Cal QB Fernando Mendoza will not play against SMU

Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who was named ACC quarterback of the week for his game last week against Stanford, will not play against SMU today (Saturday) due to an illness, Cal reported on its pregame radio show.

As a result, quarterback Chandler Rogers will make his first start as a member of the Cal team. He’s a better runner than Mendoza, but he wasn’t as effective as a passer than Mendoza. Rogers was the starting quarterback at North Texas last season, but he has attempted just 10 passes for Cal this season, completing four for 33 yards. He ran the ball 17 times for 77 yards and a touchdown, and Cal used him at quarterback when it needed a running challenge at the quarterback position.

He competed with Mendoza for the starting job in the preseason, but Mendoza won the job and solidified his position as the No. 1 quarterback in the early games. Cal coaches wanted to give both Mendoza and Rogers playing time in the first two games, but Rogers never got much playing time.

Mendoza, a third-year student, has completed 68.7% of his passes this season with 16 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions.

Running back Jaivian Thomas, the team’s leading rusher, and starting offensive tackle Nick Morrow are also unavailable for Cal today.

Thomas has rushed for 598 yards and averaged 6.6 yards per carry as a backup to Jaydn Ot, who will once again be the starting running back but has averaged 2.9 yards per carry. Thomas ran for 169 yards against San Diego Sate earlier this season, but had just 15 rushing yards on five carries last week against Stanford.

Ott has rushed for 264 yards this season and has struggled with an ankle injury for most of the season.

Mendoza’s absence is due to illness, not injury, so he would presumably be available for Cal’s bowl games, but he won’t play against ninth-ranked SMU in Dallas. Cal was already a 12-point underdog in the game, and this information could change the spread even further.

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