Here is my take on the four-man race at quarterback. Thanks for reading guys!!

https://bigblueusuaggienews.com/2024/03 ... ck-battle/

Great article. I am excited to see how this shakes out. Have you heard anything about the possibility of Hillstead using his redshirt? This year seems like a decent year to do so. But I also thought last year would have been good for him to sit also.

Is Cooper participating in spring ball or is he still recovering from his shoulder injury?

DreadPirateRoberts wrote: ↑

March 19th, 2024, 9:58 am

Great article. I am excited to see how this shakes out. Have you heard anything about the possibility of Hillstead using his redshirt? This year seems like a decent year to do so. But I also thought last year would have been good for him to sit also.

I believe that would be ideal BUT if he proves to be your best quarterback you can't sit him.

Aggie84025 wrote: ↑

March 19th, 2024, 10:08 am

Is Cooper participating in spring ball or is he still recovering from his shoulder injury?

Unless something has changed, I believe Coop will be participating this spring.

Best Guess:

1. Legas
2. Barnes
3. Petras
4. Hillstead (once they see he isn't head and shoulders better, they'll use the redshirt)

I think it is possible that Barnes is a better QB than Cooper, but the advantage in playbook and receiver familiarity is not something I'd underestimate. Quite frankly, we need a game manager more than a gunslinger this year anyway with the talent we have at other spots.

Thought this would be a good place to post this rather than starting a new thread. With us having Barnes who did beat USC last year, Does anyone know of any other teams that have lost to a starting quarterback with two different teams? The one team that comes to mind is Air Force losing to us and Wyoming both with Andrew Peasley as the starting quarterback.

For how much it seems like we have gone through alot losing games in frustrating ways over the years, I'm not sure I can think of a time we have lost to two different teams with the same starting quarterback. But probably cause we haven't for long been in an era where it's as common for quarterbacks to go to 2 or more different schools. The closest I can come is we lost to BYU in 2013 in the game best remembered for Chuckie getting hurt and a BYU pick six on the first play of the game when their backup quarterback who got the garbage time reps at the end, Ammon Olsen, was the starting quarterback for SUU against us in 2015 in a game that pretty much felt like a loss but was a win in the end and also got in in garbage time at the end of their game against us in 2009.

I knew the above from memory, but found aftert looking up that New Mexico, Wyoming and Fresno State all lost to Chevan Coidrero with him both as Hawaii's and San Jose State's starting quarterback.

And 2 more things:
1. I realize Barnes will NOT have the people around him he had at Utah. But USC is one few games where he was a playmaker as opposed to being able to just be a game manager.
2. Can we leave out the "It won't matter cause Blake isn't go to try" posts out of this.

YoungBloodAggie wrote: ↑

March 19th, 2024, 2:35 pm

Best Guess:

1. Legas
2. Barnes
3. Petras
4. Hillstead (once they see he isn't head and shoulders better, they'll use the redshirt)

I think it is possible that Barnes is a better QB than Cooper, but the advantage in playbook and receiver familiarity is not something I'd underestimate. Quite frankly, we need a game manager more than a gunslinger this year anyway with the talent we have at other spots.

This will absolutely be fluid and could change from practice to practice.

YoungBloodAggie wrote: ↑

March 19th, 2024, 2:35 pm

Best Guess:

1. Legas
2. Barnes
3. Petras
4. Hillstead (once they see he isn't head and shoulders better, they'll use the redshirt)

I think it is possible that Barnes is a better QB than Cooper, but the advantage in playbook and receiver familiarity is not something I'd underestimate. Quite frankly, we need a game manager more than a gunslinger this year anyway with the talent we have at other spots.

I would swap Barnes and Petras. With Petras being here for only 1 year, I would be a total waste of a scholarship to not have him be starter or backup. Starting spot is Coops to lose. Redshirt for Hillstead

I'm really interested to see how Petra adjusts to BA's system. If our Oline can step up and protect the QB, Petras has the arm, smarts, and ability to really make this offense hum. He’d also get the TE’s involved like we haven't seen in years. With his arm, experience, and at 6'5", he has the ability to really survey the field and then stand in there and deliver strikes all over.

Today's order was Coop, Spencer, McCae, Bryson.
NO ONE stood out. It was clearly the first day. I'll have a complete depth chart tomorrow.

I would expect that we will probably see all of them play at one point or another this season with injuries and the way Blake tends to swap out quarterbacks.

