BERKELEY — The 24 sacks Fernando Mendoza has taken tell only part of the story of the abuse the Cal quarterback has absorbed this season. They don’t factor in all those times where just after releasing a pass he’s blasted by the pass rush.
“That guy’s tough,” coach Justin Wilcox says of the redshirt sophomore. “He stands in there and there’s times when he’s going to get lit up and he takes it right the in the teeth and he delivers the ball.
“He’s not perfect, but the players and the team and the coaches have a ton of respect for him because of how tough he is. He can throw, he’s very tough, he’s conscientious and he’s going to continue to get better.”
For the Bears (3-3, 0-3 ACC) to snap a three-game skid in which they’ve lost by a total of eight points and knock off visiting North Carolina State (3-4, 0-3) on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium, they’re going to have to find a way to keep Mendoza upright.
With star running back Jaydn Ott still iffy to play because of an ankle injury that already has cost him two games and nagged him since the opener, the Bears are relying on Mendoza to shoulder the offensive load.
He has thrown for 1,449 yards with eight touchdowns and just three interceptions through six games, but his sack total is second-highest in the country. And it’s already one more than the Bears surrendered all last season.
No one up front is shifting responsibility.
“Fernando’s awesome. We’ve got to take a lot better care of him,” center Will McDonald said. “He’ll take the blame for everything — that’s just the kind of guy he is. Obviously, we know that’s not the case. He says the right thing, he does the right thing, he doesn’t point fingers.”
Last week, after being sacked six times in the Bears’ 17-15 loss at Pitt, Mendoza said he sometimes needs to get rid of the ball quicker. He declined to be critical of the O-line and said he’ll keep battling as long as he has a pulse.
“My leadership style is more encouraging,” Mendoza said. “My job as the quarterback is to be encouraging, lift those guys up, and keep the energy up and the tempo up of our offense.”
He insists he is not shouldering the blame simply to curry favor with his line.
“I’m not saying I’m doing it dishonestly,” he explained. “I’m not just saying, `Oh, it’s on me,’ so I can gain the trust of those guys. I genuinely do think that as a quarterback and as a leader it’s my responsibility help the team score points, and I believe I can do a better job of doing that.”
McDonald, who came to Cal this season as a transfer from Coastal Carolina, is quick to acknowledge the O-line has not played to its potential.
“I think everyone knows the offensive line’s got to play better,” said McDonald,
Wilcox said it’s on the coaching staff to help players improve and not give them more than they can handle. He called the 24 sacks “totally unacceptable,” and acknowledged the line has a lot to do with that. So do others in the protection package and, on occasion, Mendoza.
He pointed to two plays in the Pitt game that were particularly galling. Both times, the Bears were in seven-man protections against four pass rushers and had wide receiver Trond Grizzell running a deep route against single coverage. The Bears couldn’t get the pass off either time.
“That’s very frustrating,” Wilcox said.
McDonald said the team has not lost faith in itself.
“There’s two ways you can go from this point,” he said. “We know what we’re going to do. We’re too talented to not play to our full potential and win some of these close games.
“We’re really close to busting one open. Hopefully this is the week that happens.”