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When Kyle Boller takes the first snap of Cal’s spring football game on Saturday, he won’t be facing UCLA or Stanford; his teammates will be on the other side of the ball. But Boller will be taking his first shot at mastering Cal’s new offense, implemented by new offensive coordinator Al Borges. 

Boller came to Cal two years ago with sky-high expectations, one of the top quarterback prospects in the country after dominating at Hart High School in southern California. Thrust into the spotlight in the Pac-10 opener as a true freshman, he led the team to a win over Arizona State. But his career since that game has been slowed by injuries, lack of offensive weapons on which to rely, and his own inexperience. 

Boller’s struggles during his freshman season, cut short by a separated shoulder, were understandable; no true freshman could have been expected to come in and dominate. But last year was touted as his coming out season. While Boller did improve his numbers across the board, his 15-13 touchdown to interception ratio was still one of the worst in the conference. Worse, he showed little understanding of how to run an offense, struggling to hit recievers in stride and managing the clock poorly in several games. 

The hope this year is that Borges, who worked wonders with quarterbacks at Oregon and UCLA before coming to Berkeley, can teach Boller the nuances of playing quarterback. No one questions Boller’s arm strength or desire. 

“This is a guy who is a sponge, just dying to learn something new every day,” Borges said. “He wants to be critiqued, and I know anytime there’s a guy who wants to understand what he’s doing wrong, he’s going to get better.” 

Borges is known for his daring play-calling, and that should fit well with Boller’s style. He’s mobile enough to get outside the pocket, and has shown the ability to throw on the run. Saturday’s game should be a good indication of whether or not head coach Tom Holmoe can expect a big improvement for Boller’s junior season. 

Boller should have a full complement of receivers to target in the spring game. Derek Swafford has been struggling with a hamstring injury, but is expected to play. Borges said several receivers have surprised him in spring practice, especially senior Sean Currin, a former walk-on, and sophomore Geoff McArthur. 

The defensive backfield, on the other hand, will be without several key players. The entire projected starting four may not play, as cornerbacks Jemeel Powell and LaShaun Ward are hobbled, along with safeties Nnamdi Asomugha and Bert Watts. That should make Boller’s job a bit easier, but defensive coordinator Lyle Setencich is quick to praise his backups. 

“We’re down three safeties and three corners, and we’re still lining up fairly efficiently, and still playing decently,” he said. “That tells me that Jeremy Drake, Perron Wiley, Ryan Gutierrez, James Bethea and Mike McGrath are getting a lot of reps that will benefit us down the line. If you told me that we had to start the season with those guys, we wouldn’t be terrible.” 

The spring game will also mark the first real action for freshman quarterback Reggie Robertson. Robertson redshirted this year, and will be behind senior Eric Holtfreter next season, so the Tucson native doesn’t figure to play much next season. But Borges is optimistic that he will be a big factor for the Bears in the future. 

“(Robertson) is a different package than our other guys,” Borges said. “He’s a very athletic kid. If Reggie were to play, the offense would shift gears a little bit. We’d want to get him on the perimeter a little bit, running the ball, he can do a little option.” 

But Borges emphasized that Robertson needs more work before he’s ready. 

“Reggie’s going to be a good quarterback, but he probably needs another year in the weight room, doing those kinds of things before he’ll be as good as he could be, but I’ve got great hope that he will add another dimension to our offense if he’s ever in the game,” Borges said.