Cal wrapped up its 15th training camp practice Saturday, and the day served as its second scrimmage this month. The quiet hope had been that the Bears would have several spots on the roster figured out by this point in camp, and there has certainly been some progress made in that regard, but the quarterback spot remains up for grabs.
That didn't change during Saturday's action as the quarterbacks remain in a close race heading into the final week of training camp with no decision yet made public by the staff.
Here's a look at some of the top takeaways from the team's 135-snap scrimmage that allowed several players to have an opportunity to shine Saturday inside Memorial Stadium.
Top takeaways and notes
- Justin Wilcox mentioned it during his post-practice media session but Saturday's practice certainly felt like the separate ones based on how things played out. The first half felt very much like the previous two days with the offense struggling to get anything going while the defense played at a high level limiting the play on the opposite side of the ball.
The first two drives ended with punts before Ben Finley was able to lead a scoring drive that was capped with a 43-yard field goal for Michael Luckhurst.
There were also several sacks and a blocked field goal before the offense was finally able to break through late in the initial team period. Two major problems were penalties and dropped passes during the first half of practice. Several big plays simply weren't able to happen because of passes that hit the ground, and the number of those instances stacked up in the early going. And, in all, there were 16 combined penalties called in Saturday's practice for a loss of 118 yards.
Eventually, the offense was able to flip the script and begin move the ball down the field with chunk plays to put some more pressure on the defense. The result was the offense scoring on six of the 10 drives in the second team period.
- Even as someone who has watched the battle throughout camp, it is still difficult to pinpoint who should be the starting quarterback for the Bears. It has reached the point in camp where it is beginning to be somewhat concerning that a player has not emerged as the clear top option there, but each of the top three candidates continues to do positive things in practice.
Finley was the top performer at the position in Saturday's scrimmage, and he has gone a long way toward solidifying at least the backup job over the last several practices. He continues to have his lapses, but overall he has made steady progression since the first practice and feels like he has started to surpass Fernando Mendoza on the depth chart. The staff continues to mix up the groups, so it is not totally clear who stands where on the, for now, fictional depth chart.
However, the NC State transfer finished with 180 yards passing on 11 completions to go with a pair of touchdown passes during Saturday's scrimmage, according to the unofficial stats provided by Cal Athletics. Finley had a couple really strong drives in the second team period that included explosive plays to both Jeremiah Hunter and Marquis Montgomery.
Mendoza also tossed a few touchdown passes in Saturday's scrimmage as he finished with 144 yards passing on 10 completions. Some of his best work came in the first half of practice, but what stood out most was his ability to create plays out some tricky situations. The second-year quarterback had a couple moments when he was forced to scramble yet still found a way to deliver with inventive passes but also had some strong throws down the field as well. He also led the longest drive of the day for the offense.
Finley was the only quarterback to throw an interception Saturday — a ball that was tipped by Julian Womack only to be caught by cornerback Marcus Scott II during the second team period. So, that was positive for Sam Jackson V, who has struggled this week to avoid turning the ball over.
Jackson was forced out of the pocket quite a bit Saturday and sometimes he opted to leave the pocket on his own accord, but it was the best overall day he put together over the last few practices. He avoided throwing interceptions and did a solid job moving the ball down the field. He only tossed one touchdown Saturday after he connected with Taj Davis on a 5-yard play to cap a drive that earlier featured a 39-yard connection with the Washington transfer.
- The biggest story to come from Saturday's scrimmage belonged to the receiver group. In particular, the outside receivers were able to put together some impressive performances signaling some positivity for the health of the offense two weeks out from the season opener. Montgomery proved to be the breakout star of the day, and it was a positive sight for the Bears since the junior college transfer had gone a big quiet earlier in the week. He accounted for some of the biggest pass plays on the day and finished with a pair of touchdown receptions and over 125 receiving yards.
Montgomery's best catch of the day came late in practice when Finley found him in the end zone on a jump ball that he caught over Mayze Bryant, who actually was playing solid coverage. Montgomery's size and ability to make plays above the hands of defenders was on display often Saturday.
Hunter also shined as he ended up with four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown in the scrimmage. On the drive that ended with him scoring a 13-yard touchdown in which he took on a couple defenders, the top returning receiver for the Bears had a 39-yard reception that came on a short pass that he then took down the field while fighting through several defenders.
The coaching staff has been pleased with Davis' work as of late, but the big plays down the field that he made earlier in camp had been a bit more sparse in recent days. That changed Saturday as he had several explosive plays including a 39-yard catch from Jackson. He finished the day with 88 yards receiving on five catches. He was one of the biggest culprits of dropped passes Saturday but was able to make up for it with his big catches down the field.
Each of those players standing out Saturday is a positive step for the Bears who have been looking for some more playmakers, particularly on the outside, to help compliment the rest of the offense.
- Penalties proved to be a killer for the defense on Saturday as several of those flags came on the later downs when the group would have been able to get off the field. Still, there were some standout performers on that side of the ball including inside linebacker Sergio Allen, who finished with a team-high five tackles. Defensive lineman Ricky Correia also had five tackles in the scrimmage according to the unofficial stats.
Myles Jernigan has gone a bit under the radar at times in camp, but he has put together a strong finish. He again shined Saturday as he finished up the scrimmage with a team-high three sacks/tackles for loss. Though not deep, the outside linebacker spot continues to look like a strength of the Cal defense this season.
Up front, Correia's running mate, Nate Burrell, continues to have a strong camp and Saturday he added another sack and three more tackles to his totals. Ethan Saunders also had a few tackles in the scrimmage.
A couple young players were able to stand out as well, defensively, with freshman linebacker Cade Uluave coming through with a sack and a pass breakup to go with four tackles. Meanwhile, defensive back Sai Vadrawale was also credited with four tackles Saturday plus he had a sack of Jackson on a corner blitz.
- The running back group behind Jaydn Ott continues to look more impressive than originally thought, and Saturday even Isaiah Ifanse was given a light work load making it even more clear what type of group the staff has assembled. Javian Thomas, Ashton Stredick and Andy Alfieri ended up leading the way for that group with Thomas, Stredick and Ifanse all ending up with over 40 yards on the ground. The running back unit accounted for five of the touchdowns scored Saturday.
- It will be interesting to see how healthy the team can get over the next two weeks. Several players were held out of the scrimmage Saturday as they continue to work through some nicks and bruises. Starting defensive back Craig Woodson was one of the most notable absences Saturday but he appears to be close to returning and spent Friday's practice suited up and going through individual drills.
Receiver Mason Starling ended the day on crutches, and Wilcox didn't have much of an update on the senior who has already had to battle injury in his career. Starling had been in the midst of a strong training camp with several big catches in recent practices.
- One roster note that went a bit under the radar this week is that Utah transfer quarterback Luke Bottari is no longer with the team. He's been removed from the online roster and was not on the printed roster handed out Saturday. Bottari had been earning reps early in camp but the walk-on has not been part of the group competing for the starting job over the last couple weeks.
Any other questions feel free to ask away!
Practice interviews
