Cal Football Video: Justin Wilcox on Devon Modster -- 'Mentally, I think He's in a Good Place'
Cal needs a productive game from quarterback Devon Modster in Saturday's game against Oregon State, which has the look of a must-win game for the Bears.
Modster will get his second Cal start in Saturday's 11:30 a.m. home game against the Beavers (2-4), and Cal has not fared well under Modster so far. The Bears are 0-2 in games in which Modster has played more than a half, and he has completed just 46.9 percent of his passes with one touchdown and three interceptions.
If Cal (4-2) loses to Oregon State for its third straight loss, it could get ugly for the Bears with a road game against No. 13 Utah the following week and games against Washington State, USC and Stanford after that.
But head coach Justin Wilcox says Modster has made progress the past two weeks, which included a bye following the Oregon game.
"The rhythm and timing with the receiver," Wilcox said Wednesday, citing improvements. "The more reps you take, the better that is. Mentally I think he is in a good place with the play book. There's nothing that's off limits, so to speak."
No. 1 quarterback Chase Garbers has been sidelined since he sustained an apparent shoulder injury in the Septembr 27 game against Arizona State. The Bears expect him to play again this season, but on Wednesday Wilcox provided no timetable for a possible return.
He would not say whether Garbers might return for the November 9 game against Washington State.
"That would be up to the doctors," Wilcox said. "I'm not qualified to answer that."
Wilcox said Garbers is doing "a ton" of rehabilitation.
In the meatime, the Bears will try to win with Modster.
