Utah State football will have a definitive starting quarterback this season, just maybe not this Friday.
The Aggies made history in their upset win over Washington State on Saturday night and utilized a two-quarterback system to do it, while they try to narrow down who will be the full-time signal caller.
The competition between Arkansas State transfer Logan Bonner and incumbent starter Andrew Peasley could continue this weekend when USU hosts North Dakota for its home opener.
“It is still up in the air,” Utah State coach Blake Anderson said. “Still evaluating things. Both did really good things (against Washington State) and both made some boneheaded mistakes that could have hurt us. We were hard on them both. So it is still a conversation.”
Bonner completed 17 of 24 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown against the Cougars, and more importantly led the Aggies to two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the game-winner.
Peasley completed 6 of 12 passes for 75 yards, including a 45-yarder to wide receiver Deven Thompkins. He also rushed for 43 yards on only four carries.
Both quarterbacks turned the ball over — Peasley fumbled and Bonner threw an interception — some of those aforementioned “boneheaded mistakes.”
“I think they both did really, really good things and did some dumb things, to be honest with you,” Anderson said. “The fumble that Peasley had was just bad ball security. With the pick, the type of ball and the technique — how it came out — that should have been thrown differently. Both of them made critical mistakes, but also made big, big plays.”
Bonner’s experience was a boon against Washington State, while Peasley’s big-play ability has the attention of the USU staff.
“I feel like Bonner’s experience showed up,” Anderson said. “He’s played a lot of games and been in that environment, so he definitely wasn’t shook by the environment, the noise and pressure of the game.
“I thought Peasley’s feet — the ability to extend plays — and a couple balls he threw were phenomenal, too. We will make a very analytical decision. I would not have played both if I did not think we could win that way and I think we learned a lot about both.”
Anderson does expect to name a starter soon, though. The dual-quarterback system is not long for Logan.
“We are not sure when we will make that final decision, but we are moving toward one, there is no doubt,” Anderson said. “This is not something we are going to continue all year. This week you could very well still see some rotation, because we are being very thorough in the process before we make a final decision.”