Cal Football: Sam Jackson V Should Be, And Needs to Be, the Bears' Starting QB

Even as the sophomore develops his game, he provides a flawed offense the best chance to be successful.

Let’s be clear about one thing: In the wake of a disheartening 14-10 loss to Auburn on Saturday night, there is no quarterback controversy at Cal.

The starter is Sam Jackson V. 

Should be, anyway. 

Needs to be.

The Bears started Ben Finley against Auburn for two reasons:

1) Finley played quite well off the bench in the Bears’ 58-21 win at North Texas a week earlier

2) Jackson was limited in practice in the days prior to Auburn while recovering from the left (non-throwing) arm injury that sent him to the sidelines early in the second quarter against the Mean Green.

But even as the Bears prepared to start Finley, a transfer from North Carolina State, Jackson remained part of the game plan.

Jackson understood he would not start this one. “They were telling me before the game to be ready.”

Finley played the first five series, which produced a total of three points. It certainly wasn’t all his fault — Michael Luckhurst missed a 42-yard field goal that could have given Cal a 6-0 lead, and Isaiah Ifanse fumbled the ball away on first down of Cal’s fourth possession

But midway through the second quarter, now facing a 7-3 deficit, Justin Wilcox made the change. Jackson, the TCU transfer who won the job in spring ball and held onto it through fall camp, was back on the field.

“I was just looking to give the team a spark,” Jackson said.

And he did that. The energy seemed to changed as soon as he entered the game. He completed both his pass attempts on the first drive — for 6 and 22 yards — and scrambled away from pressure for a 4-yard gain.

Jaydn Ott dashed 14 yards for a first down to the Auburn 14, then went the rest of the way on the next snap, putting Cal back in front 10-7 with 4:47 left in the half.

“Ben did a good job in the game last week,” Wilcox explained afterward. “During the week, Sam was limited, especially early in the week. We had to make a decision later n the week and we felt like if Sam continued to improve we’d like to get him in the game.

“We gave him a shot to get in there and I thought he gave us a spark.”

The Bears didn’t score again — missing two more field goals besides the 51-yarder Luckhurst converted that was wiped out by a penalty. The Bears turned the ball over three times and never found the rhythm they showed while rolling up 669 yards at North Texas.

“Yeah, it sucks. We had plenty of chances to win,” Wilcox said. “It’s all about how we show up on Monday.”

When the Bears return to practice, Jackson should be the starter. Presuming he’s healthy enough to play, he simply gives a flawed team the best chance to win.

Cal will play the rest of the season without injured sixth-year center Matthew Cindric, the team’s best offensive lineman.

The Bears have worked to improve their O-line, but it’s unclear just how much progress has been made. A week after they largely pushed around an overmatched North Texas team, the openings for Ott to run through weren’t as big against Auburn, the time the quarterbacks had to find a target wasn’t as long.

Auburn does not appear to be a great team, but it’s a Southeastern Conference squad with big, strong, fast, talented athletes. Better athletes than North Texas has — more like what Cal will face against Washington, Oregon, Utah, Oregon State, UCLA and USC.

This is at the heart of why first-year offensive coordinator Jake Spavital wanted a dual-threat quarterback and why Jackson won the assignment.

His quickness and escapability provide an element no other Cal quarterback boasts. Jackson gives the opposing defense one more thing to worry about, a player who can elude the rush, buy time and make something out of nothing.

He’s far from a finished product — the North Texas game was Jackson’s first start at quarterback since his junior year in high school.

Jackson’s numbers against Auburn weren’t compelling: 14 for 27 passing for 126 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions (although one was a Hail Mary at the end of the first half), and five rushes for a net 6 yards, with a long gain of 11 yards.

Finley was 7 for 11 for 34 yards, no TDs or picks. The Bears managed just three first downs on his five series.

Jackson is the more dynamic athlete. He has a quick release, plenty of arm and he may be the fastest player Cal has ever had at the position.

As a result, he makes the offense, including the run game, more difficult to defend.

Just as Cal entered last week unsure about the status of Jackson, the question now is whether Ott will be healthy enough to play Saturday against an Idaho team that may be better than we once imagined, now 2-0 after crushing Nevada 33-7 in Reno.

Ott left the game in the third quarter after trying to go airborne over a defender and landing hard on the turf. He remained there for at least 2 minutes before walking off.

He did not return, and Jackson said the difference was clear, if subtle.

“He was talking to us, trying to get us riled up,” Jackson said. “But you could kind of feel the shift in the game and the momentum and it just kind of went downhill from there.”

Wilcox said he didn’t know Ott’s status and he may not share that information all week, just as he danced around Jackson’s availability prior to the Auburn game. ;

Cal operates with a narrow margin for error, so missed field goals and turnovers are killers. So is playing without a full deck of players.

The Bears need Ott back on the field as soon as possible.

And even as he continues to grow into the position, they need Sam Jackson V to be their quarterback.

Cover photo of Sam Jackson by Neville E. Guard, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo