Jim Naveau
“If you have two quarterbacks you actually have none,” is something you hear when there is indecision about who should be a football team’s quarterback.
John Madden gets credit for saying it on the internet but it doesn’t say which two quarterbacks he was talking about. Or whether they were his own or played for some other team.
That Ryan Day chose to extend his decision about naming a starting quarterback into the regular season does not necessarily mean Madden’s quote applies to Ohio State this season.
What you’re seeing from Day is how a lot of coaches might handle a hotly contested competition between two highly skilled players for a starting quarterback job in the era of the transfer portal.
There have been several times when OSU has changed quarterbacks during a season.
J.T. Barrett regained the starting job from Cardale Jones in the eighth game of the 2015 season. Braxton Miller replaced Joe Bauserman in the fourth game of the 2011 season. Terrelle Pryor was named the starter over Todd Boeckman in the fourth game in 2008 and Troy Smith became the starter over Justin Zwick in the seventh game in 2004.
Three times when the starting job was shared throughout the season were in 1997, 1996 and 1993. In 1996 and 1997, Stanley Jackson started 24 of 25 games but Joe Germaine’s playing time (297 minutes) was very close to Jackson’s (360 minutes).
In 1993, future NFL starter Bob Hoying started every game and Bret Powers played in 10 games. Hoying was on the field for 254 minutes and Powers played 108 minutes.
In 1993, Ohio State was 10-1-1. In 1996, it was 11-1 and in 1997 it went 10-3. In 1993 it lost to Michigan and tied Wisconsin. The 1996 team’s loss was to Michigan and in 1997 it lost to Penn State, Michigan and Florida State.
Reach Jim Naveau at 567-242-0414.
