Cal Sports Report

Fernando Mendoza's Great Game Ends Cal's Quarterback Competition

The Bears' third-year sophomore completed 16 of his first 17 passes in a loud, hostile road environment, showing he must be Cal's undisputed No. 1 QB

Jake Curtis

Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza celebrates Saturday's win
Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza celebrates Saturday's win / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK
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With five minutes left in the first half of Cal’s 21-14 upset victory over Auburn, the Bears’ two-man quarterback competition ended.

Cal had planned to have Fernando Mendoza and Chandler Rogers split playing time at quarterback in Saturday’s game, but Mendoza was so good in the first half there was no way the coaches could take him out.  With 4:54 left in the first half Mendoza was 16-for-17 for 175 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, and the one incompletion was a ball he threw out of bounds intentionally to avoid a sack.

It was more than just the numbers, though.  His amazing production came after Auburn had taken a 7-0 lead on its first possession, pushing the sellout crowd of 88,043 at Jordan-Hare Stadium into a deafening roar, very capable of stealing the poise and focus from a quarterback whose team is a 12.5-point underdog.

“He had a heckuva half,” Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said. “He was really calm.”

"Their quarterback played lights out in the first half," Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said.

He finished the half 19-for-21 for 205 yards, two TDs and no interceptions. He was the reason Cal converted seven of 10 third-down situations in the first half into first downs. He was the reasons Cal had the ball for more than 20 minutes in the first half, compared to less than 10 minutes for Auburn.  He was, quite simply, the reason Cal led 14-7 at halftime and dominated play over the first 30 minutes.

And he did it with Cal being without four offensive starters – two wide receivers and two offensive linemen – and with Jaydn Ott being limited to 11 rushing yards on 10 carries partly because of the sore ankle that had made him questionable to play.

Mendoza was not nearly as dominant in the second half, when he was 6-for-15 for a mere 28 yards as Auburn turned up the pressure on him. However, he kept Cal in control by making no major mistakes and committing no turnovers. In fact, after forcing Auburn into five turnovers on Saturday, Cal has a turnover margin of plus-7 for the season (1 turnover and 8 takeaways)

There was never a thought that Rogers would get into the game until Mendoza suffered a slight knee injury in the fourth quarter, forcing him to the bench briefly and putting Rogers on the field. Mendoza returned later in the fourth quarter, suggesting he’ll be ready for next week’s home game against San Diego State.

“He seemed fine postgame,” Wilcox said.

“I definitely feel good,” Mendoza said.

So presumably Mendoza has established himself as Cal’s No. 1 quarterback and the idea of sharing snaps with Rogers is done, right, Justin?

“Well, he did a great job today,” Wilcox said of Mendoza. “I think what we’re doing right now is enjoying the win. I think Chandler came in and gave us a really valuable couple of reps there.”

That’s a vague answer to what seems to be a closed case – but it’s the kind of answer coaches are obligated to make just minutes after a big win.

Mendoza refuses to congratulate himself, deflecting postgame questions requesting his self-appraisal with allusions to team brotherly love and the leadership of others. It's what quarterback do.

However, Mendoza must be the Bears’ undisputed No. 1 quarterback now, with Rogers perhaps coming into games only when a running threat at the quarterback spot is called for.   

You could make a case that Cal linebacker Teddye Buchanan was the best player on the field Saturday. He had 11 tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. 

But it is quarterback play that will determine whether Cal gets a bowl berth and is a factor in the ACC race.  Mendoza showed at least in this game that he is the answer at that critical position, performing at the highest level after his team got behind, in a hostile environment, 2,100 miles from home in SEC territory against an opponent favored by nearly two touchdowns.

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Jake Curtis

JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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