Cal QB Fernando Mendoza Will Not Play Against SMU

Cal quarterack Fernando Mendoza, who was named the ACC quarterback of he week for his play last week against Stanford, will not play against SMU today (Saturday) because of an illness, as reported by Cal's pregame radio show.

As a result, quarterback Chandler Rogers will make his first start as a member of the Cal team. He is a better runner than Mendoza, but he has has not been as effective a passer as 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 has run the balll 17 times for 77 yards and touchdowns, and Cal has used him at quarterback when it needed a running hreat at the quarterback spot.

Also unavailable for Cal today are running back Jaivian Thomas, the teams' leading rusher, and starting offensive tackle Nick Morrow.

Thomas has rushed for 598 yards and 6.6 yards-per-carry average as the backup to Jaydn Ot, who will again be the starting running back but is averaging 2.9 yards per carry.

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