Cal Football Hopes Sacramento Heat Helps Prep Them For Next Month

The Bears have early-season games at Auburn and Florida State, where they will have deal with warm, humid conditions

Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium / Photo courtesy of Auburn Athletics

In search of heat, Cal will practice Monday and Tuesday at Jesuit High School in the Sacramento suburb of Carmichael.

Asked what he’s hoping to encounter in preparation for September road games in Alabama and Florida, Cal coach Justin Wilcox wishfully suggested, “Heat waves coming off the turf.”

So he’d welcome a 100-degree day? “Sure, let’s do it,” he said.

The forecast is a bit more tame than that: A projected high of 85 degrees during Cal’s practice session (1:30 to 3:30) on Monday, perhaps 93 degrees on Tuesday. Both practices at Jesuit are closed to the public.

The average high in Berkeley in August is 74 degrees, so this will be a departure.

How much it helps the Bears prepare for conditions at Auburn and Florida State remains to be seen. The Auburn game is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. local time kickoff, where the Bears will not only be greeted by warm temperatures but humidity that no place in Northern California can emulate.

Kickoff for the Bears’ game at FSU on Sept. 21 has not been determined, but Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who grew up in Miami, knows what to expect.

“In Miami, playing quarterback, it’s like throwing in the rain at all times.” he said. “Cause you’re sweating and you can’t really control your sweat and everybody’s sweating. You play all your games at 3 o’clock and it’s humid out there.”

The Bears actually have a solid contingent of players hailing from areas of the country with more heat and humidity than Berkeley offers. Mendoza is one of five Floridians on the roster and fellow quarterback Chandler Rogers is among 20 players who come from Texas.

Rogers is a transfer from North Texas, but he grew up in Mansfield, Texas, and made previous college stops at Louisiana Monroe, Blinn (TX) JC and Southern Miss.

“This is my first fall camp where I’m able to wear sweats in practice,” Rogers said. “I’m used to 100 degrees plus every day. At North Texas we had an indoor (facility) so you got a little break from the heat. Out here, it’s beautiful. Great weather — you cannot beat it.”

Rogers’ old North Texas teammates can expect 107 degrees at practice on Monday.

So if the weather the Bears will experience at practice Monday won’t be quite that severe, perhaps there is some benefit.

“Sacramento’s not a huge concern for me,” Mendoza said, “but I think it’s a good opportunity rather than a concern.”