The second installment in a two-week series leading up to the American Athletic Conference Football Summer Kickoff
There’s a quarterback who will ply his trade in the American Athletic Conference this year who has done some pretty impressive things in his career.
He enters his third year as his team’s starter. He’s played a big part in a Bowl Championship Series game. He threw for almost 3,000 yards last year and accounted for 23 touchdowns. And after some changes to his team’s offensive staff, there’s no telling what his 2013 numbers might look like.
That’s right, fans. Say hello to Garrett Gilbert of SMU.
Chances are good that you might have been thinking of someone else - say, a certain preseason Heisman Trophy candidate from Louisville named Teddy Bridgewater. But the fact that the American Athletic Conference has two players who fit the bill speaks volumes about the quality of quarterback play in the league as it embarks on its first season.
In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find another league with the depth and talent that The American has at the quarterback position. Nine of the league’s 10 teams return their starting quarterbacks from last year. The only team without last year’s starter is USF, which lost the productive B.J. Daniels, but finds no fewer than three players who have seen major college action battling tor the top spot this fall.
At the top end of The American’s quarterback ledger, you have Bridgewater, the tough-as-nails junior who willed Louisville all the way to the Allstate Sugar Bowl last year. If he never throws another pass for the Cardinals, Bridgewater might already have earned legendary status in Louisville thanks to his late-game heroics last year - particularly his 20-for-28, 263-yard performance in the regular-season finale against Rutgers while playing with a broken wrist and a sprained ankle.
Bridgewater threw for more than 3,700 yards, had 27 TD tosses last season and was named MVP of last year’s Sugar Bowl after leading the Cardinals past No. 3 Florida. He is a key reason why Louisville might find itself in the national top 10 in the preseason polls. And if you care to look for 2013 Heisman candidates beyond the incumbent - Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M - you’ll find Bridgewater at the top of the list.
For his part, Gilbert could be poised for a huge year in Dallas. The SMU senior joined coach June Jones in 2010 after transferring from Texas, starting all 12 games that season. He suffered a season-ending injury two games into the 2011 season and came back to start all 13 contests for the Mustangs last year.
You may also remember Gilbert from his one year at Texas, where he came off the bench for an injured Colt McCoy against Alabama in the BCS National Championship. Gilbert threw for 162 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the second half, bringing the Longhorns within three points of the Crimson Tide with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter.
Gilbert threw 15 touchdown passes and rushed for eight scores last year. But the arrival of assistant head coach and passing game coordinator Hal Mumme - the architect of the modern Air Raid offense - on the Mustang sideline bodes well for Gilbert to shatter those numbers.
In Orlando, Fla., coach George O’Leary and UCF are looking for big things from junior Blake Bortles, who joined Bridgewater on the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award, which goes to the nation’s outstanding player.
Bortles is a polished six-foot-four, 224-pound athlete who threw for more than 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns and rushed for eight more scores. He led the Knights to 10 wins last year and is armed with talented receivers who can help him deliver gaudy totals once again.
Cincinnati has the benefit of two proven options at quarterback. Munchie Legaux helped the Bearcats to a strong start to the 2012 season, while Brendon Kay pushed Cincinnati into the postseason and engineered a win against Duke in the Belk Bowl. Both players made multiple starts a year ago and both will be in the mix again as Cincinnati goes for its fifth conference championship in six years.
Rutgers likewise has a pair of solid options, though junior Gary Nova appears to have the starting spot in hand. Nova spun 22 touchdown passes and threw for 2,695 yards a year ago, helping the Scarlet Knights to a share of their first conference title in school history. Behind Nova is veteran Chas Dodd, who has plenty of experience as a starter in his own right.
In Houston, David Piland has two years as the Cougars’ starting quarterback under his belt - the 2010 season, when he filled in for the injured Case Keenum as a true freshman, and last year, when he took the ball for the first 10 games of the year. Piland threw for 2,929 yards last year, and if he can deliver the consistency inherent in top quarterbacks, he and the Cougars will be primed for big things in 2013.
Memphis has the steady Jacob Karam back for a second season after Karam transferred from Texas Tech. Karam threw for 1,895 yards in his first year as a starter, but more importantly, threw just three interceptions - the fewest of any everyday quarterback in school history. Karam completed 64 percent of his passes in 2012 and should be able to help get the Tigers’ offense moving once again.
UConn’s Chandler Whitmer is back for his second year as a starter after taking the snaps for all 12 games last season. Whitmer played better than his 2012 numbers would indicate - though he still threw for 2,664 yards and completed 58 percent of his passes while working with a young offensive line. If the Huskies can improve their protection and their receivers continue to develop, Whitmer’s junior season will be a success.
Temple has last year’s starting quarterback in the fold, but Chris Coyer will cede the position to Connor Reilly for 2013 as new coach Matt Rhule looks for an increased focus on the passing game. Reilly was impressive enough in the spring to earn the No. 1 spot heading into the fall, while Coyer will still see plenty of snaps as a halfback.
USF, which has to replace Daniels, looks like it will have a three-man battle entering fall camp. Bobby Eveld and Matt Floyd both have seen plenty of action as Daniels’ backups and will have the chance to stake their claim for the starting nod. But keep an eye on Steven Bench, a transfer from Penn State who might have more of a traditional passing game that would appeal to new coach Willie Taggart.