OGDEN — Going into Spring practices and fall camp, Weber State football coach Jerry Graybeal had to decide who would be his starting quarterback — junior Tyler Gladwell or sophomore Tate Bennett.
With two-a-days completed on Thursday and a showdown looming with Southern Utah next Saturday, Graybeal has given the starting nod to Gladwell.
Graybeal made his decision after the Wildcats scrimmage on Thursday night. Gladwell completed 13 passes for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Bennett threw for 122 yards on 11 completions with a touchdown.
"We were trying to put our quarterbacks in a million different situations and see how they would respond," Graybeal said. "I feel good about both. It was a tough decision."
Graybeal said Gladwell's experience and familiarity with the Wildcats offense gave him an edge over Bennett. Gladwell has played at Weber for two years, while Bennett's only been in Ogden for one season. Gladwell played sparingly in six games last season and threw for 230 yards and a touchdown. Bennett played even less and completed one pass for eight yards.
Bennett may still have some playing time if Gladwell struggles.
"It's a healthy situation," Graybeal said. "We'll play who's hot."
Gladwell is happy to have the starting opportunity.
"I'm pretty excited," he said. "I'm more motivated to practice, to work harder and make myself a better player. I want to show the coaches that they made the right decision."
Now that the quarterback situation is settled, Graybeal can worry about the rest of his team. The young Wildcats have only 16 upperclassmen (eight seniors and eight juniors) on the roster.
But Weber hopes to have some bite when it travels to Cedar City. Graybeal, whose Wildcats suffered the only loss to Southern Utah in school history two years ago, has had all summer to prepare for the Thunderbirds' option attack.
"Hopefully, we'll give them a better game (this time)," he said.
At least Gladwell doesn't have to worry about heavy expectations for the season. Not much is expected from this Wildcat club that lost 17 starters from a 7-4 team last season.
E-mail: aaragon@desnews.com