Coming into the college football season, I’d have preferred being in Arizona State’s shoes. Having two quarterbacks who had each thrown for over 2,000 yards the previous year, one a senior, one a sophomore, I’d be content knowing that once the senior graduated or if he was injured there was a more than capable backup behind him.
Being an Oregon fan, however, I was stuck with two guys who had performed admirably last year given the circumstances, but never inspired confidence as team leaders.
What a difference a new season makes.
While Arizona State’s power in the Pac-10 appears to be diminishing under sophomore Rudy Carpenter, Oregon has thrived on Dennis Dixon’s athleticism and play-making ability.
The Sun Devils are still a dangerous team at 3-1, but the shellacking they received from California last weekend begs the question whether the team would be better off with the departed Sam Keller, now at Nebraska.
Coach Dirk Koetter originally chose Keller, though perhaps Carpenter’s popularity amongst his teammates forced Koetter to alter his decision. There was also gossip that Carpenter threatened to transfer if he was not named the starter, which makes little sense because he would sit out a year either way. Instead, Koetter folded under pressure and chose the sophomore, while Keller had to transfer to play out his last year of eligibility.
It’s hard to fault Koetter for his conclusion, knowing that he had two great quarterbacks to choose between, but his indecision has cost the team. Koetter failed to name a starter until a week before the first game, causing the team to feel insecure.
Juxtapose this to Mike Bellotti’s handling of a quarterback controversy. Bellotti claimed the position was up for grabs, saw Dixon had better potential to lead the team and made his undisputed decision long before the season started: Dixon will start, Brady Leaf will be the backup.
For both coaches, this wasn’t the first time they’ve had to handle choosing one quarterback over another. Bellotti had a quarterback carousel in 2003, with senior Jason Fife and sophomore Kellen Clemens. Though the rotating quarterback system worked well, Clemens was eventually named the starter. We all know how his career turned out.
Koetter, however, decided in the spring of 2002 that the starting quarterback for the season would be redshirt freshman Chad Christensen over sophomore Andrew Walter. Christensen didn’t last four full games before he was pulled. Walter responded promptly by throwing his first two passes for touchdowns.
Walter went on to become Arizona State’s most prolific passer before being drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2005 draft.
While Koetter still has plenty of chances to show that Carpenter isn’t a bust, he can’t afford to choose the wrong guy again. Judging by his performance against Cal at home, completing 16 of 36 passes and throwing four picks (now up to eight in four games), Carpenter could have used another year sitting behind Keller.
He won’t be given that opportunity this Saturday when Oregon comes in to rain on the Sun Devil’s sorry little parade.
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