JONESBORO - Bryan Harsin expects Arkansas State’s quarterback race to last well into the fall.
The Red Wolves’ new coach didn’t come to any definitive conclusions Friday night after the team’s second spring scrimmage at Liberty Bank Stadium, but he did find out something about the group of quarterbacks competing to replace record-setting Ryan Aplin.
“I learned they can take a hit,” Harsin said Saturday after Phillip Butterfield, Stephen Hogan, Chandler Rogers and Fredi Knighten took virtually an equal numbers of snaps in a scrimmage where defenders weren’t encouraged to take it easy on a group of players that is relatively equal when it comes to experience.
Butterfield, a fifth-year senior who has missed two seasons because of injuries, has thrown 27 career passes but only one since 2010. Knighten, a sophomore, threw five passes a year ago, while Hogan, a freshman, and Rogers, a junior college transfer, have yet to throw a pass in an Football Bowl Subdivision game.
The lack of experience means longer evaluation periods during a spring in which Harsin is also trying to install his version of an up-tempo, no-huddle offense that he brought with him after two seasons as Texas’ co-offensive coordinator.
So while Butterfield took the first snaps Friday and Knighten turned heads with a 53-yard touchdown run on a draw, the battle could be waged all the way up to the Aug. 31 season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
“I haven’t felt like coming out of spring you have to have that,” Harsin said when asked if a starter, or even leader, will be determined after next Saturday’s spring game. “From the end of spring to fall, our players have so much opportunity to improve and get better.”
Quarterbacks haven’t been made available for interviews during spring practice, and Harsin and quarterbacks coach/co-offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan wouldn’t say if any have taken the lead for the starting job.
Butterfield’s first pass when ASU opened up in the red zone went to JD McKissic and put the offense on the 1. Hamdan said Butterfield has taken bigger steps than the others initially but stopped short of identifying him as the favorite.
“He’s been extremely consistent all spring,” Hamdan said. “I think there’s no doubt that he’s the guy who has the best feel for the offense, and obviously he’s the most mature guy, an older guy, a leader.”
Hamdan, who coached wide receivers at Florida last year and is coaching quarterbacks for the first time, said the staff entered spring knowing what they were up against at quarterback.
He said Rogers, who came to campus in January from Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi, has been as consistent as Butterfield and that Hogan, a redshirt freshman from Greenwood, has made more strides as of late.
Hamdan also said that Knighten - who threw a touchdown pass Friday and finished with a team-high 79 yards rushing - is getting better at making decisions.
“I think the biggest thing they’ve got to understand is that we don’t need the big play all the time,” Hamdan said. “Make good decisions, take care of the football, and when the opportunity is there take advantage.”
Running back David Oku said there is no way to tell which quarterback is pulling ahead of the others and that he’s seen good things from all four of them.
“It doesn’t matter who it is, we’re going to encourage them,” Oku said.
ASU will practice Monday, Wednesday and Friday before Saturday’s 1 p.m. spring game and a final practice April 15. Then the quarterbacks will head into summer workouts and be joined by Cameron Birse, who signed in February out of Danville, Calif., as they continue to compete for the starting spot.
Harsin said the quarterbacks’ job after spring ball will be as much mental work as physical work.
“Don’t just watch themselves, watch other quarterbacks in this system,” he said. “These guys will do that. That’s one thing about this team, they work. They come prepared to work, and we’re very happy with that and we expect that to continue.”
Sports, Pages 32 on 04/07/2013