The Illinois State quarterback competition continues on, head coach Brock Spack said Monday as his Redbirds prepare for Saturday’s Missouri Valley Football Conference game at Southern Illinois. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
Heading into last week’s bye, Illinois State head coach Brock Spack said he wanted a more clear quarterback picture.
Through the first six games, the 13th-ranked Redbirds (4-2 overall, 0-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference) have rotated three quarterbacks for much of the season.
Asked Monday afternoon if that QB situation had worked itself out, Spack said, “Not at all.”
In fact, he repeated that phrase three times.
Asked if this week’s practices heading into the 3 p.m. Saturday MVFC matchup with rival Southern Illinois (3-4, 1-2) will decide the outcome, Spack said, “Nope, I do not.”
“It surprises me that we haven’t been able to settle on a quarterback,” Spack said. “We grade them and they come out almost equal. They all do something a little different with their skill sets, but in the end they’re all kind of the same.”
While junior Beckham Pellant started the first two games of the season, fifth-year QB Gage Roy has started the last four games. Sophomore Chase Kwiatkowski has taken snaps in every game.
Roy has completed 66.9% of his passes (91-for-136). The USC transfer has thrown for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns while being intercepted twice.
Pellant has completed 58.2% of his passes (35-for-55). The Arizona native has thrown for 443 yards and four touchdowns while being intercepted twice.
Kwiatkowski is the Redbirds’ third-leading rusher with 228 yards and three touchdowns. He is 9-for-12 passing with a touchdown. However, the bulk of his throws came against NAIA St. Francis (5-for-7, 37 yards, TD) and Eastern Illinois (3-for-3, 42 yards).
“We practiced on Sunday and took (Monday) off,” Spack said. “We’re back at it Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. It’s a competition every single day. We shall see.”
No matter which quarterback starts Saturday, Spack expects all three could play.
“Who starts doesn’t really matter,” he said.
What does matter is Saturday’s outcome. The ISU-SIU showdown at Carbondale’s Saluki Stadium could well have major post-season ramifications.
The two schools first met on the football field in 1929 with Southern spoiling Illinois State’s Homecoming, 6-0. The Salukis throttled the Redbirds, 37-7, last November at Normal’s Hancock Stadium. SIU leads the all-time series, 44-39-3.
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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