Cal QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele in concussion protocol; status for Saturday unclear

Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is in concussion protocol after being held out of the second half of the Bears' 39-31 loss at UNLV on Saturday, coach Tosh Lupoi said Tuesday.

Sagapolutele is "day-to-day" ahead of Saturday's homecoming game in Berkeley against Virginia Tech, Lupoi said.

Lupoi recounted the play on which the sophomore quarterback suffered the concussion, saying the manner he was knocked down "whiplashed" Sagapolutele's head into the ground. Lupoi then reiterated what he told reporters after the UNLV loss: Sagapolutele was medically cleared to return to play after halftime but Lupoi made the call to hold him out.

"Jaron had a concussion in the game" against UNLV, Lupoi said. "He was wobbling off the field; obviously, everybody saw that. So we pulled him out of the game. I was actually told he was cleared and ready to go in the game at halftime. I was very uncomfortable with that.

"The last thing I'm going to do is jeopardize that young man's future and his life. … There were some symptoms there possibly. And so no matter what, I'm not going to jeopardize that young man and anybody on this team. Just based off of my human instinct, based off what I saw, ain't nobody gonna go out there. "

It's unclear how or why Sagapolutele, who appeared shaken when he rejoined the huddle after the hit, was initially cleared to return.

Per the NCAA's Concussion Safety Protocol checklist, available on the organization's website, student-athletes who display signs/symptoms/behaviors consistent with a concussion must be evaluated by an athletic trainer or team physician (or physician designee) with concussion experience and cannot return to play if a concussion is suspected. And as required by the NCAA's Independent Medical Care Legislation, team physicians and athletic trainers shall have unchallengeable autonomous authority to determine medical management and return-to-play decisions for all student-athletes.

Sagapolutele "along with all the other players in concussion - we have an extremely strict protocol here," Lupoi said. "They go through multiple testing every day, and there's a protocol that we follow, and so I'm going to follow that, and I will go off the medical professional's opinion."

Sagapolutele was 19-for-27 for 195 yards and a touchdown against UNLV. Backup Jackson Brousseau was 19-for-32 for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Lupoi said Sagapolutele did not participate in the full-contact portion practice Tuesday, but was present. According to the NCAA's Concussion Safety Protocol, student-athletes must undergo a six-step management plan supervised by a health care provider with expertise in concussions to be cleared to return to play.

Rivera on offense: Team general manager Ron Rivera backed Lupoi over his decision to change offensive playcallers during the UNLV game.

Lupoi said the Bears had multiple coaches handling offensive playcalling responsibilities through the first half at UNLV before he made the call to give the duties to pass game coordinator Pat McCann after the first possession of the second half.

Cal scored 24 points in the second half after scoring seven in the first half.

"Drawing up things on the sideline, getting on the iPad, maniac energy of trying to put things in, put a receiver in the backfield, run a play that we did not practice a single time for an explosive touchdown - Pat McCann dressed all that up," Lupoi said of wide receiver Cooper Perry's 53-yard wheel route touchdown at the 4:40 mark in the third quarter.

Including Perry's TD, the Bears scored 24 points after Lupoi made the swap, a sign of encouragement for a Cal offense that has been lackluster this season with offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville on the headset.

"I think it just shows that (Lupoi's) looking for answers, which is great," Rivera said. "He's trying to be aggressive in terms of finding those answers, and really just trying to show the players that he's willing to do what he needs to do to give ourselves a chance to win. If you continue to do the same thing, is that insanity? He keeps getting the same results, and I think that's kind of what he's alluding to is that he felt he had to do that. Our initial play caller is a young playcaller (Somerville) who's got a lot to learn still. Very good football coach, understands the game, but he's got some things to learn."

The rotating door at offensive playcaller is a sign of the urgency from Lupoi, Rivera, and the Cal football program feels sitting at 2-3 on the season. But while Bears know this first season in a new era has not gone as well as they had hoped, Rivera maintained his confidence in what Cal is building, pointing to how the Bears have been in these games all the way to the bitter end.

"The potential," Rivera answered when asked what he's seen from these first five games that gives him confidence the Bears can turn this season around.

"You see the plays that they make, you see the things that they've done to put themselves in position (to win), and that's where you feel really good about who they are. They're working their tails off. They're doing the things that they need to do, and at the same time, they're trying to be student-athletes. I think it takes a lot. I really do, and to see them come out, and I agree with what (Lupoi) said too. They're going to fight to the end."