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QB situation remains a mystery
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Sit back, relax and wait just a little bit longer Bronco fans. If you thought Saturday’s first scrimmage at Bronco Stadium, in front of roughly 2,000 fans, was going to give a clear-cut idea about who the starting quarterback will be when the team opens the season in just over two weeks, think again.
If anything, Saturday’s fall showcase left many people in attendance even more confused. Fans expected to see a face-off between quarterback front-runners junior Bush Hamdan and senior Taylor Tharp. Unfortunately, that was not to be because Hamdan was held out with an injured hand. So, just like that, the guessing game continues.
“This race is still wide open,” Head Coach Chris Petersen said. “There’s no one guy right now that could get the nod. We still have a couple of weeks to sort that out.”
The coaching staff may still have some time on their hands to make a decision, but time is quickly running out for the two top contenders. With Hamdan sidelined the opportunity door swung wide open for Taylor Tharp. The senior signal caller was sharp but by no means was he spectacular. Tharp completed 7-of-13 passes for 116 yards.
Tharp did do an impressive job, however, of leading the first-team offense on the opening drive of the scrimmage in sweltering conditions. Tharp’s first completion was a 21-yard pass to tight end Ryan Putnam.
“I want to just keep getting better,” Tharp said. “I feel like I’ve been playing at this level through practice. I’m glad it carried over into the scrimmage.”
Later, Tharp would put up the first points of the afternoon with a 1-yard quarterback sneak. Tharp did admit that he was disappointed that Hamdan was sitting this scrimmage out.
“I always want Bush out there pushing me and I want to push him,” Tharp said. “I feel like we push each other. I feel bad he wasn’t out there and I’m sure he’ll get back and still have a chance to be in this thing.”
Tharp said he felt as though he had a target on his back all afternoon. With the most experience of any current BSU quarterback, however, he looked cool, composed and ready to compete at a high level.
“Each quarterback did some good things out there today,” Petersen said. “We still have some things we’d like to work on and get better at though before the season starts.”
For Tharp and the first-team offense the red zone was a formidable foe Saturday. Before Tharp was able to sneak the ball across the goal line on his 1-yard run, the offense tried seven times to score from the 7-yard line or closer. The defense clamped down and was hard-nosed on the goal line despite being plagued by penalties all afternoon.
“They showed flashes,” Petersen said. “The offense was going into score, and they knocked the ball out. That’s what it’s all about, turnovers.”
Other pleasant surprises for BSU is the steady development of sophomore Nick Lomax and true freshman Kellen Moore. With Hamdan watching from the sideline Lomax saw more snaps and he took advantage of the opportunity. Lomax completed 8-of-13 passes for 93 yards and did his best to impress the coaches.
“He’s got a great feel for the game,” Petersen said. “He’s got a great huddle command. There are just a few things here and there that we will continue to work on.”
Moore was impressive as well going 5-for-8 passing for 71 yards with a 137.05 rating to lead all quarterbacks. “He’s a very smart and crafty player,” Petersen said. “He’s a gamer and we like that about him.”
For now the focus shifts back to the Tharp/Hamdan race for the reigns of the powerful Bronco offense. Hamdan should be back in practice this week and his hand should be back to full strength soon after his finger came down on a defender’s helmet when attempting a pass last week in practice.
BSU coaches want to be cautious with Hamdan but would have loved to see him compete in Saturday’s scrimmage.
“We didn’t feel like he could put the zip on the ball that he needed to where he could go out and compete like he has to,” Petersen said. “But, no doubt, we would have loved to see him out here today. It was a disadvantage for him not to be out here today, but we’re just figuring this thing out as we go.”
For now the BSU quarterback derby remains in a dead heat and Bronco fans are left to ask questions until next Friday’s scrimmage, at 7 p.m., in Bronco Stadium.
Tate Castleton
