Spring football's end leaves Weber searching for quarterback


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OGDEN — Spring football isn’t worth all the hype that surrounds it.

Rarely is there something significant that comes out of the spring. However, Weber State football learned a great deal about itself this spring, mainly that Jay Hill’s coaching staff requires a level of dedication that is foreign to the players. Spring football allows coaches to learn about players; players to learn about coaches; and fans to see whether or not they want to buy season tickets or not.

With Weber, there is significant reason for fans to turn out early to see the team. It’s easy to see play has improved in several areas because of the increased level of expectation, however one huge issue remains on the team that has to be answered, and that’s quarterback play.

In all of Hill’s quotes over the course of the spring, every interview mentioned the need for a greater consistency offensively. That starts and begins with quarterback play. In Weber’s Purple and White Game that capped the spring season, the Wildcats’ quarterbacks combined for three interceptions. Additionally, there were three fumbles on the day for Weber.

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In his comments on the scrimmage, Hill was melancholy in his interpretation of the team’s play. “We did some good things out there and had a lot of positives,” he said. “We still had some turnovers that hurt us, and we still have lots of things to fix. It was very competitive out there, and some of the bad habits came back. This game is a good teaching opportunity for us to see where we stand and where we want to be.”

The spring is a teaching opportunity, not just for players and coaches, but for fans as well. Saturday’s scrimmage demonstrated that the Wildcats have had growing pains, but there is indeed growth. Hill has repeatedly praised the offensive live, and running back Bo Bolen also praised the improvement of the o-line.

It’s clear to see Weber is planning on being a running team in the following season, with comments from offensive coordinator Steve Clark, running backs coach Quinton Ganther and Hill all mentioning as much. Defensively, Weber’s 3-4 scheme appears to be paying off, with the defense forcing six turnovers. Hill mentioned repeatedly how the offense has the “burden of execution,” and how the defense doesn’t.

However, the Wildcats have to figure out what will happen at quarterback. Sophomore Austin Chipoletti started camp on top of the depth chart, but spring camp seemed to indicate that Jadrain Clark has a bigger upside. Clark completed 9-of-12 passes, with a four-yard touchdown pass to Shaydon Kehano, while Chipoletti completed 11-of-19 passes, the longest 21 yards. In the second scrimmage of the season, Clark completed six passes for 64 yards while Chipoletti only threw for 25 yards.

Based on the numbers alone, it would seem Clark appears to be ready to give Chipoletti a firm competitor in fall camp.

“In the spring game, Jadrien’s completion ratio was a little higher,” Hill said. “He’s got to continue to hone in on reading defenses; got to be a little more poised when there’s a lot happening with blitzes and coverage. But he made good strides.”

However, Hill was quick to note that he will be willing to look outside of the team’s current roster to find the best quarterback possible.

“I want to see them keep competing,” he said. “By no means is this thing over. And I’m going to try and add a guy in the mix who will hopefully come in and be better than both of them. And that’s nothing against them; it’s that I want to create as much competition as possible.”

An observer only needs to look at Utah in 2013, or BYU in 2012 to notice how important it is to have a consistent quarterback that can manage the offense. And the Wildcats need to find their quarterback pronto.

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Jon Oglesby

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