Quarterback isn’t the only position where it’s less than clear who will play for Cal on Saturday when the Bears visit No. 23 SMU.
The running back position has been thinned by injuries to the point where the situation is becoming almost desperate.
By the of Saturday night’s 41-7 loss to Wake Forest, the Bears were down to what coach Tosh Lupoi referred to on Tuesday as the team’s No. 5 running back, second-year man Anthony League.
The closest we came to gaining any real insight on where things stand was when Lupoi offered a somewhat vague sign of optimism about the injury front.
“Excited to, as we get closer to game time, potentially restore a couple guys with some health of our team,” he said, not specifying names or even positions.
Was he referring to running back Adam Muhammed, or perhaps quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele or wide receiver Ian Strong, a surprise, last-minute scratch for Wake Forest?
Coaches are not required to share the injury status of players beyond what is listed on the ACC availability report, which is first unveiled on Wednesday nights, then updated as the game approaches.
Here’s what we know about the Bears’ shrinking running backs corps:
— Muhammed, the Washington transfer who started the first five games and averaged 4.6 yards, totaling 336 rushing yards with three touchdowns, was injured early in Week 5 vs. UNLV and has not played since.
— Projected backup Carter Vargas, a transfer from UC Davis, got one carry in the opener vs. UCLA before sustaining an injury that has kept him out of action the past six weeks. Lupoi declined to answer whether Vargas is out for the season.
— Ashten Emory, a third-year player from Dallas, took over the primary ball carrying assignment when Muhammed went down. He has rushed for 205 yards at 3.5 yards per attempt and score four touchdowns, but he was injured midway through the third quarter vs. Wake and limped off the field.
— Walk-on Carson Perry-Smith, who was moved from wide receiver to running back last spring, has carried the ball for 24 yards at a 3.4 clip. He was listed as a game-time decision on the ACC report, but did not play on Saturday night.
— League, a second-year back from Long Beach, carried the ball three times for seven yards late in the Wake Forest game. For the season, he has run for 24 yards at 2.4 per attempt.
— Freshman Victor Santino, a three-star recruit from Miami, averaged 14 yards per carry in seven games as a high school senior. He has not carried the ball for the Bears, but could that change vs. SMU?
Freshman Tyree Sams, recruited to Cal as a wide receiver, has played both positions this season and has made contributions on a small scale. He would not seem to be the answer as an every-down back.
Whether the coaching staff is scouring the roster for players who could potentially make a mid-season move to running back is unknown but also likely difficult.
Elsewhere, questions exist regarding the status of wide receiver Strong, who caught 28 passes in Cal’s first five games, center Bastian Swinney, defensive lineman Nate Burrell, and others.
The ACC availability reports will give us a hint about who might play on Saturday. We won’t know for sure until the Bears and Mustangs kick off at 9 a.m. PT.
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