Could go this way too, Petras can throw it through a brick wall, if he gets accurate this year, who knows where he could land. Many Iowa fans felt he had a lot more potential than he showed. The offensive coaching at Iowa was subpar at best. I think Petras may have the highest ceiling IF he can get accurate with that arm.

1. Legas
2. Petras
3. Barnes
4. Hillstead

BTW feels so good to talk about Football!!!

All of them sound very good. I'm excited to see what develops.

Thanks to 22 for getting this discussion going! I'm excited to see the quarterback lineup Utah State's rolling with this season! Cooper Legas has always shown resilience and big-play capability, he knows the offense in his sleep, and it's going to be interesting how he builds on the past. Spencer Petras will bring some solid Big Ten experience and leadership to the team along with a very big body and a strong arm. Though we're just imagining Bryson Barnes in the mix, his adaptability along with the winning capability he showed at Utah will be something to watch. Don't sleep on McCae either; his potential as a mobile QB and ability to pass could help the Aggie's offense as he matures. I can't wait to see how this QB competition unfolds and what it means for our season, especially with a beefed-up front line and solid RBs. Go Aggies!

Impressed with the recruiting. The 2 guys we brought in seem ready to play.

Let's have an open competition!

El Sapo wrote: ↑

March 26th, 2024, 2:50 pm

Impressed with the recruiting. The 2 guys we brought in seem ready to play.

Let's have an open competition!

Open competition

That would BA involve starting the player who earnes the job and not playing favorites. Sorry, that's not happening!

OrangeCountyAggie wrote: ↑

March 26th, 2024, 3:44 pm

El Sapo wrote: ↑

March 26th, 2024, 2:50 pm

Impressed with the recruiting. The 2 guys we brought in seem ready to play.

Let's have an open competition!

Open competition

That would BA involve starting the player who earnes the job and not playing favorites. Sorry, that's not happening!

While I wasn't thrilled about how Bonner was used in second year, it is clear that if the QB's had a HUGE issue with Anderson they would have transferred. Legas is back.

Donman wrote: ↑

March 27th, 2024, 2:42 pm

OrangeCountyAggie wrote: ↑

March 26th, 2024, 3:44 pm

El Sapo wrote: ↑

March 26th, 2024, 2:50 pm

Impressed with the recruiting. The 2 guys we brought in seem ready to play.

Let's have an open competition!

Open competition

That would BA involve starting the player who earnes the job and not playing favorites. Sorry, that's not happening!

While I wasn't thrilled about how Bonner was used in second year, it is clear that if the QB's had a HUGE issue with Anderson they would have transferred. Legas is back.

Legas is a great example of dealing with adversity with class. The way the QB room has been handled the last few years has raised eye brows but Cooper has stuck with the process rather than throwing in the towel. He could have easily just said screw it and transfer but has just stayed strong and not given up. Love that dude.

I’m hearing so far it’s Legas, Petras, Barnes, and then Hillstead.

I have zero faith in BAs ability to manage the QB position. Sorry, hope he proves me wrong.

I was hoping that one of the transfers easily beats Legas out. Nothing against him, he's a gamer, but we have seen a season with him at the helm. Was hoping for an upgrade.

Empire of Dirt wrote: ↑

March 31st, 2024, 11:54 am

I have zero faith in BAs ability to manage the QB position. Sorry, hope he proves me wrong.

I was hoping that one of the transfers easily beats Legas out. Nothing against him, he's a gamer, but we have seen a season with him at the helm. Was hoping for an upgrade.

Legas hasn't been all conference talent yet, but I think we could've beat JMU and Fresno St last year with an improved defense.

Offense was 50th in points per game, 28th in yards per game, but 126th in giveaways.

Defense was 120th in points showed, 115th in yards allowed, 58th in takeaways.

I pile on Blake pretty frequently for his media presence and QB choices, but he's pretty good at putting together an offense. Would love to see the new defense be top 75.

I think Legas is good enough to be bowl eligible and challenge for a conference title. He ranked 19th last year in QB rating, 75th in QBR.

trevordude wrote: ↑

March 31st, 2024, 12:05 pm

Empire of Dirt wrote: ↑

March 31st, 2024, 11:54 am

I have zero faith in BAs ability to manage the QB position. Sorry, hope he proves me wrong.

I was hoping that one of the transfers easily beats Legas out. Nothing against him, he's a gamer, but we have seen a season with him at the helm. Was hoping for an upgrade.

