Bohanon still fighting for BYU quarterback spot

Former Earle Bulldog looks to reignite college football career

From Brigham Young University Athletics

www.byucougars.com

While there is plenty of college football action for fans in the Mid-South, there are some local eyes looking out west toward Brigham Young University where former Earle Bulldog (and Baylor Bear… and South Florida Bull) is locked in a battle for the starting quarterback job. Or as Dick Harmon with Cougar Insider put it…

“The big story heading into fall camp was who will be the Cougars’ starting QB. It still is.”

BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick is taking his time publicly announcing just who will be the Cougars’ starting quarterback in fall camp. After Saturday’s major 100-plus-play scrimmage, the announcement still did not come, with Roderick hinting it could take another week.

In that Saturday scrimmage, Bohanon took a good chunk of the reps with mixed results as the defense had a very good day. On Monday, Jake Retzlaff had some impressive throws in moving the ball during an 11-on-11 team period that media members witnessed.

“I have to admit I’ve gone back and forth on this one for a couple of weeks now,” said Harmon. “Coming out of spring camp, I was fairly convinced that Jake Retzlaff should be the starter. I based that on what I saw in limited media viewing portions of spring camp. It was apparent that Gerry Bohanon’s surgically repaired shoulder wasn’t back to 100% yet.”

However, Harmon admits, things have shifted.

“Well, from what we’ve seen of the two QBs in camp, I have slid over to the Bohanon

See BYU, page A9 BYU

From page A7

camp,” he said. “While I still think Retzlaff has a slightly stronger arm, I just think that Bohanon gives BYU the best chance of winning games, particularly the two nonconference road games — SMU and Wyoming. Bohanon has won road games in tough environments. Retzlaff has not, although he played reasonably well in the season-ending loss at Oklahoma State last November. There’s also the line of thinking that you don’t bring in a guy with tons of experience elsewhere, and with just one season of eligibility remaining, and ask him to sit if he’s healthy.”

The decision, it seems, might come down to the wire — or even not come before the Cougars’ first game, as BYU will open the season on Saturday, Aug. 31, less than two weeks from today, against Southern Illinois. Head Coach Kalani Sitake could go with a quarterback-by-committe approach right up until or even into the first game.