If success-starved Cal football fans were waiting for a reason to feel hope, freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele delivered it in the Bears’ 34-15 victory at Oregon State in his college debut.
The Bears haven’t had a winning record since 2019 and they arrived at the doorstep of this season as a puzzle featuring 13 starters who weren’t even part of their program last year.
They were picked 15th in the 17-team ACC and the quarterback position was one of a long list of question marks facing this squad.
The 18-year-old left-hander from Hawaii couldn’t have been much better while becoming just the second freshman quarterback to start a season-opening game for Cal.
Sagapolutele completed his first nine pass attempts, threw touchdowns on each of his first two series and finished the night 20 of 30 for 234 yards with three scores, no turnovers and no sacks. He showed some elusiveness with a 25-yard scamper on a scramble.
“He looked just like he does in practice. We’re not surprised,” coach Justin Wilcox said after Saturday night’s victory. “But it’s also the first time he’s played in a college game, in a tough place, against a good defense. It was not at all too big for him.
“There’s going to be a lot to learn, but he handled all of it extremely well.”
Asked if he was nervous playing in front of 31,630 fans at Reser Stadium, Sagapolutele said he was mostly anxious for the game to begin.
“I wasn’t really nervous about playing bad,” he said. “Once we got on the field, I just soaked it all in, got my first pass completed and it was just up from there.”
He threw touchdowns of 19 yards to tight end Mason Mini, 32 yards to wide receiver Trond Grizzell and 4 yards to tight end Landon Morris.
Linebacker and team captain Cade Uluave, who had 10 tackles including 2 1/2 tackles for loss, wasn’t surprised.
“Man, Jaron’s a stud,” he said. “He’s a baller and I knew it from Day 1. I’m super proud of him. What you saw in the game is what he’s been doing since spring ball.”
His teammates weren’t the only ones excited by his performance. His mother and father, Setema and Tiki, traveled to the game from their home at Ewa Beach on the island of O’ahu.
“They were so happy for me,” Sagapolutele said. “I was happy for them . . . getting to see a smile on my mom and my dad’s face. That I got to play in my first college game and it went not too bad.”
Quarterback play wasn’t the only source of encouragement for the Bears:
O-line improvement: Cal’s offensive line allowed 49 sacks last season, but kept Sagapolutele upright all night. “They were holding (up the rush) for 4-5 seconds and I was sitting back there clean,” the freshman said.
Sharp special teams: UNLV transfer Jacob De Jesus gained 78 yards on three kickoff returns and 73 on three punt returns.
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“I just have never seen a great return unit without a great returner,” Wilcox said. “You have to have someone back there who is dynamic, who is fearless and makes people miss. He is all of those things.”
After twice losing close games because of missed field goals last season, the Bears started 2-for-2 against the Beavers. Abram Murray connected from 49 yards and Chase Meyer converted a 23-yarder.
Not everything clicked, though.
Ho-hum run game: Three new running backs combined to rush 27 times for 100 yards, an unremarkable 3.7 yards per carry. “Overall, we need to be better in the run game, and that’s everybody,” Wilcox said.
Next up: The Bears make their home debut Saturday against Texas Southern (3 p.m., ACC Network Extra), an FCS-level team that lost 22-21 to Prairie View A&M on Saturday.
