Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who was named ACC quarterback of the week for his game last week against Stanford, will not play against SMU today (Saturday) due to an illness, Cal reported on its pregame radio show.

As a result, quarterback Chandler Rogers will make his first start as a member of the Cal team. He’s a better runner than Mendoza, but he wasn’t as effective as a passer than Mendoza. Rogers was the starting quarterback at North Texas last season, but he has attempted just 10 passes for Cal this season, completing four for 33 yards. He ran the ball 17 times for 77 yards and touchdowns, and Cal used him at quarterback when it needed a running challenge at the quarterback position.

Running back Jaivian Thomas, the team’s leading rusher, and starting offensive tackle Nick Morrow are also unavailable for Cal today.

Thomas has rushed for 598 yards and averaged 6.6 yards per carry as a backup to Jaydn Ot, who will once again be the starting running back but has averaged 2.9 yards per carry.

Mendoza’s absence is due to illness, not injury, so he would presumably be available for Cal’s bowl games, but he won’t play against ninth-ranked SMU in Dallas. Cal was already a 12-point underdog in the game, and this information could change the spread even further.