Midway through TCU football’s training camp, which quarterback has the edge to start?
With practice No. 12 in the books, the TCU Horned Frogs are at the halfway point of training camp.
From the safeties to the offensive line. many of the starters in position groups are settled.
But what about quarterback? Who who will emerge to lead the team onto the field for its opener at Colorado on Sept. 2?
Max Duggan, Chandler Morris and Sam Jackson all have had their moments during preseason camp. There’s a case to be made for each, including Jackson, to get the nod under center.
On Monday’s practice, there were both positives and negatives. Morris had three straight completions to three different receivers.
One to Quentin Johnston, another to Savion Williams and the final one to Geor’Quarius Spivey. However, he threw an incompletion and then safety Bud Clark intercepted his next pass. It would’ve likely resulted in a pick-six.
Duggan didn’t have many completions past the line of scrimmage with one exception. As the pass rush closed in on him, Duggan stood tall in the pocket and found Blake Nowell on a shallow cross for a nice gain. He also used his legs to pick up a chunk of yards, but missed on both his deep shots.
Jackson had a quiet day outside of a completion to true freshman running back Major Everhart.
Where does Sonny Dykes believe things stand? He provided an update on Saturday, a few days after team’s first scrimmage.
“I think it’s kind of been back and forth a little bit. I was thinking about it last night, I remember when Steve Spurrier was at Florida and they went every play and substituted every play. We got three quarterbacks and it’d be kind of fun to just run one of them out there and another one and just have three of them. We’ll kind of see how it plays out,” Dykes said. ““I feel good about that position; that’s the bottom line. I think all of the guys have improved.”
It’s highly unlikely the Horned Frogs will use all three quarterbacks. So let’s have a true breakdown of the race and how the contenders are faring.
Max Duggan
Why he will start: Duggan has started 29 games in his career for the Horned Frogs. His toughness and leadership has earned the trust of his teammates and he’s seen it all when it comes to opposing defenses. Even while battling injuries last year, Duggan completed a career-high 63.9% of his passes. With Dykes and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley calling the plays now, it’s not unreasonable to think he can take another jump.
Why he won’t start: A lack of consistency when it comes to completing down-the-field passes could be the reason Duggan. As noted earlier, he struggled in that area Monday and hasn’t flashed the ability to make downfield plays enough.
Chandler Morris
Why he will start: On a day-to-day basis Morris has been the more consistent passer. Dykes said he wants his quarterback to a point guard and distributor of the football and Morris fits that mold. He’s had more success on deep and intermediate passes. His elusiveness is another factor that makes him a good option. Morris had one of the best games in TCU’s history against Baylor, there’s no telling what he can do in a full season.
Why he won’t start: Ball security. Along with the interception he threw Monday, he’s had a few fumbles. Some were the result of a bad snap, another was by not securing the ball. Avoiding those bad plays will be the key to unseating Duggan.
Sam Jackson
Why he will start: Upside. The staff is clearly high on Jackson’s ability as a runner and growth as a passer. There’s at least one package with Jackson at running back and it appears the staff will try to find more ways to get him on the field with the ball in his hands. Dykes has never had a quarterback with Jackson’s type of athleticism.
Why he won’t start: Lack of experience. Jackson has taken strides in the pocket, but there’s still more room to grow in that area. Rushing him out there in front of more seasoned options might not be the best option for his development or team success.
