Though many fans want Jordan to take that starting role, head coach Bob Davie is making the right decision by keeping Gautsche atop the team’s depth chart.
The question of the quarterback situation has come up weekly since Jordan entered the Week 3 showdown with New Mexico State game and led the Lobos to a victory in Las Cruces. This week was no exception, and Davie confirmed the situation wouldn’t change.
“I think both quarterbacks deserve to continue to play,” Davie said.
Nor should it change, as long as Gautsche remains healthy.
The job has essentially been Gautsche’s since his freshman year two years ago, when he replaced the injured B.R. Holbrook. Looking at his frame (6-foot-4, 234 pounds), Gautsche is built more like a bruising college fullback, and runs just as hard.
He remains the better option to run Davie’s triple-option attack. This season, Gautsche ranks fourth among Lobos in rushing at 327 yards; the only other players to rush for more yards are actual running backs.
Gautsche has been among the stronger ballcarriers since he’s been at UNM. He ran for 760 yards his freshman year, averaging a solid 7 yards per rush. In the nine games he played in 2013, Gautsche tallied five 100-yard rushing efforts. Five 100-yard games is a good stretch for any player, but coming from a quarterback is impressive.
Based on the old eye test, Gautsche pitches the ball better than other quarterbacks do on this roster. In the triple-option attack, having the ability to keep the ball or lateral it to a back is a critical component.
To be fair, Jordan does have 315 rushing yards this year, just 12 behind Gautsche. However, Jordan has played in one more game since Gautsche has missed time to injury.
The injury situation has been the biggest knock on Gautsche, particularly this year. He has had multiple concussions already in his career and missed some game time this season to a leg injury.
Jordan provides a different spark, a different energy when he enters the game, and the team seems to respond. He’s made the most of his opportunities early in the season. The game-winning drive he led the Lobos on against New Mexico State, culminating in that 5-yard strike to Reece White, showed Jordan has the ability to come through in a clutch situation.
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The Jordan magic continued in the Texas-San Antonio win, where he led the Lobos both in rushing and passing yards (112 on the ground, 72 in the air). There is no surprise to anyone New Mexico is a rushing offense, but to have that potential threat in the passing game makes Jordan an intriguing option.
So, of course, Lobo fans will be clamoring for Jordan to win the starting job. This starved fan base is desperate for wins, so it’s easy to say ‘put the kid in who’s led the team to its only two wins on the season.’
However, Jordan remains a freshman, and he’s going to commit those typical freshman mistakes.
His late-game magic didn’t come through in the last three losses to Fresno State, San Diego State (where the Lobos failed to do anything after four straight defensive takeaways) and Air Force. Miscues and failing to finish games aren’t a serious knock against Jordan because they’re simply going to happen from time to time at this stage in his development.
The advantage Gautsche has over Jordan is experience and the amount of reps taken in practice. Gautsche knows the triple-option system, and it plays right into his skill set. Every win in the Davie era required strong rushing from the quarterback position, and Gautsche does more damage with his legs than he does with his arms.
It helps that the quarterback unit appears to have good chemistry.
“We’re always laughing and bouncing each others’ ideas off each other. It’s a really great chemistry in there,” Gautsche said. “We’re all like brothers in there. There are no hard feelings; we’re always trying to make each other better.”
The nice thing about college football is that the two-quarterback system works. Both Gautsche and Jordan bring different things to the table, and teams can win with two quarterbacks in for particular situations. Davie could even put Jordan and Gautsche in at the same time if he wants to, which opens up some interesting possibilities.
Until further notice, Gautsche should keep his starting job.
J .R. Oppenheim is the managing editor and a sports columnist for the Daily Lobo. Contact him at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @JROppenheim.
