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Sometimes the right quarterback is all you need to help you cover the number. Here are 10 who are capable of doing just that, even though nearly all of them don`t play for teams among the top favorites in their conferences.
1. Alex Brink, Washington State: The Cougars expect to be in a lot of shootouts again this season despite losing 1900-yard rusher Jerome Harrison. That puts the onus squarely on Brink’s shoulders.
He’ll have home run threat Jason Hill to toss to, and head coach Bill Doba is confident that the Cougars’ running back by committee setup will be enough to keep opposing secondaries from cheating on the pass.
2. Shaun Carney, Air Force: Is it ironic that Air Force finds success on the ground instead of the air, or is that a misuse of the word a la Alanis Morissette?
In any case, Carney’s legs will terrorize the Mountain West again after running for 710 yards and 11 majors in 2005. But don’t forget his sneaky downfield passing out of the option. He kept interceptions to a minimum, completed 64 percent of his passes and topped the conference with 9.4 yards per pass attempt.
3. Bryan Cupito, Minnesota: The Golden Gophers lost two 1000-yard rushers last year and while Amir Pinnix says he can go for 200-plus yards per game behind Minnesota’s solid line, it’s Cupito who’ll pick up the slack this year.
He tossed 19 majors last season, including four against Virginia in the Music City Bowl, and his top wideouts and tight end return. On top of that, head coach Glen Mason says Cupito’s improved a lot over the spring and summer sessions.
4. Stephen McGee, Texas A&M: McGee saw action in eight games last year, but it was his performance against Big 12 giants Oklahoma and Texas to end the year that excites Aggie supporters.
He continued to impress head coach Dennis Franchione and his teammates through the spring with his accuracy and poise.
“I don`t know if I`ve ever had a redshirt sophomore kind of take over the leadership that he has,” Franchione told Aggiesport.com.
5. Matt Moore, Oregon State: Derided as “Frosty the turnover man” by at least one Corvallis wag, Moore took a lot of flak for his 19 interceptions last year. But the entire offensive line returns, giving the still-confident Moore extra time for decision-making.
“If Coach [Mike] Riley gives me the freedom to throw the ball, I`m going to chuck it, “ the UCLA transfer told OregonLive.com after another sharp summer scrimmage. “And here, he gives us a lot of freedom with one-on-one coverage to throw the deep ball, so in that sense, yeah, I guess I`ll take the shot if I have it.”
6. Curtis Painter, Purdue: New offensive co-ordinator Bill Legg told reporters that Painter, who led the Boilermakers to a 3-2 record in his five starts to close the 2005 season, “has a chance to be awfully special.”
The stats from last year aren’t overwhelming but Purdue’s coaching staff harps on Painter’s increased comfort level over the spring and summer, chalking it up to the fact that Painter is no longer competing for the starting job - it’s his for the season.
7. Blake Powers, Indiana: Powers is big, strong, accurate and has his three top receivers returning. In addition, Marcus Thigpen returns, a starter last year at wideout now converted to the Hoosiers’ top tailback.
The familiarity between Powers and his receivers, led by 6’7” James Hardy, could lead the Hoosiers to a 6-0 start through a Downy-soft schedule before hosting Big Ten powerhouse Iowa on Oct. 14.
8. Brett Ratliff, Utah: Last year’s starter Brian Johnson is redshirting the season, but that surprisingly hasn’t made Ratliff the automatic starter this year for the Utes. Oklahoma transfer Tommy Grady is putting up quite a fight in front of head coach Kyle Whittingham. But Utah players have already named Ratliff a captain for the year and he passed for 621 yards and eight majors in to lead the team to underdog wins over BYU and Georgia Tech to end 2005. If that’s not enough to win the starting job, then insert Grady as Utah’s underrated starter because he must really be something.
9. Brent Schaeffer, Ole Miss: Expectations are low for many Ole Miss fans but adding a mobile quarterback with a big arm and big-game experience can only help. Enter Schaeffer, via Tennessee and the College of the Sequoias, where he threw for 40 touchdowns and ran for 10 more in 2005. “We can do more - sprint out, waggles, boots, nakeds, quarterback draws - we`re going to throw the kitchen sink at them,” excited head coach Ed Orgeron told The Biloxi Sun-Herald. “We`ve got to win. We can`t go in there lollygagging around. We`ll go as hard as we can. I think he`s going to be ready for it.”
10. Isaiah Stanback, Washington: Fifth year senior Stanback impressed by limiting turnovers as a starter on last year’s 2-9 Huskies. This year he’s looking to maintain that positive trend and scare some defenses at the same time. “I was learning, trying to grasp the offense,” he told The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. “Now I`m able to free-flow. I`m in a position to make those plays and decisions that will allow me to be a bigger threat.”