Legas hasn't been all conference talent yet, but I think we could've beat JMU and Fresno St last year with an improved defense.

Offense was 50th in points per game, 28th in yards per game, but 126th in giveaways.

Defense was 120th in points showed, 115th in yards allowed, 58th in takeaways.

I pile on Blake pretty frequently for his media presence and QB choices, but he's pretty good at putting together an offense. Would love to see the new defense be top 75.

I think Legas is good enough to be bowl eligible and challenge for a conference title. He ranked 19th last year in QB rating, 75th in QBR.

Petras is just right behind Legas. Listen though it's no secret our O-LIne struggled last year. I'm told there is improvement there this year and when you look at size it seems to make sense. Anytime I've seen Legas with good protection he moves the ball pretty well. Remember we do have great RBs in the stable.

I’m telling you, Legas looks great and Petras may be a mite better. It should be a wild fall camp!

cval wrote: ↑

March 31st, 2024, 2:57 pm

Offense was far from our biggest problem last year, and QB was far from the biggest problem with our offense.

An improved defense would make us competitive even if the offense stayed the same, which it won’t.

Dead on, we went 6-6 in spite of our defense. We would not have done that without a productive offense and solid quarterback play.

Empire of Dirt wrote: ↑

March 31st, 2024, 11:54 am

I have zero faith in BAs ability to manage the QB position. Sorry, hope he proves me wrong.

I was hoping that one of the transfers easily beats Legas out. Nothing against him, he's a gamer, but we have seen a season with him at the helm. Was hoping for an upgrade.

I can understand questioning the decision on starting Hillstead for the SJSU game, but other than that I have no complaints about how Blake handled the qb position the rest of the year.

The fact of the matter is that we had solid qb play for most of the year while playing multiple qb's. You don't get that without good coaching and someone getting the most out of our players.

AggieUprising50 wrote:

Empire of Dirt wrote: ↑

March 31st, 2024, 11:54 am

I have zero faith in BAs ability to manage the QB position. Sorry, hope he proves me wrong.

I was hoping that one of the transfers easily beats Legas out. Nothing against him, he's a gamer, but we have seen a season with him at the helm. Was hoping for an upgrade.

I can understand questioning the decision on starting Hillstead for the SJSU game, but other than that I have no complaints about how Blake handled the qb position the rest of the year.

The fact of the matter is that we had solid qb play for most of the year while playing multiple qb's. You don't get that without good coaching and someone getting the most out of our players.

I agree. I think Blake has done way better at handling the qb’s than people give him credit for. We also need to remember that he has more data and info for basing his decisions than any of us. He knows what injuries they are dealing with and where their heads are at on a given day. I enjoyed hearing him discuss the qb battle in his interview with Hans and Scottie. Seems to be a two horse race between Legas and Petras. He was raving about Petras for a while.

AGGIEinIOWA wrote: ↑

April 2nd, 2024, 3:41 pm

AggieUprising50 wrote:

Empire of Dirt wrote: ↑

March 31st, 2024, 11:54 am

I have zero faith in BAs ability to manage the QB position. Sorry, hope he proves me wrong.

I was hoping that one of the transfers easily beats Legas out. Nothing against him, he's a gamer, but we have seen a season with him at the helm. Was hoping for an upgrade.

I can understand questioning the decision on starting Hillstead for the SJSU game, but other than that I have no complaints about how Blake handled the qb position the rest of the year.

The fact of the matter is that we had solid qb play for most of the year while playing multiple qb's. You don't get that without good coaching and someone getting the most out of our players.

I agree. I think Blake has done way better at handling the qb’s than people give him credit for. We also need to remember that he has more data and info for basing his decisions than any of us. He knows what injuries they are dealing with and where their heads are at on a given day. I enjoyed hearing him discuss the qb battle in his interview with Hans and Scottie. Seems to be a two horse race between Legas and Petras. He was raving about Petras for a while.

Watching Petras this spring I can see why Blake is excited about him, he was also very positive about LEGAS and is doing very well. I am a little surprised that Barnes isn't doing as well but that will likely come with time.

Blue Sage wrote: ↑

April 2nd, 2024, 6:01 pm

AGGIEinIOWA wrote: ↑

April 2nd, 2024, 3:41 pm

AggieUprising50 wrote:

Empire of Dirt wrote: ↑

March 31st, 2024, 11:54 am

I have zero faith in BAs ability to manage the QB position. Sorry, hope he proves me wrong.

