A few days after suffering a hard fall in Cal’s 24-17 loss to Arizona State, quarterback Chase Garbers was ruled out “long-term” by the football program, but he is not officially done for the season.
On Monday evening, three days after Garbers suffered the injury, the official word from practice was that Garbers will miss most of the remainder of the season, but he has a chance to return at some point.
Despite the indication that he could still return, Garbers’ injury is a tough blow to a Cal offense that seemed to be hitting its stride at just the right time. In five games this season, the redshirt sophomore from Newport Beach compiled 952 passing yards, with eight passing touchdowns and two interceptions to his name.
His quarterback rating of 148.1 was up from his 2018 mark of 119.9, a significant improvement that garnered rave reviews from fans and coaches leading up to last weekend.
In Garbers’ absence, the Bears will turn to redshirt junior Devon Modster, a UCLA transfer who replaced Garbers in the second quarter of Friday night’s loss. In limited action, Modster completed five of 14 passes for 23 yards, with one interception.
Modster played in five games as a member of the Bruins’ program, completing 51 of 79 passes for 671 and four touchdowns. He transferred last September to Palomar College, before announcing his commitment to Cal in December.
With Modster promoted to starter, head coach Justin Wilcox confirmed that true freshman Spencer Brasch will act as the primary backup should Modster be forced out of action, with redshirt freshman Robby Rowell also a part of the travel squad.
The news from the medical report card wasn’t all bad, however. Nickelback Traveon Beck and receiver Kekoa Crawford, both of whom missed the Arizona State game nursing injuries, are expected to return this Saturday against No. 13 Oregon.
