There's No Mystery to the UW Quarterback Competition

John Donovan, the University of Washington offensive coordinator, was asked this week if he would ever consider using two quarterbacks during the season.

The question caught him by surprise, so much that he let an expletive slip.

It's not clear if the idea of using that rotational concept drew Donovan's spontaneous reaction or the thought that Colorado State transfer Patrick O'Brien is on equal footing with returning starter Dylan Morris.

All throughout spring practice, people have tried their best to replace Morris in some manner.

First, there was the idea that 5-star recruit Sam Huard would simply walk into spring practice as a freshman, the seas would part for him. or at least the waves on Lake Washington, and he would be handed the QB-1 job.

Lately, practice observers seem to think that O'Brien has been so impressive in recent weeks that the UW quarterback position is now a serious two-man competition. The insinuation is that Morris is being pressed as the starter, a battle that won't be decided until the fall.

Well, the best way to answer that is put the two quarterbacks opposite each other in Saturday's spring game, which begins at noon and will draw a pandemic-limited 9,000 fans to Husky Stadium, and see what happens.

Chances are, Morris, the 6-foot, 200-pound sophomore from Puyallup, Washington, will reaffirm why he was the starter last season and why he's not giving up the job this next season.

It's been an unusual April for a headline guy who emerged from a four-player competition last November as the No. 1 quarterback when people guessed it might be one of two other guys.

Morris won the job because he was a confident, mistake-free leader on the field. He's got decent arm strength and he can scramble better than anyone last season or this spring.

While it's natural to see how the new guys might fit into the Husky landscape and want to know more about them, Morris has been totally ignored during the spring media sessions, like he's old news.

The UW hasn't helped his cause any by not bringing him, or any other Husky quarterback for that matter, in for an interview interlude. In fact, Morris has been with the program for parts of three seasons now, two as the starter, and he's not yet addressed a room full of reporters and cameramen.

Coach Jimmy Lake and Donovan are quick to praise O'Brien and his early efforts, but not once have they suggested that Morris is being pressed to keep his job.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound O'Brien brings plenty of experience after playing for Colorado State and Nebraska, yet he wasn't able to solidify himself at either school as the starter nor put a consistent winner on the scoreboard. He wasn't even the first-teamer to begin last season for the Mountain West team.

What O'Brien provides as a sixth-year senior is a back-up quarterback who likely won't freak out if something happens to Morris next season and he has to come in cold and keep things moving.

Huard, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound freshman and early arrival, clearly has exceptional talent. He's just been overwhelmed some by having to digest an entire college offense over 13 practices and he's got to pay some dues because of it. In normal circumstances, he would be worrying about who to ask to his high school prom.

Considering his heightened reputation, it's almost as if the Husky defense gets extra satisfaction out of intercepting Huard's passes and blowing up his plays. It's almost like they're saying that no high school senior is going to come in here and make us look weak.

Look for Morris to have a productive day on Saturday and start the entire 12-game regular season and the bowl game, while O'Brien and Huard fight for the quarterback scraps whenever a game gets out of hand.

Play two quarterbacks?

Sit Morris down?

Come on.

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven

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