Cal is trending toward a healthier Saturday in Charlottesville.
When the ACC released its mandatory Wednesday night availability report, the Bears had only three players listed out for the trip to Virginia and one more tagged questionable. That’s a much cleaner injury picture than Cal has carried for much of the season.
The biggest sign of progress is at running back. Adam Mohammed, Cal’s No. 1 rusher, appears on track to play after making a limited return two weeks ago against NC State.
Mohammed had missed more than four games with a knee injury before carrying nine times in that game. Cal then had a bye last week.
The report also points to returns for wide receivers Ian Strong and Jordan King, along with center Bastian Swinney, all of whom are now expected to be available after dealing with injuries at different points this season.
The Bears will still be without running back Carter Vargas, tight end Dorian Thomas and defensive lineman Nate Burrell.
Vargas, a sophomore transfer from UC Davis, has been sidelined since Cal’s opener against UCLA. Last season with the Aggies, he totaled 662 yards rushing and receiving and scored seven touchdowns.
Thomas, a junior transfer from New Mexico, has played in six games - most recently against Wake Forest on Oct. 17 - but has only one catch this season. He came into the portal last spring ranked as the No. 6 tight end prospect after catching 56 passes for 560 yards and four touchdowns with the Lobos.
Burrell, a fifth-year senior, brought 77 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss, over the previous two seasons, but he has appeared in only two games this year and has not played since Sept. 12. He has six tackles on the season.
Freshman inside linebacker JD McKinley is the lone Cal player listed as questionable. He missed the NC State game, but has produced 20 tackles, including three sacks, in six games.
Cal enters the game at 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the ACC. Virginia is 4-5 and also 2-4 in league play.
Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT on the ACC Network.
In Other News...
Cal Faces A Bigger Question Than Virginia In Must-Win Road Test
Cals trip to Charlottesville arrives with far more at stake than just snapping a three-game skid. Both the Bears and Virginia have stumbled into this matchup with disappointing records that have dulled their postseason hopes, but Cals path is the more unforgiving one. Saturday at Scott Stadium is effectively a must-win, because the Bears need to run the table from here to stay in bowl contention, and that puts every decision around the roster under a brighter spotlight.
Virginias side of the equation is clearer, with quarterback Beau Pribula having put up strong numbers even as the Cavaliers have struggled to convert that into wins. Cal, meanwhile, is still dealing with uncertainty around key pieces, including Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, and that makes the bigger question less about the opponent than about what the Bears can realistically count on down the stretch. For a team already chasing the margins, the margin for error is gone. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Fans Should Feel Good About Virginias Biggest Problem
Virginias season has turned into a weekly exercise in damage control, and the latest stretch has only sharpened the questions around the offense. The Cavaliers are riding a three-game losing streak, the quarterback situation has been in flux, and the running game has not offered much relief, which is why the conversation with beat writer Xander Tilock centered so heavily on what has gone wrong and how much of it traces back to injuries and coaching decisions.
For Cal, the encouraging part is that Virginias biggest headache is still on the offensive side of the ball, where consistency has been hard to find and the fan reaction has grown louder with each setback. There are still pieces worth tracking, including the status of linebacker Kam Robinson after his recovery and how the staff is handling the quarterback room, but the broader picture is a team trying to steady itself before facing the Bears rather than one that has found a clean answer. [Read more 🡒]
Cals Familiar Second-Half Problem Is Already Raising Bigger Concerns
Cals latest loss to No. 21 USC fit an all-too-familiar pattern for a team trying to steady itself in the early going. The Bears hung around for stretches but again ran into trouble with consistency, particularly on the glass, and head coach Mark Madsen was left pointing to the same kinds of issues that have made these games feel frustratingly similar.
The absence of starting center Lee Dort has only sharpened the concern inside the program, because Cal has not had its usual interior presence while trying to navigate a tough stretch of opponents. The Bears now get a chance to reset at home against Utah Tech, but the bigger question is whether they can clean up the rebounding and execution problems before the schedule forces them to keep answering for the same second-half lapses. [Read more 🡒]