CSU carrying quarterback competition through summer

Nick Stevens and Coleman Key learned what new coach Mike Bobo expects from his quarterbacks during spring practices.

Both showed they have a decent understanding of how they're supposed to operate during the spring game Saturday, with Stevens throwing for 438 yards and four touchdowns and Key throwing for 337 yards and two TDs.

Now, they've got to continue to improve in everything they do while competing against each other for the starting job next fall. There won't be another official practice until fall camp starts in early August.

They've got 3 1/2 months to win over their teammates during conditioning work and informal player-run practices.

"It's not about me and Nick, it's about this team," Key said. "We're not enemies or anything; we're teammates. We're working together, we're helping each other out. … It's not about individual stuff, it's about getting this team better so we can win a Mountain West championship."

Stevens has been equally insistent that he and Key are working with each other and not against one another. They both want what's best for the team. And they both hope that means they'll be the one behind center when the Rams open the 2015 season at home Sept. 5 against Savannah State.

They both got to work a lot with the No. 1 offense this spring, and both proved to their teammates that they're capable of handling the job.

"Nick's great at anticipating the throw, and so is Coleman," senior receiver Joe Hansley said. "Nick's got a great arm, and Coleman's got a great arm. They do things differently, but they're both very polished and doing very well.

"I'm confident in both of them."

Only one of them can be the starter, though. They know, their teammates know it, Bobo knows it.

What they do this summer can make or break each of them.

Stevens, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound sophomore from Murrieta, California, played with a bit of a "swagger" Saturday, senior running back Treyous Jarrells said. He played in six games last season while backing up Garrett Grayson, completing 15 of 25 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown, and the confidence he gained from that experience shows.

Key is playing catch-up. The 6-4, 220-pound redshirt freshman hasn't played in a game since 2013, when he was senior at Broken Arrow (Oklahoma) High School, and he had a harder time digesting the new offense. But he never fell far enough behind to fall out of the race for the starting job.

"I feel comfortable with the offense," Key said after the spring game. "I'm confident in what I'm doing. I know what I'm looking for. … The first week and everything, everything was moving so fast I wasn't really sure what I was looking for. Now, things are starting to slow down, and I know what I'm doing.

"Fall camp is going to be a big test for me."

There's a lot of work ahead for both quarterbacks, Bobo said. They need to develop a better understanding of the offense, not just knowing what they need to do on a certain play but also why they're doing it so they can make adjustments as necessary during the course of a game, he said.

They need to be more accurate with their throws.

They need to improve their footwork.

Mostly, they need to earn the trust and respect of their teammates. Prove that they've got what it takes to lead their team to victory.

"Quarterbacks are looked at as leaders by the nature of the position that they play," Bobo said. "We can do things as coaches to help them grow in their leadership roles, but sometimes in the summer that's part of helping them. You have to put them out there and let them do it.

"The way our summer goes, it's going to be a lot on the quarterbacks."

They both know what they need to do. Now, they just have to go out and do it.

"We're just out here competing," Key said. "That's all it is, just competing."

Follow reporter Kelly Lyell at twitter.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news