Quarterbacks get opportunity to showcase talent
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Sports Writer
You can't help but wonder what in the world Bob Davie is thinking.
After Saturday's scrimmage, Davie said that having three equally talented quarterbacks was his "best case scenario."
If this is Davie's best case scenario, you wonder what his worst case scenario is.
Davie sure is lucky. He gets the pleasure of figuring out how to give them all equal snaps in practice. He has the wonderful opportunity to find a way to maintain strong team chemistry while make an offense fit the playing style of all three quarterbacks.
And come the fall, Davie, that lucky son of a gun, gets to decide which quarterback gets the ball when the game is on the line.
Based on what we've seen of Matt LoVecchio, Carlyle Holiday, and Jared Clark this spring, Davie has a lot of difficult deciding to do.
Sure, they looked good at Saturday's scrimmage. It's not like Davie and Co. would be considering playing them if they couldn't play well.
"All three guys can play the position," said offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers. "We wouldn't have recruited them if they couldn't."
A poised LoVecchio led the offense down the field on the first drive of the game and connected with David Givens on a 48-yard bomb late in the fourth quarter.
Holiday was eluding and outrunning defenders all day long. He had a number of impressive runs — and that was playing one-hand touch. Had the scrimmage been full contact, he would have had many, many more yards — and at least one touchdown.
And Clark showed why he's the best at throwing the long ball when he hit Givens in stride with a perfect spiral from 44 yards out.
"Every day in the spring, a different quarterback would do positive things," Davie said. "I think you saw that today."
We also saw their shortcomings.
While LoVecchio looked the most comfortable of the three, he also was a little cautious and impatient. Even he admitted that he had to trust the offensive line a little more and stay in the pocket instead of taking off running. And the quarterback who will start against Nebraska only completed 3-of-10 passes.
On his passes, Holiday showed his lack of experience. His one interception, a pass to Arnaz Battle that was picked off by Clifford Jefferson, was thrown into triple coverage in the middle of the field.
And a jittery Clark had a horrible first half. The best play he made was a defensive one, when he leveled Donald Dykes, who had just scooped up Mike McNair's fumble. If he was making a highlight film, he might as well throw out his entire first half.
Granted, you can't evaluate the trio's performance based on Saturday alone.
For example, in a scrimmage a week ago, it was Clark who stood out while Holiday struggled.
"They're by no means a finished product," said offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers. "They're still a work in progress."
Davie's done a pretty good job so far.
He's named LoVecchio the starting quarterback heading into the season opener at Nebraska. He'd be an idiot not to. LoVecchio is the only quarterback who has even taken a snap in a game.
"I just feel better having seen Matt LoVecchio in a game," Davie said. "When we walk out there in Lincoln, I want a guy that's been under the gun."
Even Holiday said that LoVecchio had the edge going into Nebraska.
"That really big crowd is a little bit different," he said. "LoVecchio's been through that."
Davie has also done a good job making sure the trio gets equal snaps. He doesn't want a repeat of last year, when Battle was injured and the Irish had no backup.
Most importantly, Davie and Rogers have done a remarkable job making sure the chemistry between the three stays strong — Clark even called the competition "fun."
They're all young, they're playing in the same system and they're getting the same opportunities in practice. And LoVecchio, Holiday, and Clark are good friends on and off the field. No matter what happens next year, there's no sign right now that this will change.
But problems could surface next fall. Davie and Rogers haven't yet figured out how they're going to use Holiday and Clark. The only thing they know for sure is that all three have to play.
"Matt LoVecchio is the starter, but you have to see that we have to get those other two guys in the game," he said.
All three quarterbacks are equally talented. The only edge LoVecchio has is that he's played a down.
"It's impossible really to take those eight games away," Holiday said.
"There's no substitute for experience," Rogers added.
Which begs the question: how long will LoVecchio's experience keep him on top?
It's LoVecchio's job to lose — rightfully so — because although Clark and Holiday might throw and run better, he was the one who won seven straight games last year. Everyone knows that. And as long as he keeps winning, he should still be the starter.
But what if the Irish lose at Nebraska? Or Purdue? Or Michigan State?
That's when things could get hairy.
"It's kind of like being a jet pilot," Rogers said. "You have to make decisions at a thousand miles per hour."
We've got to trust whatever Davie is thinking.
We have no other choice.
All Sports Stories for Monday, April 30, 2001
