Quarterbacks Chase Garbers and Brandon McIlwain were all smiles, patting each other on the back as they strolled from the California visiting locker room to the postgame interview room after leading Cal to a 21-18 victory at BYU last Saturday.
 
Just one year ago, this tandem was on the Cal scout team. McIlwain arrived at Cal after transferring from South Carolina and Garbers redshirted in 2017. Now the two are sharing the duties under center for the 2-0 Golden Bears.
 
"We can both throw, we both can run, so you have to prepare for a lot," McIlwain said. "We do a good job of figuring out who's going to be playing at what time, complimenting each other and staying positive through everything. We're just trying to keep the ball moving and doing whatever we can."
 
Garbers earned his first career start against the Cougars, completing 18-of-28 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns, while adding five rushes for 45 yards to give him 231 total yards.
 
Brandon McIlwain rushed 16 times for 74 yards, including his first career touchdown.
 
Head coach Justin Wilcox says having multiple quarterbacks presents problems for opposing defenses. He was pleased with both of his quarterbacks last week, and impressed with how Garbers handled the pressure of his first start.
 
"I thought he was really even-keeled, and that's his personality," Wilcox said. "I think he'll keep getting better and better. He had a couple chances I think he'd like to have back, but I fully expect him to improve. His demeanor during the game was solid."
 

 
Garbers said he didn't have any pregame jitters in Provo last week, and shares the same vision as Wilcox – that games should be treated like they are just fancy practices.
 
"I just took it as another game," Garbers said. "But the first start as a redshirt freshman on the road in a hostile environment like BYU, as an outsider you're thinking, 'oh geez.' But getting that win was a huge confidence boost."
 
Garbers takes the lead-by-example, less-vocal approach to leadership, while McIlwain is described by his teammates as the more "rah-rah" personality.
 

 
The differences are both appreciated and respected in the locker room. The Bears already view both quarterbacks as leaders on the team.
 
"I can see it in Chase's demeanor," wide receiver Jordan Duncan said. "He's not the type to say much, but he's always been about his actions. You can see it in his body language that he's ready to step up. Brandon is a really enthusiastic guy. He brings the energy. When he scored (at BYU), that was just pure joy. They're hungry this year, and they're going to do whatever it takes for us to win."
 
McIlwain exemplified his fight and grit last Saturday. On a 3rd-and-3 from the BYU 39-yard line with 30 seconds left in regulation, McIlwain fought for five yards to get the game-clinching first down for the Bears.
 
Considering he also scored his first touchdown at BYU, it was difficult for him to pick a favorite moment in the thrilling victory.
 
"That's two different types of feelings," McIlwain said. "The touchdown run was just me trying to do everything I could to put our team in a position to win the game. It was a stepping stone on the way to the eventual goal. The first-down run, that was the best feeling in the world. All the hard work we put in for that game, it paid off there."
 

 
This isn't the first time either quarterback has been in a split situation. McIlwain was part of an offense that used multiple quarterbacks while at South Carolina, and Garbers was actually the "running" quarterback as part of a duo during his sophomore season at Corona del Mar High School.
 
In addition to having already gone through similar experiences, Garbers and McIlwain enjoy getting a different perspective about the opposing defense when the other quarterback is under center. They're also able to bounce ideas off of each other when they're both on the sideline.
 
"When Brandon goes in, it allows me to take a step back and take a different point of view," Garbers said. "It's crucial in a game, especially in a close game, and I love watching Brandon run the ball when he's in there."
 
Garbers and McIlwain are looking to help the Bears improve to 3-0 when they host Idaho State on Saturday at 3 p.m. at California Memorial Stadium. Cal has a bye the following week before beginning Pac-12 play at home against Oregon on September 29.
 
"We're one of the few undefeated teams left in the country, and we hope to improve to 3-0 this week," Garbers said. "Going into the bye week, and especially the start of Pac-12 play, being 3-0 would be huge for us."