"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."
Cal defeated Oregon State 34-15 as freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele started his college career with poise and production. The 18-year-old left-hander completed his first nine passes, finished 20 of 30 for 234 yards, threw three touchdown passes, had no turnovers and endured no sacks while adding a 25-yard scramble. Touchdown catches went to Mason Mini, Trond Grizzell and Landon Morris. Cal entered the season with 13 new starters and low expectations after no winning records since 2019. Coach Justin Wilcox and teammates praised Sagapolutele's handling of a hostile environment before 31,630 fans.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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