Illinois Herald and Review: Cal Has Bigger QB Problem than Illini

Illinois' QB situation could be worse

 

CHAMPAIGN - I once had an editor who insisted you could never go wrong writing about the quarterback. Everyone - he reasoned - is fascinated by the quarterback.  Could be true, although former Illini football coach Lou Tepper once admonished the media for making too much of his quarterback controversy. ``Why don't you ever write about the competition at 3-technique?'' he asked, referring to his favorite position on the defensive line.  Well, coach, because people don't give a rat's fanny about a 3-technique controversy, that's why. But they'll come to blows arguing about which kid ought to be playing quarterback.

Another ex-Illini coach, Ron Turner, tried to convince everyone Dustin Ward was a better quarterback than Jon Beutjer, and he played Ward trying to prove the point until all of Illini Nation had a throbbing headache. By the time he figured out he was wrong, his team was headed into a three-season tailspin that now finds Ron Zook sitting in the head coach's office.  Zook doesn't have a quarterback controversy because, (a.) Tim Brasic has played just one game and helped rally Illinois to an improbable overtime victory last Saturday; (b.) Everyone has seen his backup, Chris Pazan, and only Pazan's immediate family thinks he ought to be the quarterback, and (c.) We're waiting until next season when incoming freshman Isiah ``Juice'' Williams flashes a brand of athleticism that makes us all drool.  The answer, for now, is all of the above. But while Illinois has at least a few more days of calm quarterback waters, the same can't be said for everyone else.

New San Jose State coach Dick Tomey sounds relatively pleased with the quarterback he'll bring to Champaign on Saturday. In the Spartans' 35-24 victory over Division I-AA Eastern Washington, Adam Tafralis competed 21 of 34 passes for 290 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Tafralis is best known for his running skills, and he did carry seven times for 44 times in the opener. But he has worked hard to impress Tomey as a passer and so far, Tomey likes what he's seen.

``From the first day I got here, he was out throwing. Trying to get him to take a day off from throwing, lifting or running is the hardest thing,'' Tomey said. ``He has done a terrific job and has been a work in progress all along. ``He's had some days when things have not gone well for him, but Saturday he was very good. Our team protected him and he had some great catches by his receivers. Nobody has worked harder and he has improved enormously over the offseason.''

That's good, because last season Tafralis completed just 44.6 percent of his passes, starting three times while playing backup in other games. Still, Tomey saw reason to play true freshman Chad Bozzo at quarterback for one series in the second quarter. Makes you wonder how Tomey sees the rest of the season playing out. 

 

The real trouble, however, is at the University of California, where Jeff Tedford took the nation's 19th-ranked team into its opener against Sacramento State. Tedford, you may recall, is having to replace Aaron Rodgers, who was a first-round NFL draft pick after leading the Golden Bears to a 10-2 season. The pick to take over at quarterback was Nate Longshore, a 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman. And Longshore was off to a decent start, having completed 8 of 11 passes for 131 yards in the second quarter when disaster struck. A Sacramento State defensive lineman fell into the back of his legs, snapping his leg at the ankle.

It's an injury Tedford estimated would take three months recovery time.  Next Tedford turned to Joe Ayoob, a junior who missed on all six of his pass attempts in the second quarter, then went 0-for-4 to open the second half. That was enough for Tedford, who turned to Steve Levy, a New Jersey kid who last season lettered at fullback. Levy threw a 46-yard touchdown pass that he called ``the best pass I've ever thrown in my life,'' and after the game, his cell phone buzzed. It was an encouraging text message from Aaron Rodgers, who's now with the Green Bay Packers.  No matter. Tedford has decided to go with Ayoob when Cal travels to Washington Saturday before playing host to Illinois on Sept. 17.  Zook hopes Brasic performs with more consistency this week against San Jose State, then takes a dose of confidence with him to Berkeley when the Illini face California.  It's one thing to have a quarterback controversy between two talented players who flash different styles. But I'm guessing Tedford didn't anticipate a controversy between a quarterback who went 0-for-10 and another who was better known as a fullback.