The UTEP football team is on the eve of having a starting quarterback after its Saturday mock game that closed its fall camp, and while coach Scotty Walden isn’t revealing whether Cade McConnell or Skyler Locklear will take the first snap Saturday against Nebraska, he’s close.
The scrimmage was closed and no one was tipping anything — “I don’t want to make a comment on the quarterback battle” was how tailback Jevon Jackson put it — but Walden sounded like a coach on the edge of a decision.
UTEP football players warm up before their Friday scrimmage at the Sun Bowl
“I’ll announce it next week, I’m not really sure what day,” Walden said after the two-and-a-half hour mock game where UTEP ran through everything it will do next week against Nebraska. “I’ve got to look at film first.
“I brought those two in yesterday and had a great conversation with both of them. They were just like they always are, they handled it like professionals. Those guys are pros in every facet of the word, I love working with all of them. They understood where each other stands.
“Today was a big evaluation in terms of operation on game day, how smooth was it? Are we operating cleanly, was the offensive moving efficiently, a rhythm and a feel? I’ll evaluate the tape, go back to a culmination of their work going back to spring, taking everything into consideration and we’ll make a decision next week and we’ll move forward.”
That could come as soon as Monday’s press conference to kick off Nebraska week, and meanwhile receiver Jaden Smith — again a star of Saturday’s proceedings – gave the company line: “Cade and Skyler, it’s neck and neck between those two,” he said. “I wish I could have both of them throwing to me on Saturday.”
Final UTEP preparations for Nebraska
As for the scrimmage, Walden and the players all felt the team took another step…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/utep-nears-qb-decision-final-182009017.html
Author : The El Paso Times
Publish date : 2024-08-25 18:20:09
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