SEATTLE — According to head coach Chris Petersen, the University of Washington’s quarterback competition will still be a three-man battle heading into fall practices.
But based on factors such as experience and poise, not to mention his showing in Saturday’s spring football finale, junior Jeff Lindquist is the man to beat for the starting job in the 2015 season.
Lindquist, a fourth-year junior, is competing with redshirt freshman K.J. Carta-Samuels and true freshman Jake Browning for the chance to replace Cyler Miles as Washington’s starting QB. Miles, also a fourth-year junior, took a leave of absence during spring practices and his return to the team is very much in doubt.
Lindquist, who backed up Miles last season and also started one game, easily had the most impressive showing in the scrimmage portion of Saturday’s workout, completing 13 of 16 passing attempts for 237 yards with two touchdowns. He had one interception.
“Jeff has taken a step forward (this spring), he really has,” Petersen said. “He’s been making better decisions and I think he’s throwing it more accurately. … Hats off to Jeff for taking a step, for sure.”
“A big piece for me is just (passing) accuracy,” Lindquist said, “and I think I’ve done a lot better this spring. Obviously there’s still room (to improve). I can still throw a little bit better. But that was kind of my big point of emphasis (this spring) and I think I’ve come a long way.”
His scrimmage stats got some help from senior wide receiver Jaydon Mickens, who made an acrobatic catch for a 37-yard touchdown on a Lindquist pass. Mickens went up between two defenders and had to twist his body for the grab while barely staying inbounds.
It was, Lindquist said, “one heck of a catch, to be honest.”
As he looks ahead to the upcoming season, Lindquist knows the quarterback competition “is obviously the big hype” for the Huskies. “Obviously I want to win the job,” he said, “but ultimately the goal for us is to win Rose Bowls, and whoever the best guy is … that’s the way it should be.”
Carta-Samuels was 11-for-12 for 123 yards with one interception on Saturday. Browning, who was in high school last fall, was 11-for-18 for 59 yards with two interceptions.
“I think everybody wants to have a returning starting quarterback where the pecking order is set,” Petersen said. “But that’s not how it is (for this team). People keep asking, but we’ll figure this out as we go.”
As for Miles, he remains on the outside. Though he could still return in the fall, that seems increasingly unlikely.
“It’s still the status quo (with Miles),” Petersen said. “We talk to Cyler now and again, but you’ve got to go with who’s here and you make your plans accordingly. We’ll figure that one out down the road as well.”
Petersen has been tight-lipped about the reason for Miles’ leave of absence. Saturday he said only, “The conversations about what Cyler is going through are between us.”
Washington’s defense, meanwhile, is trying to replace several departed starters, including nose tackle Danny Shelton and linebackers Shaq Thompson and Hau’oli Kikaha, who should all be high picks in next week’s NFL draft.
Petersen and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski mentioned a handful of young defensive players who made notable strides this spring, including linemen Will Dissly and Greg Gaines, linebacker Sean Constantine, and defensive backs Jojo McIntosh, Ezekiel Turner and Darren Gardenhire. Gaines and McIntosh are redshirt freshmen, the others are sophomores.
Dissly, in particular, seems likely to have an impact. “I expect him to be a really good player for us,” Kwiatkowski said. “He’s gotten stronger, he’s gotten faster, he’s an extremely smart player, and he’s going to be able to do some things for us in the fall, for sure.”
One player who missed spring practices is junior wide receiver and sometimes cornerback John Ross, who is also one of the team’s top kicker returners. Ross had offseason surgery to repair two meniscus tears in his right knee, and it was initially hoped he would return for spring practices.
Asked about Ross on Saturday, Petersen said that Ross “is not OK right now or he’d be out there practicing. And that’s all I’ve got for you right now.”
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