Why Is No. 2 Cal QB Kai Millner So Important to Bears' 2022 Season?

The redshirt freshman is the Bears' backup quarterback, but only three Pac-12 teams had the same starting quarterback for every game last year

Jack Plummer will be Cal’s starting quarterback in the Bears’ Sept. 3 opener against UC Davis, but the progress made by redshirt freshman quarterback Kai Millner could end up being the difference between a winning season and a losing season for the Bears in 2022.

Former Cal coach Bruce Snyder once said the most important player on the roster is the starting quarterback and the second-most important player is the backup quarterback.

“Really important,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said of the importance of the backup quarterback. “Like everywhere, but especially at the quarterback position. They touch the ball every play. It’s the most important position in sports.”

Cal has provided examples of the importance of the backup quarterback recently -- to its chagrin.

In 2019, Cal was 7-0 when starting quarterback Chase Garbers played more than one half, and it was 1-5 when he didn’t and a backup had to carry the load.

The problem was even more dramatic last year, when Garbers had to miss the road game against Arizona because of COVID protocols.

Arizona was 0-8 at the time and finished the season ranked 10th in the conference in scoring defense, yielding 31.4 points per game. Cal was riding a two-game winning streak, having scored 65 points in those two conference wins. But with backup quarterback Ryan Glover running the Cal offense against Arizona, the Bears could only manage three points, their lowest scoring output of the season, in a 10-3 loss. Cal finished the season 5-7 overall and 4-5 in the Pac-12, so the unexpected loss to Arizona cost the Bears a bowl berth and their first winning conference record in 12 years.

You might claim it was just a fluke that Cal lost Garbers for a game, and that such circumstances are rare.

Well, only three Pac-12 teams had the same starting quarterback for every game last season.

Backup quarterbacks can expect to play at some point, and the significance of having a quality backup quarterback was demonstrated by Utah last year and Oregon the year before. Cameron Rising began the 2021 season as Utah’s backup quarterback, and he ended it as the first-team all-Pac-12 quarterback for the team that won the Pac-12 championship. Anthony Brown was Oregon’s backup quarterback throughout the 2020 season, but he was the difference-maker in the Ducks’ upset of USC in the Pac-12 championship game that season.

Besides the necessity of having a quality backup if the starter is injured, it's also nice to know that if the starting quarterback struggles, there is an alternative prepared to play effectively, either in a given game or as a permanent replacement.

Having a quality backup quarterback on hand is more difficult to achieve these days, because quarterbacks who fail to land a starting job are likely to transfer to a school where they can be a starter.

Wilcox said he will feel good about things if Millner goes into a game, and Millner has been getting nearly as much work with the first-team offense as Plummer in preseason training camp. Though it is ostensibly being called a competition for the starting quarterback spot, it looks more like an attempt to get two quarterbacks prepared to play in a game if necessary.

Wilcox also has noted more than once that freshman Fernando Mendoza has been impressive in practice.

It’s a good bet that Plummer and Millner will both see playing time against UC Davis, and don’t be shocked if Mendoza gets into the game as well. Having a backup quarterback with game experience is crucial.

Depth overall has been an issue for Cal in recent year, and Wilcox talks about that in the video below:

.

Cover photo of Kai Millner by Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA TODAY Sports

.

Follow Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by going to https://www.facebook.com/si.calsportsreport