I was hoping that one of the transfers easily beats Legas out. Nothing against him, he's a gamer, but we have seen a season with him at the helm. Was hoping for an upgrade.

I can understand questioning the decision on starting Hillstead for the SJSU game, but other than that I have no complaints about how Blake handled the qb position the rest of the year.

The fact of the matter is that we had solid qb play for most of the year while playing multiple qb's. You don't get that without good coaching and someone getting the most out of our players.

I agree. I think Blake has done way better at handling the qb’s than people give him credit for. We also need to remember that he has more data and info for basing his decisions than any of us. He knows what injuries they are dealing with and where their heads are at on a given day. I enjoyed hearing him discuss the qb battle in his interview with Hans and Scottie. Seems to be a two horse race between Legas and Petras. He was raving about Petras for a while.

Watching Petras this spring I can see why Blake is excited about him, he was also very positive about LEGAS and is doing very well. I am a little surprised that Barnes isn't doing as well but that will likely come with time.

I mean this as a sincere question. Why is that surprising to you about Barnes? He was BAD last year for Utah. His games against Baylor & Northwestern were some of the worst performances I’ve ever seen from an FBS qb.

Utah had a really good team last year but was severely held back by the qb play. All they needed was a game manager and mediocre play from their QB & they could hardly even get that.

During his radio interview today BA mentioned that Coop and Petras are splittting reps and both are looking good. Said McCae is looking really good as well but still sounds like they’re hoping to redshirt him. Talked about how McCae was a different player the last half of the season and blamed it on him getting rattled too much. He talked about the O line quite a bit and how he thinks they will be much more physical which will help the entire offense. Said Bryson is a ways behind because it’s such a different offense and has a lot to learn essentially.

Roy McAvoy wrote: ↑

April 2nd, 2024, 6:50 pm

Blue Sage wrote: ↑

April 2nd, 2024, 6:01 pm

AGGIEinIOWA wrote: ↑

April 2nd, 2024, 3:41 pm

AggieUprising50 wrote:

Empire of Dirt wrote: ↑

March 31st, 2024, 11:54 am

I have zero faith in BAs ability to manage the QB position. Sorry, hope he proves me wrong.

I was hoping that one of the transfers easily beats Legas out. Nothing against him, he's a gamer, but we have seen a season with him at the helm. Was hoping for an upgrade.

I can understand questioning the decision on starting Hillstead for the SJSU game, but other than that I have no complaints about how Blake handled the qb position the rest of the year.

The fact of the matter is that we had solid qb play for most of the year while playing multiple qb's. You don't get that without good coaching and someone getting the most out of our players.

I agree. I think Blake has done way better at handling the qb’s than people give him credit for. We also need to remember that he has more data and info for basing his decisions than any of us. He knows what injuries they are dealing with and where their heads are at on a given day. I enjoyed hearing him discuss the qb battle in his interview with Hans and Scottie. Seems to be a two horse race between Legas and Petras. He was raving about Petras for a while.

Watching Petras this spring I can see why Blake is excited about him, he was also very positive about LEGAS and is doing very well. I am a little surprised that Barnes isn't doing as well but that will likely come with time.

I mean this as a sincere question. Why is that surprising to you about Barnes? He was BAD last year for Utah. His games against Baylor & Northwestern were some of the worst performances I’ve ever seen from an FBS qb.

Utah had a really good team last year but was severely held back by the qb play. All they needed was a game manager and mediocre play from their QB & they could hardly even get that.

TBH I didn't watch the Utah Games. Only heard he had won a few big games. At this point I'd put in Hillstead, my guess is we lose Barnes at the next portal opportunity.

CacheCow wrote: ↑

April 2nd, 2024, 9:51 pm

During his radio interview today BA mentioned that Coop and Petras are splittting reps and both are looking good. Said McCae is looking really good as well but still sounds like they’re hoping to redshirt him. Talked about how McCae was a different player the last half of the season and blamed it on him getting rattled too much. He talked about the O line quite a bit and how he thinks they will be much more physical which will help the entire offense. Said Bryson is a ways behind because it’s such a different offense and has a lot to learn essentially.

When I listened and heard Blake gush about Petras's "NFL arm," I felt a little bad for Coop. While BA was pretty complementary of all the QB, I don't think he has ever been happy with Cooper as his starter and is constantly looking for someone else. Agree with him on the OL, though.

My question is which qb is processing the defense the best and can go through his progressions quickly. Something that was a struggle last year.