Husker Spring Position Battles: Quarterback
Much has been said and debated about new Nebraska Head Football Coach, Mike Riley’s offense. Will he throw the ball more? Does he have the right quarterback on the roster, to run his offense? Is the zone read no longer a part of the run game? And my personal favorite, will he use a fullback? You name it, it’s been debated.
What the offense ultimately looks like will not be known until later this fall. That unveiling will have to wait until the BYU Cougars arrive in Lincoln for a September 5th showdown, ushering in the Mike Riley era. So while we will all have to wait until then to see what the new Big Red offense will look like, we will get a glimpse of it during the upcoming spring game. If you’re like me, that will be nice to see, but will barely be enough to hold you over.
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Through these first couple weeks of practice we’ve learned that almost everyone is in some sort of battle at their position. From a competition standpoint, that bodes well for those positions and the team overall. Replacing guys like Ameer Abdullah and Kenny Bell on offense, will not be an easy task. However, the cupboard for the Huskers offense isn’t void of talent. Lets look at the offense and see how some of the battles are shaking out.
Photo Credit: Huskers.com
QUARTERBACK
- Favorite: Tommy Armstrong – Jr.
- Contenders: AJ Bush – RFr., Ryker Fyfe – Jr.
- Work to do: Johnny Stanton – So., Zack Darlington – RFr.
At this point, Tommy Armstrong is still the clear cut favorite and by a wide margin. AJ Bush appears to be the hot name at the moment. Primarily because he brings something to the table that the other Husker quarterbacks do not.
Aug 30, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Ryker Fyfe (17) looks to pass during the second half against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska won 55-7. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Bush throws the best deep ball on the team and is a better fit for the offense that Riley has run in the past. He also has gained some serious ground on last year’s back up, Ryker Fyfe. Fyfe appears to be struggling with more of the mental part of the game.
Johnny Stanton had some accuracy issues last season in practice and those struggles have reared its ugly head again this spring. Until he improves upon his accuracy woes, he will continue to trail in the quarterback race, along with Zack Darlington.
Like the others, Zack was recruited to run the previous system that the Huskers ran last season. More of a running quarterback, Zack doesn’t quite have the arm strength that the other quarterback’s have. Still a redshirt freshman, Zack has time to develop that arm strength and the rest of his game. Until then, he will be relegated to one of the back up roles, learning from them.
Spring game is in just a couple of weeks, until then catch up on some great Husker Baseball (now ranked 19th). GO BIG RED!