Two high profile QB positions are getting some publicity from the media. The first is the race to replace the suspended Jeremiah Masoli at the University of Oregon. Masoli was considered a possible Heisman candidate for the upcoming season, but he found himself in a bit of trouble this offseason and won’t be seeing the playing field next year. The two candidates to replace him will continue their heated battle during summer practice. From the Register Guard:
Nate Costa has big-play ability — seriously. Darron Thomas can be consistent without enduring spectacular ups and downs — honest.
In Saturday’s Oregon spring football game, however, the two played to convention. And their competition to replace Jeremiah Masoli as the Ducks’ starter showed all signs of bleeding well into the summer and fall.
“To be honest with you, it is a little bit of a strange situation, but it’s something I’m comfortable with,” Costa said of sharing the team’s primary leadership role with Thomas during voluntary workouts this upcoming summer. “We’re just going to make it work. We know if we work together, we can’t be stopped.”
Costa was the picture of efficiency in the early going at Autzen Stadium, completing four of his first five passes to stake the White team to an early 17-7 lead. Thomas shook off an interception returned for a touchdown on the game’s first possession to lead three scoring drives and stake the Green team to a 21-17 halftime lead.
Neither veteran was around for the second half, which featured just four possessions with a running clock. The White team scored twice behind third-string quarterback Daryle Hawkins to win the game, 26-21.
More important than the final score were the indications of what’s to come in the fall. Based on Saturday, it will include a quarterback competition when camp begins in early August.
The other high profile QB position up for grabs is at the University of Michigan, where Denard Robinson may very well unseat returning starter Tate Forcier as the Wolverines’ man under center. While Coach Rich Rodriguez has been quick to play down the comparisons to former WVU star Pat White, he has acknowledged that Robinson’s dynamic athletic ability reminds him some of his former school’s signal caller. From the Free Press:
The Pat White comparison makes Rodriguez cringe. He has tried to downplay the expectations of his quarterbacks, having seen how Forcier went from star to disappointment during the course of last season. But when asked directly about the White-Robinson comparison after the spring scrimmage, he had to concede the point.
While Rodriguez is quiet about whether or not Robinson can beat out Forcier, Athlon Magazine believes that Robinson may well end up being the starting QB.
Tags: College Football, NCAA, Rich Rodriguez, Spring Game, Top 25, University of Michigan, University of Oregon, Wolverines, recap, rumor mill, spring practice by Tommy
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