North Carolina State University Athletics
Rivers Leads Quarterback Race
4/11/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tony Haynes
When he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Brigham Young, Norm Chow tutored the likes of Steve Young, Jim McMahon and Ty Detmer. Now when he looks at the quarterback talent he's inherited at NC State, the Pack's new offensive coordinator sees Phillip Rivers, Jatavis Sanders and Toki McCray.
These are hardly household names in the world of college football.
Over the next several months, it will be Chow's job to mold all three of those players into top-flight signal callers. But only one will be under center when the Wolfpack opens its season against Arkansas State on September 2.
It's still early, but the battle for the starting quarterback job is in full swing this spring.
"As we speak, Rivers would probably be the starter if we were to play tomorrow," Chow said. "He has a good arm, but he's got to get into the weight room and get a lot stronger this summer. He's an awfully bright young guy with a lot of innate ability to make the right calls to get us to the right receivers. So far he's done a very nice job."
Rivers, who is the reigning Alabama High School Player of the Year, left high school early after graduating in December. The move has given him the unique opportunity to participate in spring drills before his freshman season.
"The best thing he did was to leave high school early," Chow said. "It was probably very difficult for him to do. He really should be a senior and going to the senior prom in a week or two."
Chow admits that he's never been in a position of having to develop so many young quarterbacks. Of the three, only Sanders has any game experience on the college level. As Jamie Barnette's backup last season, the rising sophomore appeared in five games, completing nine of his 17 passing attempts for 165 yards and a touchdown.
In a spring scrimmage last Friday, Sanders hit eight of 17 passes for 87 yards. Rivers was 12-for-22 for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
"We're trying to get them the same amount of work," said Chow. "I think Jatavis had a fewer snaps short of Phillip the other day, but that's only because coach (Amato) called the drill short. We don't feel like we need to make any major decisions right now. We just feel like Phillip is a little bit ahead right now, but Jatavis is doing a nice job. We need both of them to be ready."
The dark horse in the quarterback race appears to be redshirt freshman Toki McCray.
"Toki may be a step behind," Chow said. "He's having a little bit of trouble trying to pick up what we're trying to get done. But he's there and he's battling every day."
The terminology of Chow's new offensive system was quite foreign to all three quarterbacks when it was introduced to them at the beginning of spring practice. More than anything else, it appears that Rivers has done the best job of adjusting to the new passing routes, checks and different options that have been thrown his way.
"This young man (Rivers) has a good head on his shoulders," said head coach Chuck Amato. "He brings things to the table that arm strength and all that other stuff don't matter because he's the son of a coach. He's learned a lot over the years by watching a lot of film with his dad. That mental aspect is something that Norm talks about all the time."
The spring portion of NC State's quarterback derby will come to an end on Saturday afternoon when the Wolfpack holds its annual Red-White game at Carter-Finley Stadium. The game is free and is open to the public. It all begins at 1:00 p.m.
