SPRING GAME
Consistency key to quarterback battle
Part 1 of 3 on Bobcat football position battles
By Michael Weisman, Senior Sports Writer
April 20, 2007 | 2:36 p.m.
Consistency. That is what Ohio quarterbacks coach Gerry Gdowski is looking for in his starting quarterback. With spring practice winding down, the race for the starting job is heating up.
With two-and-a-half-year starter Austen Everson graduating, five quarterbacks are competing to fill the void and earn the opportunity to lead the Bobcat offense come fall.
Gdowski listed three elements he would like to see from his starting quarterback. He is looking for someone who can execute the offense, take care of the football while limiting turnovers and is able to make plays when things break down.
“We’ll take a look at all those categories and kind of figure out who’s the consistent guy in most of those categories and go from there,” Gdowski said.
The favorite to win the job is senior Brad Bower, who echoed Gdowski in saying consistency is what he needs to secure the job. Bower has the experience and knows what it takes to win the starting position.
“I’ve been through this competition, everything like this, so I know what to expect, I’ve been doing it for four years, this will be my fifth, so I just bring the attitude everyday to come to work,” he said.
Bower said he didn’t feel any extra pressure being the favorite and felt his experience gave him the upper hand. Bower, who transferred from Illinois two years ago, played in 11 games last season, including his lone start at Miami, where he led the Bobcats to victory. He also saw considerable time in the MAC championship game. He completed 57 percent of his passes last year for 426 yards and a touchdown.
Bower has been limited during spring practice, however, due to a bone bruise in his leg. He hasn’t participated in any scrimmages and has only been able to practice in one-on-one and seven-on-seven drills, but said he has gotten a good amount of reps with the wide receivers. He added the bruise is doing well and the team is being over precautious with the injury.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 215-pound. senior knows there’s still room for improvement. "Fundamentally, I’m working on my feet and not sailing the ball over the receivers," Bower said.
"He has the tools and can throw the ball well," Gdowski said. “We’re looking for him to make better decisions in the passing game than he did when he was on the field last year.”
Another contender who brings game experience is sophomore Josh Febus. The 6-foot-2-inch, 211-pound Febus played in 12 games last season, but only in limited action, completing one of three passes.
“The game experience I had last year was at adverse times and there’s not a better time to learn than under adverse conditions,” Febus said.
Gdowski reiterated his main point, saying he’s looking for Febus to gain consistency, which will happen with more repetitions in practice. Febus said the experience he gained from last season taught him to relax, not to force anything and do what he’s been coached to do.
The sophomore’s standout quality is his strong arm, probably the strongest of the five candidates. His competitiveness and experience of being in the system a few years also makes him one of the top candidates to win the starting job.
“It’s going to take execution, bringing a positive passing game, going out there and being a leader and putting points on the board [to win the job],” Febus said.
Another top candidate to win the starting job is newcomer Theo Scott. Scott is a sophomore who enrolled in classes at Ohio winter quarter after transferring from Los Angeles Southwest College, where he started nine games in 2006. He completed 52 percent of his passes, while throwing for 1,179 yards and five scores.
Scott, a native of Long Beach, Calif. spent 2005 running the scout team for the University of California (Berkeley) Golden Bears football team. Scott said he learned a lot playing under Cal coach Jeff Tedford, who has coached NFL quarterbacks Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers.
“Coach Tedford is a great coach in a quarterback system that is extremely, extremely difficult. I learned a lot of things, mainly fundamentals, which he’s strict on, throwing the ball correctly, making the right reads and good decisions,” Scott said.
His decision to come to OU was not an easy one, however. Scott had never heard of OU until he received a call from cornerbacks coach David Brown about coming to play in Athens. Scott said he researched OU and talked to his family first. After attending the Akron game last season that clinched the MAC East title he then decided Athens was the best place for him, despite other schools contacting him – and the cold weather, he joked.
“I believe I’m in the right place. This is my second home. The guys -- we’re bonding real well. I like them a lot. The team took me in as family,” he said.
Scott’s uniqueness comes in his athleticism and ability to make a play. At 6 feet 1 inch and 197 pounds, his body is ideal for running Ohio’s dominant ground game and option attack. He’s a very athletic guy who has worked hard since he got here to get used to our system, Gdowski said.
“We’ve thrown lots at him and he’s done a good job with that. [Scott] has the physical tools you’re looking for [in a quarterback],” he said.
Scott said hard work, dedication and respecting his teammates is what it will take to earn the starting job.
Two other quarterbacks who are long shots to win the starting job are Brandon Jones and Miles Schlichter.
Jones, a sophomore, redshirted last season due to injury, but has game experience in the Bobcat system. As a true freshman, he backed up Everson and played in six games, completing 11 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown.
“The biggest thing is getting him healthy. When healthy, he’s a very accurate and smart guy who understands what we’re trying to do,” Gdowski said.
Schlichter, a redshirt freshman from Greenfield, Ohio has shown flashes of what he’s capable of doing, Gdowski said, adding he’s confident Schlichter will get better with more practice.
The Bobcats are also awaiting the arrival of freshman Brian Sweeney of Beaver Falls, Penn. who will join the team in the fall and could be another long shot at winning the starting job.
It's a friendly competitionDespite all the competition between quarterbacks, they still remain friends on and off the field.
“In any competition you want to be the number-one guy, but with the quarterback staff we have, we all help each other and we’re not going to throw anyone under the car,” Febus said.
Gdowski said he doesn’t plan on naming a starter until fall practice, but plans on narrowing down the depth chart after the spring game Saturday, which concludes spring practice. With Bower still hampered by the bone bruise, Gdowski said Febus, Scott, and Jones are all getting an even amount of repetitions in practice.
“Obviously it’s nice to know who the [starter] is and to have that cleared up but we’re in no hurry," Gdowski said. "We’ll just try to figure out who the guy is that gives us the best chance to win games."
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Wide Receiver battle Linebacker battle.