Cal Won't Change Its Starting Quarterback After Loss to No. 8 Oregon

Backup QB Kai Millner had good numbers while playing the fourth quarter against the eighth-ranked Ducks

One question was left unanswered following Cal's fourth straight defeat, a 42-24 loss to eighth-ranked Oregon on Saturday, and Bears head coach Justin Wilcox answered it with one word.

Redshirt freshman Kai Millner was Cal's quarterback for most of the fourth quarter, after the game was out of reach, and he put up some impressive numbers.  He completed 8-of-11 passes for 114 yards, and two touchdowns -- one of 11 yards, the other of 55 yards. He also ran once or 13 yards, and his passer rating for the game was 219.8.

For those unfamiliar with what a 219.8 passer rating means, Millner's number was better than the 192.9 passer rating Oregon quarterback Bo Nix put together in another outstanding performance on Saturday (27-for-35, 412 yards, 3 touchdown passes). It is also better than the nation-leading 203.9 passer rating Ohio State's C.J. Stroud had for the season heading into this weekend's games.

Cal quarterback Jack Plummer did nothing to suggest he should be replaced as the Bears' starting quarterback, but after Millner's performance, the question had to be asked of Wilcox after the game:

Will Plummer remain your starting quarterback?

"Yes," Wilcox said without a moment of hesitation.

And Millner's performance?

"I thought he did a good job when he got the opportunity to get in there," Wilcox said.

So one quarterback from Gilbert, Arizona (Plummer) will not be losing his starting job to another quarterback from Gilbert, Arizona (Millner).

---Click here for a game summary of the Cal-Oregon game---

Wilcox said what needed to be said.  No hint of a quarterback controversy.

And, despite what the Cal fans who stuck around for the fourth quarter might be thinking, there is no reason to change quarterbacks at this point despite Cal's 3-5 record, including 1-4 in the Pac-12.

What Millner did was impressive, but the outcome of the game was not in doubt at the time, which makes a big difference, and Oregon did not have all of its defensive starters on the field in the fourth quarter when Millner did his damage. Plus, with a comfortable lead, Oregon had pulled back on the pressure it had used to good effect against Plummer. And while Millner showed mobility with his 13-yard run, that's not enough to warrant a quarterback change.

Nonetheless, It helps to have a backup with some game experience, especially with Plummer getting banged around.  Plummer has been slowed by a leg injury the past few games, and he got up a little slowly after one of the two sacks he suffered during Saturday's game.

Millner did not seem surprised that Wilcox squashed any thoughts that a quarterback change was imminent.

"Whenever they call on me, I just try to stay ready," Millner said. "Whenever that time comes is whenever that time comes. I just had fun."

For the season, Miller is 9-for-15 for 121 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, but Saturday was Millner's first meaningful playing time since he's been at Cal, albeit when the outcome was no longer in question.

“Felt great just to be back on the field and be able to play and go down and score a couple times," said Millner, who had not played that much since high school. "Felt like we were able to pick up a little momentum and go out and score. It felt good.

"It was an opportunity for me to go out there and show what I can do."

But Plummer is still the quarterback, and rightfully so, assuming he is healthy. He completed 20-of-33 passes for 212 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, and his two long completions -- one of 35 yards to J.Michael Sturdivant, the other of 57 yards to Jeremiah Hunter -- led to Cal's 10 first-half points and helped the Bears take a 10-7 lead in the second quarter.

But starting with 4:14 left in the second quarter and ending with 2:15 gone in the third quarter, the Ducks scored 21 unanswered points and took control of the game.

"Well, there's some things that happened at the end of the first half and start of the second that if we would have performed a bit better, then we could have made that game very competitive," Wilcox said.

Instead, Oregon scored more than 40 points for the seventh straight game, and Cal has not given up more points than the 42 points Oregon scored since 2017, Wilcox's first season as head coach. The previous highest total scored against Cal this season were the 28 points scored by both Washington and Washington State.

And the Ducks rolled up 586 yards, which is the most Cal has allowed this season.  But the Ducks ranked fifth in the nation in total offense coming in, gaining 517.1 yards per game.

What was a little a little startling was the 195 yards that Oregon receivers rolled up after the catch.

The issue is still Cal's offense, and the 10 points the Bears scored through three quarters are not enough.

Cal wide receivers J.Michael Sturdivant (6 catches, 71 yards, 1 TD) and Jeremiah Hunter (5 receptions, 96 yards) continue to be playmakers. But freshman running back Jaydn Ott did not have much room to run, being limited to 57 rushing yards, the fourth straight game he has been held to 70 rushing yards or fewer.

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Cover photo of Kai Millner by Al Sermeno, KLC fotos

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