Cal’s offense is headed back into the laboratory on Saturday morning, and this time the Bears are trying a new mix at quarterback and play-caller when they face 23rd-ranked SMU.
The likely setup has Pat McCann handling the play sheet while Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele runs the offense, a pairing Cal has not yet used in a normal game setting. Head coach Tosh Lupoi has already shown he’s willing to change course fast when something isn’t producing, and this is the latest attempt to jolt a unit that has not found a rhythm.
Lupoi has not officially named a starter for the game in Dallas, but Jackson Brousseau started the past two contests, and all signs point to Sagapolutele getting the nod Saturday. If it turns out otherwise, it would raise plenty of questions around the program. There’s also the added wrinkle of how Sagapolutele handles the return after being taken out of the starting role last week.
The timing is not ideal. Cal is into its eighth game, which is usually well past the point where a team wants to be experimenting this much on offense. The numbers underline the problem: the Bears have averaged just 19.7 points against their six FBS opponents, and two of their 21 touchdowns have come from the defense.
This is not the first time Cal has shuffled the pieces around.
The early pairing of Sagapolutele and Jordan Somerville at quarterback and play-caller, respectively, didn’t produce enough. Over the first three and a half games against FBS opponents, the Bears managed only 48 points with that combination.
McCann entered the picture in the second half against UNLV on October 3, taking over play-calling duties, and that was also when Brousseau replaced Sagapolutele after the latter suffered a concussion late in the first half. That McCann-Brousseau combination gave Cal 24 second-half points in a 39-31 loss, then helped deliver a 25-20 upset of Virginia Tech while Sagapolutele remained out.
When Sagapolutele was available again against Wake Forest, Lupoi stayed with the hot hand in Brousseau and McCann. That version of the offense stalled badly, producing no points and just 81 passing yards from Brousseau in nearly three quarters.
Sagapolutele finally got on the field late in the third quarter with Cal already trailing 41-0, but he flashed what the McCann-Sagapolutele pairing might look like. In a little more than a quarter, he completed 15 of 18 passes for 110 yards, threw one touchdown and did not have an interception.
That sample came with an important caveat: Wake Forest had no reason to keep pressing. With a 41-point lead, the Demon Deacons backed off and were content to let backups run out the clock, which left Cal finding steady gains against a softer approach.
Saturday’s version should be different, and a lot more revealing. SMU brings the kind of defense that can quickly expose a shaky offense.
The Mustangs are third in the ACC in total defense and first in fewest passing yards allowed per game. They’ve also won every home game since joining the ACC in 2024, so Cal is walking into a difficult setting even before accounting for the opponent.
The Bears also won’t have much room to lean on the ground game. They rank 137th among 138 FBS teams in rushing offense, and Adam Mohammed will be out again as the team’s leading rusher. That puts even more weight on the passing game to carry the day.
Then there’s the quarterback’s headspace. Sagapolutele started all 13 games last year as a freshman, and there was never a question about who the guy was.
This year is different. He was effectively benched to open last week’s game, with Lupoi choosing Brousseau over him.
Sagapolutele appears composed and confident, but being pushed aside can still leave a mark, and uncertainty at quarterback is never a small thing.
The latest test begins at 9 a.m. Pacific time, 11 a.m. Dallas time, at SMU.
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Cal Heads To SMU With One Massive Offensive Question
Cal heads into its trip to SMU carrying more than the usual road-game uncertainty, because the offense is already dealing with a thin margin for error. The Bears will be without leading rusher Adam Mohammed and running back Carter Vargas, two absences that put even more pressure on a unit trying to find some stability away from home.
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That kind of chaos matters for Cal because every ACC result can reshape the league pecking order and the Bears own opportunities as they eye the coming slate. The upcoming matchups bring their own twists, from injuries to key players to betting lines that suggest just how tight some of these games are expected to be, and the numbers only add to the sense that nothing in this conference is settling down anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]