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It's Time to Pick, and Roll With It
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"Statistics can handcuff you," Kelly said. "If Quarterback A is completing 75 percent of his passes and Quarterback B is completing 50 percent of his passes, but whenever Quarterback B is in the game your team is scoring points, who are you going to go with?"
In some cases, an injury makes such a decision easier, but unplanned developments also can complicate the choice. No. 7 Louisiana State dismissed expected starter Ryan Perrilloux from the team in May after repeated rules violations, which meant Tigers coaches had to choose among three quarterbacks with little or no collegiate playing experience.
For LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, the decision comes down to how each quarterback handles his on-field responsibilities.
"Some guys are big-play guys, but they don't manage games well," Crowton said. "You're looking to see how they lead the four-minute offense, the two-minute offense, getting signals [from the sideline] -- all the things that make an offense click."
Many coaches said performance in previous seasons had little influence on a quarterback competition.
"The guy that's best in [fall] practice gets into the game first," Crowton said. "How they do in practice, that's all you can go on."
As season openers approach, pressure increases for coaches to make decisions. Over the 36 hours after Maryland's Aug. 16 scrimmage, Friedgen and his staff reviewed videotape, consulted a handful of offensive players, discussed their options and then made what Friedgen called "a very difficult decision."
"Yeah, I think we gotta do something," Friedgen said after the scrimmage, bags beginning to form under his eyes. "Even if it's wrong, we gotta do something. We gotta start getting ready."
