Notebook: Meacham in no hurry to name a starting QB

Offensive coordinator Doug Meacham was asked when he would like to announce a starting quarterback.

Meacham looked around the room and found Katy Lonergan, the sports information director for football.

“Katy what is the date of our first game?,” he asked.

She responded with their opening date of September 2d.

“Kickoff of the first game,” Meacham answered the question with a laugh. His answer was greeted by laughs from the media.

But Meacham may have not been kidding around. In a perfect world they would keep the starting quarterback under wraps and not let everyone know until game day. It isn’t clear when they will announce the starter but they will be confident they have identified the right player first.

“We have to assess which one fits as a whole, and what can we do the most with that particular guy,” Meacham said. “Who do we trust? Who is confident, who is relaxed, who is the non-panic guy and who is the guy that can lead. Things like that. I think it is great just to continue to watch it moving forward. You don’t want to jump out there and name him too early and then all of a sudden wish you had not named him. Let’s just take our time.”

The competition is between Peyton Bender and Carter Stanley. Both Meacham and David Beaty have made that part clear. Bender and Stanley have different styles and strengths to their game. Bender has been described as the quarterback with the better arm and Stanley as the one who can move around in the pocket and make plays if protection breaks down.

“I think it is healthy to let that competition roll so those guys are competing every day,” Meacham said. “At the end of it you can make an assessment of who that guy is, that you want on the field. They both have skill sets and have things about them that are good. One guy is a little bit better at one thing and the other vice versa.”

There has been a lot of talk about the depth of the receivers and the quarterback competition. But one area that hasn’t been discussed as much is the use of a tight end in Meacham’s version of the Air Raid.

Ben Johnson sits atop the depth chart at tight end and Meacham sees him as a valuable weapon in his plans.

“Ben is a guy who can do a lot of things,” Meacham said. “He can detach, he can play as an attached tight end and in the backfield. That allows you to continue to go faster. Because when you change personnel they (refs) stand over the ball and stop the play. He gives you the ability to not have to change personnel and go to different sets so it creates mismatches and keeps it fast. Ben is going to have a big role in it. He has a lot of skill and is a big guy who is athletic. He is what you are looking for at that position.”

Meacham covered several topics and you can watch him during his meeting with the media.