UCF Fall Camp: Keene Versus Plumlee?
College football is complex enough as it is. So, why would a team play more than one signal caller? Depends on the circumstances.
The UCF Knights have a quarterback battle between Mikey Keene and John Rhys Plumlee. That does not mean it’s just going to be one of the other. There are possibilities to explore where one or both quarterbacks could do the job.
Malzahn’s Quarterback History
While then Auburn Head Coach Gus Malzahn did not need to rotate Cam Newton in and out of the lineup in 2010, he was sometimes liberal with his use of multiple quarterbacks while the head man of the Tigers.
Will a two-quarterback situation present itself this next season? Consider the following scenarios before deciding.
Goal Line
If Keene gets UCF down inside the 10 yard line, he’s simply not the runner that Plumlee is. Does it make sense to insert Plumlee into the lineup in that situation every time? Perhaps not.
Numerous aspects to consider including but not limited to the opponent, time on the game clock, score, which UCF players are healthy, and how well Keene is playing.
That’s just the beginning.
Making Adjustments
When a defense rotates players in and out of the lineup, that could create a situation where UCF counters with a different quarterback. Again, numerous scenarios here.
For instance, what if a defense begins to stack the box to stop the run and Plumlee has not had a good passing day? Maybe that’s a scenario where Keene gets a shot.
In reverse, if Keene is struggling throwing the football, perhaps it’s Plumlee that gets the chance to pass the football.
Either way, UCF will have options with Keene and Plumlee available.
Avoiding Disaster
It happens. This is football. Teams without quarterback depth are one play away from their season going into the dumpster. Even a truly great season can come up short if a quarterback is injured for even one key game. That happened to another program in the state of Florida.
Florida State lost starting quarterback Chris Weinke and failed to beat Tennessee in the National Title game. That was the end of the 1998 season. Weinke won the Heisman Trophy and was a dominant player, but not leading the Seminoles against the Vols proved costly. Tennessee won 23-16 and Florida State only accumulated 145 passing yards.
With Weinke in the lineup, the Noles probably beat the Vols. That situation plays out every season in college football, albeit in a less dire situation than Florida State’s, because a starting signal caller falls to injury.
To start the season for UCF, there will be two capable signal callers for Malzahn to call upon to get the job done. If one goes down, there’s still another quarterback to insert into the lineup. The importance of the Knights having both of these young men available cannot be overstated.
In the end, Malzahn and his staff need to figure out who the starting quarterback will be. That does not change. Still, Keene or Plumlee could be a player that comes off the bench and helps the Knights go on to victory. UCF is blessed to have two quality players behind center.
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