Story Created:
Oct 29, 2009
Story Updated:
Oct 29, 2009
PK BLOG
Did Kyle Whittingham drop a bombshell on the media during the weekly MWC teleconference?
Last Tuesday, during his 10-minute portion, the Utah coach mentioned that Jordan Wynn could make his debut this week against Wyoming. Has Whittingham lost his mind, burning the freshman quarterback’s redshirt year more than halfway into the season?
No.
At first, I thought K-Dub was talking crazy. Save Wynn for the future, the prevailing thought was, by giving him two years of training behind Terrance Cain.
If Wynn redshirted this season, and then backed up Cain next season – or competed for the starting job, for that matter – Utah’s quarterback situation would be set through 2014.
Yeah, right.
It’s never that neat.
Look back to Urban Meyer’s first season as Utah’s coach in 2003. Mr. Genius wasn’t even smart enough to pick the NFL’s future No. 1 pick as the starter that year.
Alex Smith assumed control of Utah’s offense by default, after an injury. A year later he played as well as any quarterback ever performed in the history of college football.
Remember Ron McBride’s last season? That was when he blew Smith’s redshirt season for one series midway through the season against San DiegoState.
At the time, it seemed like such a waste. Two years later, Smith bolted early for the NFL.
Smith’s successor, Brian Johnson, was ticketed to be a three-year starter. A knee injury and Brett Ratliff’s emergence changed that plan.
The point is, nobody accurately predicts three or four years out in college football. Whittingham’s only worry is winning Saturday, followed by the remaining games this season.
If he thinks Cain’s turnovers have become a problem, then play Wynn. The future is now.
The truth is, the Utes don’t need Wynn to beat Wyoming. But they may need the program’s best passer against TCU and BYU.
Maybe the threat of Wynn could serve notice to Cain. Seven games into the season, especially after last week’s substandard effort against Air Force, the junior college transfer has not shown enough progress.
Competition, as dozens of coaches have preached to me, increases the collective level of play. Somebody needs to push Cain.
If the starter is good enough, don’t make a change. But don’t preserve a redshirt to set up the middle of next decade.
Either way, it’s a Wynn-win situation.
Utah 27, Wyoming 12
