UA POSITION ANALYSIS: QB

Morris: Long way to go in Razorbacks' QB battle

Arkansas quarterback Cole Kelley (15) goes through practice Thursday, March 1, 2018, in Fayetteville.
Arkansas quarterback Cole Kelley (15) goes through practice Thursday, March 1, 2018, in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Let it be said that Chad Morris is not tipping his hand in the race for the starting quarterback job for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Junior Ty Storey and sophomore Cole Kelley, who started four games last season, have run the most plays with the top offense, but other quarterbacks have also rotated in with the first group.

Morris' response after Wednesday's scrimmage as to who was "leading" the quarterback chase offered a lack of clarity.

"It's a wash right now at quarterback," Morris said. "I'm not going to name one coming out of spring. I'll probably be into fall camp before we name one."

Kelley went 2-2 as the starter last season while Austin Allen was rehabilitating a shoulder injury. The Razorbacks were routed by the more powerful teams in that stretch -- at Alabama and home against Auburn -- and they edged Ole Miss and Coastal Carolina with Kelley at the controls.

The 6-7 redshirt freshman completed 87 of 151 passes for a completion rate of 57.6 percent that was marginally better than Allen's 56.1 percent. He passed for 1,038 yards with 8 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, the same 2-to-1 ratio of touchdowns to interceptions as Allen in a down season for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville offense.

Kelley, who was suspended for the Razorbacks' 28-21 loss to Mississippi State last fall after being pulled over and charged with suspicion of driving while intoxicated, wanted to pass along a message in his first public remarks about the incident.

"I think it was a wake-up call for me," Kelley said. "I wouldn't say I was thrown into the fire last year, because I was the backup, so I was ready for it. But it was taking over when Austin got hurt, and you can make all the excuses in the world ... I just messed up.

"Things are really just now calming down from that situation. I've always felt so ashamed since that happened. I wanted to release something and apologize to everybody, but my lawyer advised against it during the process. I'm so sorry to the Razorback Nation. They have done nothing but love me since I stepped on campus. They are so special."

Kelley also ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns last year, which funnels into the quarterback run plays under Morris.

Storey, a 6-2, 220-pounder from Charleston, did not throw a pass in 2017 and took fewer snaps last year than he did in 2016 as Allen's top backup, when he went 1 of 4 for 3 yards while playing in 3 games.

The new Power Spread offense designed by Morris and coordinated by Joe Craddock marks a comprehensive change in philosophy from the previous pro-style set, and it comes with new terminology and concepts.

Storey, a consummate student, got off to a great start this winter.

"I will say this, that Ty really started spring out progressing heavily and he has continued to do well," Morris said. "Cole did not start as fast as Ty did, but has really come on."

Storey has improved his throwing motion, which once featured a detectable hitch, and immersed himself in the new system.

"You ask Ty any question we have and he spits out the answer immediately," Craddock said. "You can tell he's really studied it. He works really hard at it. He's probably worked the hardest out of anybody at it."

Storey likes the similarities between the system he operated at Charleston High and the one he's working in now.

"It's very similar to what we did in Charleston," said Storey, pointing out that Charleston Coach Greg Kendrick visited with Morris during his time at Clemson and implemented features of the offense while Storey was leading the Tigers to back-to-back Class 3A state championships.

"I think learning the offense is big, and I think I got off to a good start with that," Storey said. "I think we all have. There's always little stuff to work on. I think that comes with learning the offense and knowing exactly where to go."

Craddock, like Morris, played it careful in saying all the quarterbacks are studying, learning and improving.

"They're all doing a really, really good job," Craddock said. "Cole has had his best three practices here recently and hopefully he'll continue to build on that. He's pushing those other guys, but they're also pushing him, so it's a really good competition right now."

Kelley noted Morris' decision to wait on naming a starter is not new.

"That's kind of how it was last year too, except it was for the backup position," Kelley said. "I kind of figured that to be honest with you."

Kelley is also a staunch advocate of the new offensive schemes. He said he looked up clips of Morris' offense as soon as he heard about the hiring.

"I went to watch film of him at Clemson with Tajh Boyd," Kelley said. "Tajh Boyd is one of the top three quarterbacks I've ever loved in college. Him and Tim Tebow ... were two of my favorite ones. I like bigger guys.

"And I think [Ryan] Mallett was maybe one of my other ones. The offense is just so good. There are so many answers.

"Really, like the only thing that can stop us is us, if we mess up. If we do things right, you'll see how we run and throw the ball out of it. It's a very special offense."

Sports on 03/31/2018

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More headlines

Quarterbacks glance

Returning starters None

Losses Austin Allen (8 starts in 2017)

Who’s back Cole Kelley (4 starts in 2017), Ty Storey, Daulton Hyatt

Who’s new Austin Aune

Walk-ons Jack Lindsey, Carson Proctor, Aune

Analysis For now, the battle for the starting job appears to be between the junior Storey, who has a firmer grasp on the offense, and the sophomore Kelley, whose physical skills have a higher ceiling. The other quarterbacks have had limited exposure with the top linemen and skill players. However, the redshirt freshman Hyatt and the freshman Aune showed giddy-up getting around the edges on keepers in Wednesday’s scrimmage. The battles up and down the depth chart will continue through the summer and fall regardless of who emerges from spring with the lead.

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