Despite having an experienced starter in Adam Smith who threw for over 2,000 yards last season, head coach Carl Franks plans to rotate other quarterbacks into the game when the team kicks off their 2003 campaign tomorrow.
"[Smith] will be the starter on Saturday," Franks said. "I'm going to try to get some other guys into the game. It depends on a lot of situations, but we need to get some depth at quarterback."
Smith's experience and the pressing need to win this season make Frank's decision to leave the quarterback question in limbo and not stick more firmly behind Smith somewhat surprising.
Completing just five collegiate passes prior to the start of last season, Smith connected on 147 of 308 passing attempts and ranked fifth in the ACC in total yards.
"I feel like I am much more on the same page with the whole team," Smith said. "I feel like there is much more cohesiveness with all the players and the offensive unit and that is probably the biggest change from last year."
Besides a season's worth of experience, Franks cited better conditioning, increased familiarity with the offense and stronger leadership as reasons why he expects Smith to be much improved this season. However, Franks did not venture to make any predictions on when he might send one of his other signal callers on to the field.
"Things change so much in a football game so you almost have to wait and see how the flow of the game goes and the dynamics of the game," Franks said. "It is just hard to predict without knowing how the game is going to play out."
The head coach also mentioned that he does not want to give Smith the impression that a mistake will result in getting pulled from the game--a move that could be detrimental to Smith's confidence and thus hurt his play.
When Franks decides that it is time to go to his bench tomorrow it will likely be redshirt freshman Mike Schneider who takes Smith's place under center. The 6-foot-3 Pennsylvania native operated the scout team last fall and completed seven-of-15 passes for a team-high 100 years and an interception in the Spring game.
"He has a very strong arm, very mobile, able to throw the ball on the run, and he is probably at about the same spot Adam was last year," Franks said.
Schneider, who sees himself as an all-around quarterback, is confident in his ability to perform if handed the ball tomorrow.
"I'm really excited about everything," Schneider said. "I know that when I get my opportunity I'm going to be ready, and I know that if my number is called I am going to step up to the plate."
When the season opened last year, Chris Dapolito was in the mix for the starting position eventually won by Smith. Seeing action in all by three of the team's 12 games last season, Dapolito completed an inefficient .388 percent of his passing attempts for 295 yards.
Dapolito, the most mobile of Duke's three top quarterbacks, was disappointing in the spring game, completing only one of his seven passes. Despite the fact that he has likely slipped to third on the depth chart, he could see action as early as tomorrow even if Smith and Schneider are effective in the pocket.
If Franks goes to one of his other options, he will likely come back to Smith if the game is close in the fourth quarter. The primary reasons for such a decision are Smith's experience and his comfort with his receivers.
"I think all of us in that huddle have a lot of trust and a good relationship with each other," Smith said. "We have been playing together for a while now. I trust all those guys to do their job now like they trust me to do my job."
Also, Smith recognizes that there were certain situations last season when a big play was not attempted even if the opportunity existed. With more experience and sharper decision making, Smith says he has the confidence to fire the ball down field.
Another part of Smith's offseason regiment was a focus on mental conditioning. Smith spent considerable time watching film, looking at the defenses the team will face this season and considering which plays work best against the respective defensive alignments.
Most of all, Smith and his counterparts know that playing intelligent and inspired football will give the team its best shot at a successful season.
"I think we just need to focus on the task at hand, play smart and play with emotion at the same time," Smith said.
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