PROVO — BYU's two-quarterback experiment came to an abrupt halt Tuesday with the news that junior Riley Nelson has been sidelined for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury — an injury that coach Bronco Mendenhall said was originally sustained during fall camp.
That opened the door for Jake Heaps to become only the second true freshman straight out of high school to start for the Cougars. His debut as a starter comes Saturday against Nevada (4 p.m., The mtn.).
"It's a great opportunity. It's unfortunate what's going on (with Nelson). But it's a time when I've got to step up and I've got to help this team the best that I can. That's what I'm going to try to do. The guys are rallying around me," the 19-year-old Heaps said after Tuesday's practice. "Being the quarterback at BYU is a special opportunity. It means a lot to me. I'm going to work as hard as I can and do everything I can to do this thing right."
He's said he's looked forward to becoming the starter at BYU for a long time.
"That's why I came here. I didn't come here to take half of it or not be the guy," Heaps said. "I came here to hopefully be the guy and when the time was right to lead the team, right now it happened. It was under unfortunate circumstances but it's an exciting opportunity for me."
After splitting practice reps, and playing time, with Nelson to this point, Heaps will now take almost all of the reps and snaps.
"It's been tremendous for my development and for my opportunity to grow," he said. "I feel myself getting better as each rep goes. We've got a lot of improvement to make. There's a greater opportunity for me to go out there and show what I'm capable of and give everything I have to this team and show everybody what kind of quarterback I can be."
With Heaps securing the starting role, sophomore James Lark now becomes the backup QB.
The coaching staff has been impressed with Heaps since he arrived on campus last winter. "I think he's very confident and he's looking forward to the chance and now it's an opportunity for him to get a ton of work," Mendenhall said. "We've always liked Jake's talent and the potential there. I liked two options and I was hoping to continue a complement of some sort along the way. Now there is one."
Asked if Heaps is prepared for this role, Mendenhall replied, "Who knows whether he's prepared or not? It's a freshman playing football. If there's anyone that is prepared, his experience to this point has led to me feeling very comfortable. I believe in his potential. It's just a matter of catching up on experience and playing football. He's very capable. It's just going to be decision-making, experience, execution, and just playing ball."
No comments:
Post a Comment