1. Alex Brink, Washington State: The Cougars expect to be in a lot of shootouts again this season despite losing 1900-yard rusher Jerome Harrison. That puts the onus squarely on Brink’s shoulders.
He’ll have home run threat Jason Hill to toss to, and head coach Bill Doba is confident that the Cougars’ running back by committee setup will be enough to keep opposing secondaries from cheating on the pass.
2. Shaun Carney, Air Force: Is it ironic that Air Force finds success on the ground instead of the air, or is that a misuse of the word a la Alanis Morissette?
In any case, Carney’s legs will terrorize the Mountain West again after running for 710 yards and 11 majors in 2005. But don’t forget his sneaky downfield passing out of the option. He kept interceptions to a minimum, completed 64 percent of his passes and topped the conference with 9.4 yards per pass attempt.
3. Bryan Cupito, Minnesota: The Golden Gophers lost two 1000-yard rushers last year and while Amir Pinnix says he can go for 200-plus yards per game behind Minnesota’s solid line, it’s Cupito who’ll pick up the slack this year.
He tossed 19 majors last season, including four against Virginia in the Music City Bowl, and his top wideouts and tight end return. On top of that, head coach Glen Mason says Cupito’s improved a lot over the spring and summer sessions.
4. Stephen McGee, Texas A&M: McGee saw action in eight games last year, but it was his performance against Big 12 giants Oklahoma and Texas to end the year that excites Aggie supporters.
He continued to impress head coach Dennis Franchione and his teammates through the spring with his accuracy and poise.
“I don`t know if I`ve ever had a redshirt sophomore kind of take over the leadership that he has,” Franchione told Aggiesport.com.
5. Matt Moore, Oregon State: Derided as “Frosty the turnover man” by at least one Corvallis wag, Moore took a lot of flak for his 19 interceptions last year. But the entire offensive line returns, giving the still-confident Moore extra time for decision-making.
“If Coach [Mike] Riley gives me the freedom to throw the ball, I`m going to chuck it, “ the UCLA transfer told OregonLive.com after another sharp summer scrimmage. “And here, he gives us a lot of freedom with one-on-one coverage to throw the deep ball, so in that sense, yeah, I guess I`ll take the shot if I have it.”
6. Curtis Painter, Purdue: New offensive co-ordinator Bill Legg told reporters that Painter, who led the Boilermakers to a 3-2 record in his five starts to close the 2005 season, “has a chance to be awfully special.”
The stats from last year aren’t overwhelming but Purdue’s coaching staff harps on Painter’s increased comfort level over the spring and summer, chalking it up to the fact that Painter is no longer competing for the starting job - it’s his for the season.
7. Blake Powers, Indiana: Powers is big, strong, accurate and has his three top receivers returning. In addition, Marcus Thigpen returns, a starter last year at wideout now converted to the Hoosiers’ top tailback.
The familiarity between Powers and his receivers, led by 6’7” James Hardy, could lead the Hoosiers to a 6-0 start through a Downy-soft schedule before hosting Big Ten powerhouse Iowa on Oct. 14.
8. Brett Ratliff, Utah: Last year’s starter Brian Johnson is redshirting the season, but that surprisingly hasn’t made Ratliff the automatic starter this year for the Utes. Oklahoma transfer Tommy Grady is putting up quite a fight in front of head coach Kyle Whittingham. But Utah players have already named Ratliff a captain for the year and he passed for 621 yards and eight majors in to lead the team to underdog wins over BYU and Georgia Tech to end 2005. If that’s not enough to win the starting job, then insert Grady as Utah’s underrated starter because he must really be something.
9. Brent Schaeffer, Ole Miss: Expectations are low for many Ole Miss fans but adding a mobile quarterback with a big arm and big-game experience can only help. Enter Schaeffer, via Tennessee and the College of the Sequoias, where he threw for 40 touchdowns and ran for 10 more in 2005. “We can do more - sprint out, waggles, boots, nakeds, quarterback draws - we`re going to throw the kitchen sink at them,” excited head coach Ed Orgeron told The Biloxi Sun-Herald. “We`ve got to win. We can`t go in there lollygagging around. We`ll go as hard as we can. I think he`s going to be ready for it.”
10. Isaiah Stanback, Washington: Fifth year senior Stanback impressed by limiting turnovers as a starter on last year’s 2-9 Huskies. This year he’s looking to maintain that positive trend and scare some defenses at the same time. “I was learning, trying to grasp the offense,” he told The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. “Now I`m able to free-flow. I`m in a position to make those plays and decisions that will allow me to be a bigger threat.”