McIlwain still appears to be starter at QB
After consecutive losses that featured nine turnovers, Cal head coach Justin Wilcox played it coy about how the Bears are handling the quarterback position in preparation for Saturday’s homecoming game against UCLA.
“We’ll do what’s best for our team,” Wilcox said in Monday night’s three-minute interview that he seemed to wish was closer to three seconds. “Everything is on the table. We’re looking for consistency.”
Cal played three quarterbacks in its season-opening victory against North Carolina, and reduced the rotation to a tag team of starting redshirt freshman Chase Garbers and change-of-pace sophomore Brandon McIlwain for the next three games.
In the Bears’ 24-17 loss at Arizona on Saturday, McIlwain got his first start for Cal and played all but one snap when Garbers replaced him because, by rule, McIlwain had to sit out a play after his helmet was knocked off his head.
Cal (3-2, 0-2 Pac-12) likely showed its hand about the immediate future of the position when neither last year’s starter Ross Bowers nor Garbers warmed up in the fourth quarter — even after McIlwain had consecutive possessions end in an interception, a failed fourth-down run, a second interception and a fumble.
Given that sequence and down 17-14 with more than three minutes remaining, the Bears stuck with McIlwain, who threw his third interception of the game and his fifth in the past two.
“We’re fighters,” McIlwain said after Saturday’s loss. “We’re a tough group. We’re a gritty group. We’re going to fight back.
“We’re going to learn from this, but obviously, after a game when you fight that hard, it’s tough. This is a group of guys who knows how to play, how to fight and how to keep getting better. We’re going to keep getting better.”
McIlwain’s passing numbers have been rather pedestrian, completing 66.7 percent of his generally quick-hitting short passes for 545 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions, but he’s the team’s leading rusher. He has gained 359 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and four touchdowns on the ground.
During training camp, he asked the coaches to let him remove the don’t-touch-me yellow jersey, so he could show off his creativity, elusiveness and power.
“He loves to run,” sophomore cornerback Camryn Bynum said. “I remember in fall practice, he was asking coaches to take the yellow jersey off, so he could be hitting us. They let him do that, and he was able to show his abilities to us. …
“That’s the type of player he is: always trying to be a dog out there and run the ball as hard as he can.”
McIlwain accounted for all but 54 yards of Cal’s total offense against Arizona, running for 107 yards and throwing for 315.
Wilcox said the turnovers aren’t all the quarterback’s fault, pointing out that five Arizona rushers beat a sevenman Cal protection on the sack that produced a lost fumble. Though two of McIlwain’s interceptions against Arizona airmailed the intended receivers, there appeared to be a miscommunication between him and tight end Ian Bunting on the third.
“We’ve got to take care of the ball better,” Wilcox said. “… I think Brandon is an explosive athlete, maybe the most explosive athlete on our offense right now with the things he can do running and throwing …
“Brandon did some really good things. We’ve got to take care of the ball better. We can’t turn it over. Everybody knows that. It’s obvious. We all have to learn from it. We understand that, but we have to actually go out and perform.”