Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck named co-starting quarterbacks for the 2017 season. Redshirt sophomore Demry Croft will share snaps with fifth-year senior Conor Rhoda.
“We are going to play both,” Fleck said after Thursday’s practice. “In terms of the starter, they’re both the starters.”
It is unknown who will take the first snap when the Gophers open the season vs. Buffalo on Aug. 31. Fleck said experience played a factor in the decision to choose both quarterbacks as starters entering the season. Rhoda has played in just one game, leading the Gophers to a 31-10 victory in Maryland last year. Croft has notched a few snaps, but redshirted last year after playing in three games as a freshman.
“Both quarterbacks don’t have true game experience,” Fleck said. “If I was to tell you I knew exactly how those quarterbacks were going to play in a game, that’s a guess. Both quarterbacks have continued to get better. Every time I think I see one nudging someone else out, the other one closed the gap, and then passed them and they’ve continued to do that.”
Fleck noted the tight competition throughout training camp proved that both Croft and Rhoda earned the right to play. This isn’t the first time Fleck has used a quarterback by committee system. At Western Michigan, Fleck had co-starting quarterbacks for two seasons.
“So what that tells me, this late in training camp, as that continues to be the case, that both of them deserve to play,” Fleck said. “This is going to be a competition with each other, not against one another as we hit the season. This is not a controversy; this is two guys are going to start. They have both earned the right to play.”
Despite having two different playing styles at the quarterback positon, Fleck said the system won’t change. The entire playbook will be open for each quarterback to gain experience in live action. At this time, the head coach said he doesn’t have a ratio of snaps in mind for the quarterbacks.
“We’re not going to change [the offense] for anybody. As we keep going through the season, if one’s playing a little better, maybe they’ll get more snaps,” Fleck noted. “We’ll handle that accordingly.”
Fleck said the decision won’t impact chemistry with the wide receivers as Croft and Rhoda split snaps throughout the spring and fall. He believes the lack of experience at the quarterback position leaves the team best suited to play both Croft and Rhoda.
“I think our wide receivers — they have relationships, they have the comradery, they have the understanding,” Fleck said. “But again, we need more consistency on a day-to-day basis and it’s hard to be able to sit there and say they have all this comradery with this four-year starter and then you’re putting someone else in. That’s the predicament we’re in, but that’s also, I think, an advantage for us.”
Fleck is looking forward to the idea of having co-starting quarterbacks because it presents an unknown. The coaches have seen Croft and Rhoda in practices and scrimmages, but not in game situations.
“What I’m excited for is what we haven’t seen from them,” he said. “There’s that risk factor and I love that.”
Practice Notes:
– P.J. Fleck said defensive back Ray Estes has been handling the transition from quarterback to cornerback well. Estes had one notable pass breakup during the practice session. As a whole, Coach Fleck said the secondary will be inexperienced this year.
“[Ray Estes] might have an outside shot of starting, so that just shows you our need for defensive backs.”
I’ve also been intrigued by freshman cornerback Justus Harris, who could see more snaps this year. He has tallied a few pass breakups throughout practice sessions.
– The offensive line opened up wide lanes for the running backs throughout practice, sparking several runs for Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks. I’ve been impressed with the run blocking across all units of the Gophers’ offensive line. The tight end group has also been opening lanes by setting the edge for runs. However, the offensive line struggled more in pass protection Thursday as the defensive line picked up a few sacks in the team drills. Defensive tackle Gary Moore and Jaylen Waters had notable quarterback pressures during team drills.
– During pressure situations, there were a few missed kicks, which resulted in extra sprints at the end of practice. This hasn’t been the case recently, but Carpenter drilled in an important field goal in a situational drill to redeem himself. There were also more drops from the wide receivers than I had seen at previous practices.
– The co-quarterback decision wasn’t shocking. As I said on my radio spot with 1500ESPN yesterday, both Demry Croft and Conor Rhoda had strengths and weaknesses throughout the fall practices. The team will likely see how they perform in game action and develop a rotation that maximizes the potential of the offense. It’s not to say one quarterback won’t earn more snaps moving forward. The predicament the Gophers face is the overall lack of experience they have at the position. It will essentially be on the job training for the two quarterbacks this year. In today’s practice, Demry Croft had a great throw deep up the field to Eric Carter, displaying impressive touch and accuracy. Rhoda also looked sharp, delivering a beautiful throw to wide receiver Tyler Johnson. Croft is better when throwing down the field, while Rhoda is accurate on short-to-intermediate throws at all hashes. In addition, Croft tends to struggle more when he throws on the run, forcing passes. Each of them provide different value with their skill-sets, but now they’ll have an opportunity to show it during games.
– Linebacker Cody Poock could have a big year is he can stay healthy. I was impressed with his coverage skills during 1-on-1 drills. He also displays above average instincts against the run. He is a rangy, downhill run defender that can deliver a big hit when he squares up in the gap. The Gophers have a very talented group of linebackers with a variety of different skill-sets. Length, athleticism, and run thumpers, all of which can be used creatively to attack opposing offenses.