In the Moscow rain on the SprinTurf, two weeks into spring football practice, the quarterback picture is becoming clearer for the Idaho Vandals.
Four quarterbacks entered the spring with hopes of being named the No. 1 quarterback going into the summer, but two have seemed to emerge ahead of the rest.
Junior Taylor Davis and redshirt freshman Chad Chalich got the majority of the reps in Idaho’s seventh spring football practice Thursday afternoon. Redshirt freshman Austin DeCoud and junior Anthony Neyer are still in the picture but have catching up to do with reps.
“It’s been a battle going back and forth, right now Chad is running with the ones but Taylor is right behind him,” quarterbacks coach Bryce Erickson said. “Taylor did some great things today. It’s all about consistency. We’re not going to make that decision until we get ready to go play North Texas.”
Petrino said the practice was perhaps Idaho’s best during the spring for the quarterbacks but that he’s not close to making a definitive decision at the position.
“It was probably the best practice for the quarterbacks. I thought Chad really looked good today, did a lot of great things. Taylor did some really nice things. So, that part of it was well,” Petrino said. “It’s still wide open. There’s both guys are going to stay working, I still want them to stay hungry and keep battling.”
Experience may be on Davis’ side, who has started three games in his collegiate career, though all four quarterbacks are on equal standing in the offense with Idaho installing a heavy dose of read-option.
“I think they’re doing a pretty good job on it. They still have to get better in their footwork, they still aren’t exactly toe to hell when they’re stepping around, and doing some of the things you have to do to be efficient being an option quarterback,” coach Paul Petrino said.
Davis threw for 186 yards on 15-of-25 passing during the first scrimmage.
Chalich worked with the offense a little in high school, which may have helped him shine during Idaho’s first scrimmage last Saturday. He finished 21-for-32 with 299 yards and two touchdowns.
“I’m used to it, but I’m still learning. Coach knows what he’s doing, he’s teaching me up, I’m learning a lot more stuff than I have,” Chalich said. “Everyday I’m just continuing to get better, my confidence is just going to keep growing as I keep learning the offense.”
The competition won’t ultimately be limited to those two. Redshirt freshman Austin DeCoud has been throwing the ball well this spring, despite a rough first scrimmage. He went 7-for-11 for 47 yards but threw three interceptions. He forced the ball for an interception during Thursday’s practice but still showed good zip on the ball.
Thursday threw the latest twist in the competition when DeCoud put on the red jersey and played some safety. Yes — defensive safety.
When asked if it was an indication of his role in the quarterback race Petrino said it was for more for the depth he could provide at safety.
“No, just an indication he’s a great athlete and he can help us over there,” he said.
A starter will be named out of spring, Petrino said, but that decision likely won’t come until the spring game on April 19. Erickson said there are things that still need to be cleaned up with his group going in the second scrimmage on Saturday.
“It’s going through your reads, understanding front coverage and personnel which is something we preach to our quarterbacks on a daily basis, and they have to prepare,” he said. “It’s all about preparing. We spend a lot of time in the class room, teaching, because coaches are teachers and they just have to prepare and understand what their checks are, understand what their reads are, their pre-snap reads, when the ball is snapped and they have to give the offensive the best chance to be successful.”
Sean Kramer can be reached at [email protected]