Cal will need all the offense it can get against SMU’s strong defensive team on Saturday, but the Bears’ passing game will be hindered by the absence of two key receivers.
Starting wide receiver Jordan King and starting tight end Mason Mini have both been ruled out for the game against 21st-ranked SMU (8-3, 6-1 ACC).
The Bears (6-5, 3-4 ACC) are trying to bounce back from a 31-10 loss to the Stanford and the firing of head coach Justin Wilcox, so losing any of quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele’s key passing targets is significant against an SMU defense that ranks third in the ACC in scoring defense 19.1 points) and leads the ACC interceptions.
King moved into the Bears starting lineup midway through the 2025 season, and he is fourth on the team with 21 catches, but 18 of them came in the past seven games.
Mark Hamper, who was a Cal starting receiver for the first half of the Bears’ games this season, is also out this week, so it’s unclear who will be Cal third starting wide recevier along with Trond Grizzell and Jacob De Jesus. QuaRon Adams, who has nine receptions, is a good bet to get the starting assignment.
Mini is third on the team in receptions with 35, and he is tied for the team lead in touchdown catches with five.
Adding to the problem at tight end is that second-string tight end Landon Morris third-string tight end Jeffrey Johnson, both of whom get considerable playing time, are both listed as questionable for Saturday. If all three are unavailable, the Bears go without a tight end and use more four-receiver sets..
One other Cal injury of note is that backup running back LJ Johnson Jr. has been ruled out for Saturday’s game.
The most significant player on SMU’s injury report is wide receiver Yamir Knight, who is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game. He is tied for second on the team in receptions with 43 and is tied for the team lead in touchdown catches with five.
The Mustangs top receiver, Jordan Hudson, is listed as probable.
Cal needs to win Saturday’s game to clinch a winning season for the first time since 2019. A win would also give the Bears a final 4-4 record in ACC play, which would end a streak of 15 consecutive seasons with a losing conference record.
However, SMU is a 13.5-point favorite over the Bears.
SMU would clinch a berth in the ACC championship game if it beats Cal. If the Mustangs lose Saturday, they could still get into the conference title game if several results in other ACC games on Saturday fall their way.
.Thursday’s injury report:
Injury report / The ACC
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