what I can do and how I can help the team win.”
Ben Finley, who arrived this summer as a transfer from North Carolina State, was 5 for 12 for 65 yards. He also ran 8 yards for a touchdown.
“I think I did well.” Finley said. “I didn’t throw as much as I would have liked to but we were running the ball. The offensive line was getting a push and our running backs were running hard.”
Late in the scrimmage he appeared to land awkward while completing an 18-yard scramble toward the end zone. “I tried to do a little juke I saw Sam do and tweaked my knee a little bit,” he said. “Just run out of bounds, take care of the football.”
THE RUN GAME: Running back Jaydn Ott was part of a select group of players held out of the scrimmage, in his case just as a precaution to avoid injury. But five different running backs got chances and most of them looked pretty good.
Redshirt sophomore Ashton Stredick carried six times for 71 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown. Dean-Taylor Chapman ran 14 times for 49 yards with a 2-yard TD, fellow freshman Jaivian Thomas carried 16 times for 48 yards and transfer Isaiah Ifanse, who rushed for more than 3,700 yards at FCS-level Montana State, gained 17 yards on four attempts.
Wilcox talks in the video above about Thomas, the Oakland-McClymonds High grad nicknamed The Jet.
Redshirt sophomore Andy Alfieri, who previously has played tight end for the Bears, now provides a big-back alternative. The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder ran the ball five times for 21 yards with TDs of 2 and 7 yards.
All told, including runs by the quarterbacks, the Bears unofficially totaled 267 rushing yards.
PRODUCTIVE TARGETS: Among 15 players who caught at least one pass, redshirt freshman Jordan King and redshirt sophomore Trond Grizzell stood out. King had four catches for 75 yards, including a leaping 36-yarder, and Grizzell brought in three for 44 yards with a touchdown.
Top returning wideout Jeremiah Hunter was held out of the scrimmage, other than to field punts a non-tackling sequences.
DEFENSIVE REACTION: The Cal defense has enjoyed some strong days of practice, but senior defensive back Patrick McMorris, a former two-time all-Mountain West Conference selection at San Diego State, was not pleased by Sunday’s performance.
“Honestly, we didn’t play that good,” he said. “We were competing out there but offense came out with a little more juice. It’s just disappointing when you come out here and not perform the way we have been. Today wasn’t up to our standard.”
The defense recorded three sacks, two against Finley and one against Mendoza, but did not register a takeaway. The Bears did block a field-goal try by Michael Luckhurst, who also connected on attempts from 49 and 50 yards.
REALIGNMENT UPDATE: Like the rest of us, Wilcox is waiting for resolution on Cal’s future conference home. The Bears are among four Pac-12 schools — also Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State — uncertain about where they will play beginning a year from now.
“I pay attention to it because it’s extremely important,” said Wilcox, who talks further on the topic in the video above. “We are where we are and now it’s about finding the best step forward for Cal football. I know there’s a lot of people working on that. Our goal is obvious: We want to play at the highest level. “
Cover photo of Cal coach Justin Wilcox
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
