CINCINNATI -- Coaches always tell backup quarterbacks to prepare as if they're the starter, but Zach Collaros admits he might not have totally followed that plan last spring.
Collaros was moonlighting with the Cincinnati baseball team, and besides, everybody knew that Tony Pike was entrenched as the Bearcats No. 1 quarterback. This spring, though, is a much different story.
"Usually at night last year, I'd be thinking, 'I've got to go back up Tony tomorrow,'" Collaros said. "Now I'll sit there and read through my notes and try to be prepared for everything the next day so I can play fast and get the offense down."
New Cincinnati coach Butch Jones hasn't officially named Collaros his starter yet, and Chazz Anderson has won games under center for this team. But Jones would have to ignore all the on-field evidence from 2009 to keep Collaros on the bench.
Coming from seemingly nowhere, Collaros was thrust into action at South Florida when Pike injured his forearm. While people were still flipping through the bios to learn something about him, Collaros ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run that broke the game open.
He then proceeded to go 4-0 as a starter, completing 75 percent of his passes and compiling 14 touchdowns with his arm and his feet. Against Connecticut, he set a Big East record with 555 total yards, including 480 through the air. Two games later, he went back on the sidelines as Pike returned.
With Pike graduated, expectations are sky high for Collaros for his first full season as a starter.
"I'm looking forward to it," he says. "I've never been one to shy away from expectations. We have a great offense, and as long as I get the ball in the receivers' hands, things are going to happen."
It's not just his passing ability that excites people, though. Collaros is a quick, elusive runner who opens up all kinds of options in the offense. His talents should fit in perfectly with Jones' offensive system.
At Central Michigan, Jones coached another dual-threat quarterback in Dan LeFevour, who ended his career as the NCAA's all-time leader in touchdowns, throwing for over 12,000 yards and running for more than 2,500 yards. Collaros said he's watched lots of film of LeFevour and hopes to follow in his footsteps.
Jones calls Collaros a confident player and a quick learner. But he says the junior quarterback is not a finished product.
"Some of Zach's strengths are his ability to make a play when the pocket collapses, and when you're not in a live situation, at times you really can't see that," Jones said. "I think what he needs to do is learn how to manage a game and make correct decisions and not just be a gunslinger who runs around and throws the football up."
There's no doubting Collaros's competitiveness. He is 34-0 as a starter in high school and college. And with a full offseason of a starter's preparation, he might just be the best quarterback in the Big East in 2010.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/8821/bearcats-qb-collaros-ready-for-full-time-starting-and-starring
Collaros was moonlighting with the Cincinnati baseball team, and besides, everybody knew that Tony Pike was entrenched as the Bearcats No. 1 quarterback. This spring, though, is a much different story.
"Usually at night last year, I'd be thinking, 'I've got to go back up Tony tomorrow,'" Collaros said. "Now I'll sit there and read through my notes and try to be prepared for everything the next day so I can play fast and get the offense down."
New Cincinnati coach Butch Jones hasn't officially named Collaros his starter yet, and Chazz Anderson has won games under center for this team. But Jones would have to ignore all the on-field evidence from 2009 to keep Collaros on the bench.
Coming from seemingly nowhere, Collaros was thrust into action at South Florida when Pike injured his forearm. While people were still flipping through the bios to learn something about him, Collaros ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run that broke the game open.
He then proceeded to go 4-0 as a starter, completing 75 percent of his passes and compiling 14 touchdowns with his arm and his feet. Against Connecticut, he set a Big East record with 555 total yards, including 480 through the air. Two games later, he went back on the sidelines as Pike returned.
With Pike graduated, expectations are sky high for Collaros for his first full season as a starter.
"I'm looking forward to it," he says. "I've never been one to shy away from expectations. We have a great offense, and as long as I get the ball in the receivers' hands, things are going to happen."
It's not just his passing ability that excites people, though. Collaros is a quick, elusive runner who opens up all kinds of options in the offense. His talents should fit in perfectly with Jones' offensive system.
At Central Michigan, Jones coached another dual-threat quarterback in Dan LeFevour, who ended his career as the NCAA's all-time leader in touchdowns, throwing for over 12,000 yards and running for more than 2,500 yards. Collaros said he's watched lots of film of LeFevour and hopes to follow in his footsteps.
Jones calls Collaros a confident player and a quick learner. But he says the junior quarterback is not a finished product.
"Some of Zach's strengths are his ability to make a play when the pocket collapses, and when you're not in a live situation, at times you really can't see that," Jones said. "I think what he needs to do is learn how to manage a game and make correct decisions and not just be a gunslinger who runs around and throws the football up."
There's no doubting Collaros's competitiveness. He is 34-0 as a starter in high school and college. And with a full offseason of a starter's preparation, he might just be the best quarterback in the Big East in 2010.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/8821/bearcats-qb-collaros-ready-for-full-time-starting-and-starring
