QBs Chase Garbers, Zach Johnson Perform OK in Cal 'Scrimmage'

RB Ashton Stredick, WR Justin Richard Baker show big-play potential. Also, Pac-12, Big Ten, ACC reportedly discussing an alliance

Cal’s Saturday practice gave the appearance of a scrimmage.

Players wore full pads and helmets. An officiating crew decked out in clean black and white striped outfits was on hand. Cal’s first-team offense was going against Cal’s first-team defense in an 11-on-11 competition.

Just one important aspect was missing: tackling.

There was physical play along the line of scrimmage, but there was no tackling, and football is not really football if there is no tackling.

“One of the hardest things to do in football is tackle a guy,” Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said after the “scrimmage” in the video above.

The Bears did get 87 plays to review, with Chase Garbers looking good but not great while leading the first-team offense against Cal’s first-team defense. He was 4-for-10 for 23 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.

His backup at the moment, sophomore Zach Johnson, looked good but not great as he led the Bears’ second-team offense against their second team defense. He finished 10-for-15 for 64 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Freshman Kai Millner, who took third-team reps at quarterback, also had his moments but did not set the world on fire. He was 8-for-14 for 31 yards, no interceptions and no picks.

The low passing yardage reflects the fact that big plays were noticeably absent.

The only touchdown throw was provided by Robby Rowell, whose only playing time came at the end of the scrimmage. But the acrobatic touchdown catch by sophomore Grant Daley was the play of the day.

Someone woke up feeling dangerous today 👀 @GrantDaley4 went up and put his skills on tape. #FTJ pic.twitter.com/X69D6wwk3h

— Cal Football (@CalFootball) August 14, 2021

It was difficult to critique quarterbacks because they were off limits to hits, and the starting points of drives varied greatly, with some beginning in Cal territory and others starting in the red zone.

Assessing running backs was difficult as well, because defenders were allowed to give ball-carriers a significant bump, but they were not brought to the ground.

A few things of note:

---Grad transfer quarterback Ryan Glover, starting wide receiver Kekoa Crawford and starting offensive tackle Will Craig did not participate because of injury, none of which is considered long-term. Also, inside linebacker Blake Antzoulatos, who played with the first-team defense, had to be helped off the field after sustaining an apparent leg injury during the scrimmage.

---Christopher Brooks (7 carries, 24 yards), Damien Moore (6 carries, 39 yards), Chris Street (7 carries, 15 yards) and Marcel Dancy (7 carries, 20 yards) got most of the work at running back, but two lesser-known players displayed some big-play potential.

Sophomore running back Ashton Stredick, a 5-foot-9, 175-pound speedster, showed an ability to avoid would-be tacklers as well as an ability to run inside, rushing for 29 yards on five attempts and scoring on an 8-yard run. Stredick came to Cal as a walk-on after being a high school star in Texas, where he once rushed for 508 yards in a single game.

Cal is giving him a close look, and he might see the field occasionally during the season.

The other player with game-changing potential is sophomore wide receiver Justin Richard Baker. He caught one pass for 11 yards Saturday, but his most intriguing play was a run on an end-around while playing with the first-team offense. It went for 11 yards and the potential for more was evident.

Baker on his strengths as a player:

---Two field-goal attempts were blocked, both by Tyson McWiliams. Wilcox noted this was just the Bears’ eighth preseason practice, and he expects these special-team issues to get ironed out by the time Cal faces Nevada in its Sept. 4 opener.

But it was a reminder of the two blocked kicks – an extra-point attempt and 32-yard field-goal try – that cost Cal the game against Stanford last season.

Dario Longhetto, Cal’s primary place-kicker, had made 4 of 5 field goal attempts before his final kick from 45 yards out was blocked. Grad transfer kicker Nico Ramos also had a kick blocked.

Wilcox on special teams:

Pac-12, ACC, Big Ten Cooking Up an Alliance?

The Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC reportedly have been meeting recently to discuss a possible alliance, particularly in football scheduling.

Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff has been in regular communication with Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips.

“I've been in frequent and regular contact with all of the other A5 commissioners the last few weeks about the four or five complex issues that are facing our industry," Kliavkoff told ESPN on Friday night. "Anything beyond that is just speculation, and I can't comment on it."

Creating a scheduling alliance that would enable high-profile teams from the Pac-12 to face high-profile teams from the ACC and Big Ten could elevate the reputation of the Pac-12, whose football reputation needs some elevating. That becomes increasingly important with the impending move of Texas and Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference, making the SEC even more dominant than it is now.

Wilcox does not pay much attention to things that are out of his control, and he trusts Kliavkoff will do what’s best for the Pac-12.

“I saw it come across the ticker,” Wilcox said of the report of a possible alliance, “and I spent about eight seconds reading it, and moved on to whatever our practice schedule was going to be.”

Wilcox on his reaction to the report of a possible alliance:

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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