The Sagapolutele injury cost California its starting quarterback late in the first half Saturday, and the Golden Bears fell 39-31 at UNLV. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele hit his head hard on the turf and did not return.
What we know about the Sagapolutele injury
Sagapolutele left with 43 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Sports Illustrated reported. Cal says he was medically cleared to return. Coach Tosh Lupoi kept him out anyway.
“I personally was not comfortable with the way he came off the field. (He was) literally wobbling,” Lupoi said, per Yahoo Sports. “Much more important than any game is his health, his life, his career.”
Cal has not announced a diagnosis or a timeline. “We’ll reassess everything, health wise, and see where we’re at going into this next week,” Lupoi said, per Yahoo Sports.
Sagapolutele’s first half and Brousseau’s relief
Sagapolutele was 19 of 27 for 195 yards, one touchdown and one interception before he went out. His 91-yard touchdown pass early in the game was the second-longest pass play in program history, Cal’s postgame notes said.
Jackson Brousseau took over for the second half. He finished 19 of 32 for 200 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, per Cal. That is a strong line for a backup making his first extended appearance.
The Sagapolutele injury left Cal leaning on Brousseau for a full half, and he nearly pulled off the rally. It wasn’t enough. UNLV led 24-7 at halftime, and Cal rallied to a 25-24 lead in the fourth quarter. Jackson Arnold answered with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Keyan Burnett with 9:31 left, then a 2-yard run with 3:24 to play, according to the AP game story. Arnold accounted for five touchdowns and 287 total yards, with 177 passing yards, three touchdown passes, 110 rushing yards and two rushing scores.
Other injuries and what comes next
Cal also played without leading rusher Adam Mohammed, who has a knee injury and 336 rushing yards this season, per SI. The Bears also lost safety Kingston Lopa early in the first quarter. Safety Cam Sidney and defensive back Daniel Harris were ejected for targeting, per SI.
The Bears fell to 2-3 and have lost two straight. UNLV improved to 3-2.
Cal hosts Virginia Tech at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 in Berkeley, per Cal. Cal’s staff will reassess the Sagapolutele injury before then, per Yahoo Sports. For another quarterback injury story, read our report on Dante Moore’s concussion at Oregon. You can also see how the Hokies fared in the Pitt vs. Virginia Tech recap.
