2020 was a year for records, or at the very least things that haven't happened in a long time. The Bears played in only four games, and the last time they played in fewer over a season was in 1894 where Charles Gill led the Bears to an 0-1-2 record, with two ties coming against the Reliance Club (an athletic and gentleman's club in Oakland that went bankrupt in 1910) and a 6-0 loss to Stanford in the 3rd Big Game.
2021 should be a more normal year, where things that last happened in the late 1800s won't happen again. Due to the last year, a handful of players have taken the extra year of eligibility offered by the NCAA and will be in their fifth or sixth seasons in Berkeley, which gives a handful of players the chance to break into the record books.
In addition, a handful of other Bears could break into the statistical top 10 at their position in 2021 as well.
Josh Drayden - All-Time Games Played in Cal History
There is no official record, at least in the record books kept track of by Cal Athletics, of which Cal player has played in the most games. In modern times, cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson holds the unofficial record in both games played and starts, with 52 on each count. Drayden played in 10 games as a true freshman, all 25 games over the 2017-18 seasons, redshirted in 2019 while playing the four game maximum, and all four of the Bears contests in 2020. That leaves the sixth year defensive back with career totals of 43 games played, with 10 starts.
Considering a normal 12 game season, with a potential bowl game in the aftermath, Drayden could get up to 56, a number that wouldn't be unreachable with the four-game redshirt rule, but one that would put him atop the record books
Luc Bequette - All-Time Games Started
Bequette is all but announced to be back with the Bears in 2021 and he has a shot at Thompson's started games record just based on his time with the Bears. Bequette has started 38 of the 42 games he has played in at Cal, and with a season that sees Cal playing in a conference championship game, Bequette could tie that record.
One caveat is that Bequette, during his season at Boston College in 2020, started 11 games. 12 games started for the Bears in 2021 would equal to 61 total starts, 62 if the Bears play in a bowl, 63 if Cal makes it to the conference championship (and given that he starts, which is likely). With a cursory search, it does not appear that the NCAA keeps records on games started by a college player, but Bequette's longevity (as he is in his seventh-year of eligibility), would put him up there.
Chase Garbers - Top 10 in Career Passing Yards, Most Rushing Yards by a QB, Top 10 in Career Total Offense, Top 10
Garbers currently stands at 4049 yards passing, with 34 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, along with 718 yards rushing and seven rushing touchdowns. In order to crack the top 10 in career passing yards, total offense, and touchdowns,Garbers needs:
- 1022 yards of total offense (passing and rushing combined) to pass Gale Gilbert (who totaled 5788 during his Cal career) for 10th on the all-time list
- 1421 passing yards to pass Aaron Rodgers for 10th on the all-time list
- 4 touchdown passes to pass Davis Webb for 10th on the all-time list. 20 TD passes would tie Garbers for 3rd all-time with Pat Barnes.
Garbers also has a chance to break a longstanding record, needing 214 rushing yards to break Joe Kapp's Cal record for QB rushing (he finished with 931 yards). Garbers will need 282 rushing yards to hit 1000 for his career, along with 3 rushing TDs to break Brian Bedford and Dave Penhall's mark for most QB rushing touchdowns (nine).
Christopher Brown Jr. - Top 10 in Rushing TDs at Cal
Brown has ammassed 1127 yards on the ground, along with 10 touchdown runs over his time at Cal, and if he replicates his numbers from the 2019 season, he'll tie Daniel Lasco for 10th on the all-time list with 18 rushing TDs. Brown will have an uphill battle if he wants to make the top 10 list in rushing yards, as in 10th place sits John Olszewski with 2504 yards over his three seasons in Berkeley.
Cameron Goode - Top 10 in Career TFLs and Sacks
Goode sits at 27.5 career TFLs and 14 sacks over his time at Cal, with 13.5 TFLs and 8 sacks coming over his previous eight games played. Both top 10s are in reach, with Goode needing 9.5 TFLs to tie Mawuko Tugbenyoh for 10th on the TFL list and 4.5 sacks to tie Natu Tuatagaloa and Sekou Sanyika for 10th on the all-time sack list.
With Goode's productivity over the last two years, he may even have a chance to crack the double digit sack mark, where Andre Carter sits in 10th all-time with 10 sacks during the 1999 season. Zack Follett was the last Bear to crack double digits in that metric, with 10.5 in 2008.
