Boise State Broncos Faced With Replacing College Football's Winningest QB

Friday, February 10, 2012

BroncoSports.com

By Nate Kuester
Senior Writer

The Boise State Broncos coaching staff faces the task they have known was looming on the horizon for some time, finding a replacement for quarterback Kellen Moore.

There is no question Boise State's success has come, at least in part, at the hands of Moore. He is the winningest quarterback to ever play at an FBS school, finishing his career on the Blue with an overall record of 50-3 as a starter.

Perhaps the biggest reason Moore's career is so highly celebrated by Boise State fans has a bit to do with his arm, but more specifically it has everything to do with his shoulder and the chip that rested squarely upon it.

Head coach Chris Petersen frequently uses the term "our kind of guy." Countless times, Petersen has delivered that phrase anytime he talks about a recruit or player who fits that mold. You know the type, overlooked, some signs of talent and that chip on their shoulder. Perhaps no player who has ever suited up to play on the Blue wore that chip with as much ease and class as Moore did, because all he did was win.

While finishing up his final season at Prosser High School in eastern Washington state, next to no one looked his way when it came to college recruitment. He received scholarship offers from two FBS programs, Idaho and Boise State and one from FCS Eastern Washington.

You can imagine many programs look back and kick themselves for overlooking the quarterback who seemed a bit too small to be taken seriously. Seriously though, they know they made a mistake.

The legacy Moore leaves behind him includes a winning record that is not likely to be broken anytime in the near future. However he leaves behind a big problem as well, who will fill his rather large shoes?

You can imagine the Broncos offense is likely to look different with a new signal-caller at the helm.

“What we expect them to do is run our offense in the most efficient, most productive manner possible,” Petersen said. “It’ll look different down the road.”

Nate Kuester/National Football Authority Quarterback Joe Southwick  at Fall Camp 2011

The Broncos have options and the most obvious answer is redshirt junior Joe Southwick. At 6'1" and 191 pounds he checks in a little closer to the typical collegiate quarterback in size than Moore did. He also has a knack for launching the ball.

Southwick has an amiable personality that his teammates (and media) have enjoyed over the last few years. Even as a freshman, he won high praise from the coaching staff and players. He was quickly identified by many as the most likely heir apparent should the unthinkable occur to Moore; that of course never happened.

Now that Moore has finished out his career, it would still seem Southwick is the guy to take over the reins. The thing that most impresses about him is that moment when you can tell he's feeling the energy on the field and he lobs up that home run ball many have seen in fall and spring camps. The issue that has most stood out is consistency, however that could improve given the chance to run the first offense on a regular basis.

Southwick is more mobile than Moore, which is a trait that also gets him into trouble at times. He could learn to manage within the pocket better and check down the ball more often. His instincts not to do that, also help him create opportunities his predecessor rarely considered. Southwick is an exciting player to watch, and fans could get more chances to do just that come this fall.

Southwick appears to have the edge, at least for the moment, according to Boise State's new offensive coordinator.

"If we were playing a game this week, I think Joe (Southwick) would be our guy," Robert Prince said.

Also in the thick of the competition is redshirt sophomore Grant Hedrick. At 6'0" and 186 pounds, Hedrick has demonstrated his playmaking ability by running Boise State's option attack. While he is not as likely to win the starter position for 2012, you certainly can't count him out of the realm of possibility.

Hedrick has had very little opportunity to make much of an impression in the various packages the staff has worked up for him in his limited game play. He did find the end zone against Fresno last season though, so you can't write him off as a contender.

Redshirt Freshman Jimmy Laughrea, at 6'2" and 192 pounds stands out as a possible leader for the future. He has very little problem with placing the ball where he wants it. He makes good decisions, perhaps better than Southwick in terms of knowing when to hang in the pocket or tuck and run.

Finally, we come to the latest Boise State quarterback recruit who decided to enroll in school a semester early so he can throw his hat into the ring for the possible starting job. True freshman Nick Patti's decision to forego the rest of his senior year at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Fla., indicates he feels pretty good about his chances in competing for the open spot.

Patti established himself as one of the premier prep quarterbacks in this recruiting class despite his smaller stature (5'11", 195 pounds), which was reason enough for many major schools to overlook him. That should sound vaguely familiar to Bronco Nation, as should his high school coach's feelings on what he brings to the table after going 35-4 in his prep career.

“All he does is win,” Dr. Phillips coach Rodney Wells said. “… He’s a leader. Just somebody that you can trust, is the biggest thing about Nick.”

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