Cal Football: Fernando Mendoza Continues to Show the Bears Have an Answer at QB

The redshirt freshman, while not perfect, directed Cal to its highest point total ever in a defeat.

Cal didn’t have the best quarterback on the field Saturday against USC, but the Bears have a keeper.

Redshirt freshman Fernando Mendoza continues to demonstrate that whatever problems the Bears have — and there are plenty of them — he is a player they can build around.

“I think he’s just going to keep getting better,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said after the Bears succumbed 50-49 to No. 24 USC in a game that had to be equal parts entertaining and frustrating for Old Blues.

Fernando Mendoza looks for a receiver against USC / Photo by Darren Yamashita, USA Today

USC made what could be its final trip to Memorial Stadium — at least for a while, as the Pac-12 prepares to splinter — and showcased Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. The possible No. 1 NFL draft pick next spring, Williams passed for 369 yards with a pair of touchdown and led the Trojans’ charge back from a 43-29 deficit early in the fourth quarter.

Mendoza wasn’t perfect — he fumbled an exchange with Jaydn Ott and threw an interception — but he threw for a career-best 292 yards and for the third straight game delivered a pair of touchdown passes.

He also ran for 48 yards, including three first downs and two touchdowns.

And yes, the Bears are 0-3 since Mendoza was installed as the starting quarterback so no one is satisfied. Especially not Mendoza.

“Just being quite honest, there’s praise but I (lost) the game with two turnovers,” he said. “My decision-making wasn't to up to par.”

Mendoza is tough on himself, an admirable trait in a leader, but there was a lot he did quite well on Saturday in his third straight outing against a Top-25 opponent.

First of all there is this: Cal’s 49 points are the most the team has ever scored in a defeat. That’s dating back to 1882, when the Bears began playing the sport. It spans two World Wars and more than 1,400 games over 141 years.

The Bears’ point total was their second-highest in 110 games vs. USC, trailing only the 52 they scored in 1991. Cal totaled 527 yards and in Mendoza’s three starts, is averaging 34.3 points. The Bears have scored at least 40 points in a pair of games vs. Top-25 teams for the first time since 2006.

Mendoza had promised to have a better grasp of the offense after a bye week, and it showed. He was quick and decisive on his run-pass option decisions and threw the ball downfield with authority.

He involved a mix of receivers, connecting with Jeremiah Hunter eight times for 96 yards, tight end Jack Endries on seven for 64 yards and wide receiver Trond Grizzell six times for 91 yards.

The coaching staff has been seeking explosive plays and the Bears had seven pass plays covering at 16 yards, not to mention six runs of 12 yards or more — three of those by Mendoza.

The offensive line gave him good protection, allowing no sacks, and Mendoza did the rest.

“He threw some really good balls today and he stands in there with no fear,” Wilcox said. “He’s very, very competitive. He sees the game well. He can communicate on the sideline what he’s seeing.”

And the turnovers?

“Those are mistakes we can’t have,” Wilcox conceded. “But Fernando’s going to continue to learn because he can digest what he’s seeing, he can learn.”

*** Odds and ends from Saturday:

— Jaydn Ott remains on pace to become Cal’s first 1,000-yard rusher in six years, if he can stay healthy. He left the USC game after the second play of the fourth quarter and his status for Saturday’s game at Oregon is uncertain.

But he rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns against the Trojans, and now has 756 yards for the season, despite missing one full game and the equivalent of four quarters in three others.

— Cal had possession for just 2 minutes, 42 seconds of the first quarter Saturday. But in those 162 seconds, the Bears piled up 162 yards — exactly one yard per second.

— The Cal defense, which had zero sacks through the first four Pac-12 games, took down Williams four times to go with seven quarterback pressures.

— Freshman inside linebacker Cade Uluave, in his first start, had 10 tackles. That gives him 19 over the past two games.

— The Bears continue to get good work from punter Lachlan Wilson, who had three kicks for a 46.0-yard average, including a 51-yarder and two downed inside the 20. For the season, he’s averaging 45.4 yards.

Cover photo of Fernando Mendoza scoring a touchdown vs. USC by Darren Yamashita, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo