I was actually more surprised that Al Golden said there was going to be another quarterback competition after the Maryland game than I was when he announced that there would be no further competition and Jacory Harris would be the starter.
Coach Golden is going to say all the right things as it’s his job as a head coach, but the bottom line is this; Harris was going to be the starter for this team for game one if he wasn’t suspended. Everyone I’d talked to told me as much.
Had sophomore Stephen Morris gone out against Maryland, broken scoring records and had a career game, maybe this staff would’ve had more to think about. He didn’t and because of that, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that the senior Harris would be the starting quarterback against visiting Ohio State.
I know some of you are dismayed. The back-up quarterback is always the most popular guy on the team. I think back to earlier last decade when fans were telling me that Derrick Crudup should’ve been starting over Brock Berlin.
Morris is a good quarterback, but Monday’s loss at Maryland proved that he still needs to work on some nuances of the game. This was only his fifth start and at times, it showed.
I thought it was pretty eye-opening when both Coach Golden and offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch suggested that had Harris started against the Terps, the Canes would’ve had a better chance at earning the win.
This was one of those opportunities where coaches could’ve gone out of their way to be politically correct, calling it a “team loss” no matter who was under center. Not the case. This staff let it be known that they feel Harris is the best option and that honesty is both refreshing and appreciated.
Of course there’s always the chance that those of us who have been backing Harris are proven wrong, but from everything I’ve personally seen, I believe. I’ve been all-in on #12 since we sat down and spoke one-on-one before training camp started. I got the immediate sense that Coach Fisch had been a good influence on Harris and that the kid had learned from last year’s mistakes.
If a kid ever wanted redemption, it would be Harris against Ohio State.
This is a new season. As fans, it’s time to forget the sweater vest, the four inteceptions and the loss in Columbus. But for Harris, you hope he remembers all too well that poor performance last year, using it as fuel for a much better game this time around.
Despite which quarterback you’d rather see in the game, I want to end with this — please support Harris as he’s been named starter. Stand behind the kid. If you truly #StandWithTheU, then #StandWithThePlayersToo.
IN OTHER NEWS : We had a great half hour chat with former Canes defensive back, and Super Bowl champ Duane Starks on this week’s edition of allCanes Radio. Duane had some great analysis regarding the play of Brandon McGee against Maryland and talked a bunch about his time at UM. It was a great chat. A special thanks to our friend Platon from ProCanes.com for setting it up.
Did you miss the Starks interview? Check out the Podcast or listen to the archives at allCanes.com or through the ‘Radio’ section of the allCanes iPhone app.