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Gearing up for the season: Quarterbacks
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They say if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have any. What if you have three?
Having already looked at the rest of the offense, today we'll try and answer the age-old question: Who starts at quarterback? The Cavaliers have three viable candidates, which surely qualifies as a logjam. In alphabetical order, they are:
Vic Hall: Hall was an electric talent in high school, lighting up the stat sheet with both passing and rushing yardages in the thousands each season. He committed early to UVa, and fans looked forward to Virginia having an answer to the Vick brothers at Virginia Tech. Hall was such a talented athlete, however, that the coaches wanted to get him on the field earlier than he would have if he'd waited in line to start at quarterback, so by mutual agreement, Hall became a cornerback. He started there for two years, but was a surprise entry at quarterback in the season finale at Virginia Tech. Hall played well enough that the coaches decided his days on defense were over. He's now expected to take plenty of snaps from behind center this year.
Hall's playmaking ability is unquestioned. From the shotgun against Tech, he ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns. His only pass attempt was incomplete, however - the coaches inserted Marc Verica in passing situations. For Hall to be more than a gimmick, he'll need to redevelop his passing touch, otherwise he'll be limited mainly to option plays and the offense will be decidedly more predictable.
Jameel Sewell: It's hard not to root for Sewell this year. In 2007, UVa had a fantastic season, ending up in a New Year's Day bowl game, and Sewell was at the helm after earning the starting job midway through the 2006 season. He was especially deadly in the Hoos' 48-0 blowout of Miami, going 20-for-25 with 288 yards. Unfortunately, when 2008 rolled around, Sewell was academically ineligible and had to miss the season. Rather than transfer or quit, Sewell worked to get his grades up and returns this year for his senior season.
Sewell is the most experienced quarterback of the trio. He's athletic and well-suited to run the new Gregg Brandon spread offense - in 2007, he was the third-leading rusher behind the two tailbacks who split the running load. His arm isn't as strong as Verica's, nor is he as slippery an athlete as Hall, but he has the experience and presents himself as a nice mix of the two styles.
Marc Verica: Verica wasn't expected to see the field last year. But Sewell was lost to academic issues and Peter Lalich was kicked off the team by the athletic director, elevating Verica to the starting job. He played extremely well in stretches last year. Against Maryland and Georgia Tech he displayed a strong, accurate arm with a lot of expert touch. In the North Carolina game, he needed just 1:35 to engineer a fourth-quarter, game-tying touchdown drive to send the game into overtime, where UVa would eventually win it. Interceptions were his Achilles heel all season, however, and he ended up throwing a whopping 16 on the season.
Verica's arm is probably the best of the three quarterbacks, when he's not directing the ball at opposing defensive backs. He's not a statue in the pocket, but his running skills are generally limited to moving around in the pocket to create throwing chances, rather than for use as a running quarterback. Thus, there's some question about how well he'll fit in the Gregg Brandon spread.
So, the answer to the question? The cop-out answer, naturally: it would be a surprise if all three didn't see some plays this season. My best guess is that Hall will take the majority of the snaps. He's too good an athlete not to. Verica's time is probably dependent on how well he takes care of the ball and keeps it out of the hands of the wrong colored jerseys, because he won't be asked to run the ball much. Sewell allows for the most unpredictability, and don't rule out the possibility of him appearing in the backfield at the same time as Hall in order to confuse the defense. Gregg Brandon's first season as offensive coordinator brings a whole new look to the Cavaliers' offense, and the mystery at quarterback is just another wrinkle adding anticipation to the season.
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