Quarterback position a five-man, free-for-all
TODD TRAUBARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
JONESBORO -- Wrapping up his media day remarks Thursday, Arkansas State Coach Joe Hollis announced the Indians would assemble on the field to be photographed in their home black jerseys, a departure from last year's red.
"It's a little bit different," Hollis said. "But before the year is over, you're going to see a lot of things different."
As early as it was -- and it doesn't get much earlier than media day -- Hollis already made good on his word.
Five new coaches gathered with five unproven quarterback candidates on the steamy, Indian Stadium turf as construction continued on the new field house, scoreboard and video screen in the West end zone. Topics for discussion were the team's new offense and new home in the Sun Belt Conference.
"You're going to have to get used to it," Hollis said of the construction projects. "That's a sign of progress."
But if any progress is to be made on improving on last year's 1-10 record, the Indians will have to settle on a quarterback. With practice beginning today, not one of ASU's five candidates has taken a snap in a major-college game.
"Now we're going to start seeing who can rise to the top," new offensive coordinator Phil Davis said.
Former walk-on Tommy Miller, a junior, and redshirt freshman Bryan Gauthreaux will contend for the job with Fort Smith Southside's Josh Driscoll and El Dorado's Elliot Jacobs, both true freshmen, and Michael Clark, a transfer from Diablo Valley (Calif.) College.
Miller and Gauthreaux have the most experience, having been on campus and gone through spring drills, but Hollis didn't name a starter coming out of spring practice and has said since that the job is wide-open.
"You learn as you go," Gauthreaux said. "You just play your hardest. You don't worry about anything else and you just do the best you can. If that's not the best, then that's not the best. You'll know, you'll find out. If you're a man, you'll take it."
All five quarterback candidates are eager to take a swipe at the one-back, spread offense implemented by Davis.
"Any quarterback's going to love a one-back offense where we get to throw the ball," said Miller, of Mountain Home, who saw special teams action in all 11 games last year.
But of the five candidates, the new system might best be suited to Driscoll, 6-2, 208, who ran a similar offense at Fort Smith Southside.
Driscoll was recruited by Oklahoma State and Brigham Young, but when OSU Coach Bob Simmons was fired and a quarterback logjam appeared at BYU, he headed to Jonesboro. So hungry to start, he arrived on campus June 4, less than two weeks after his high school graduation.
"One of my major decisions in coming here was the opportunity to start as a freshman," said Driscoll, whose Rebels lost to Cabot in the Class AAAAA state title game in December. "And by doing that I had to be up here all summer to learn the offense, get the timing down with the receivers and learn the guys personally."
Since he comes from the Northwest part of the state -- where his cousin Matt Jones is trying to earn a quarterback job as a freshman at Arkansas -- Driscoll has found that explaining Jonesboro to his neighbors is sometimes a challenge.
"You go into a restaurant or you go into a gas station and they ask, 'Where are you going to school?' " Driscoll said. "I say 'I'm going to Jonesboro, Arkansas State,' and they're like 'We have another college?' "
Driscoll is one of 14 Arkansas high school players who ASU signed in the off-season. He is hoping the influx of local talent will put his new school more firmly in the state's mind, but, like all good ASU supporters, he can think of one other thing that will help.
"The only thing is, if Frank Broyles would play us, it would help a whole lot more," Driscoll said.
Driscoll twice squared off against Jacobs, 6-2, 210, an option quarterback recruited by former ASU offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner, when El Dorado played Southside the past two seasons. The schools split the games and, despite his growing friendship with Driscoll, Jacobs said he wouldn't mind settling the score by winning the starting job.
"You're asked the question who I feel should be quarterback, you've got to say 'me,' " said Jacobs, who also will play baseball at ASU. "I have to. Everyone else says they have to. Me, Mike and Josh, we have the least experience over Tommy and Bryan, but I feel good about my chances."
Hollis said he wanted to get his quarterback ranks whittled to three by the end of next week but said a second- or third-stringer wouldn't be entirely out of the picture as the starter.
"It could change," Hollis said. "We could play two quarterbacks at times."
Davis said ability and technique would play an obvious role in the decision, but intangibles would help the staff make up their minds.
"There's going to be something that they do in the next three weeks that's going to inspire all of us to say, 'Hey, this is the guy that we need to be our quarterback,' " Davis said. "So that's the fun part."
This article was published on August 10, 2001
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