Warszawski: Two years later, Fresno State still lacks successor to Derek Carr

When a football team loses a game in which it surrenders 52 points, it’s tough to blame the quarterback.

Except in this case. In this case, that blame is justified.

While Zack Greenlee was only on the field for six of those BYU points (an interception returned for a touchdown), his erratic play was the biggest reason Fresno State got throttled 52-10 on Saturday afternoon at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

How’s this for an ugly stat line? Fourteen completions in 41 attempts for 125 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions.

Greenlee threw two of those interceptions on consecutive second-quarter passes that turned what was a close game into an unmitigated blowout.

These weren’t fluky, ball-got-tipped interceptions, either. They were bad passes. Passes that should have never left Greenlee’s hand.

The first one went straight to Cougars safety Kai Nacua, who returned his prize 32 yards for a touchdown.

The second went straight to linebacker Fred Warner, who made a leaping catch at the line of scrimmage and returned it 27 yards to the Bulldogs’ 18. The defense, which had played well up until that point, gave up a touchdown pass on the next play.

Suddenly a 10-3 game became 24-3. And as we’ve seen time and again this season, once things start going badly for this team, they often get worse.

“You can’t throw a pick-six and set the (next) touchdown up with an interception on our end of the field,” Bulldogs coach Tim DeRuyter said. “That’s tough.”

Yet DeRuyter and offensive coordinator Dave Schramm stuck with Greenlee until he threw a third interception on another misfire early in the fourth quarter.

In came backup Kilton Anderson, who promptly led the Bulldogs’ only touchdown drive.

What a mess. Instead of clarity, 11 games have only produced more murkiness.

DeRuyter said he’ll make an announcement Monday whether Greenlee will start next week’s finale against Colorado State, or whether there will be an open competition.

Oh, goody. All the 3-8 Bulldogs need is more uncertainty behind center.

Since Derek Carr’s departure, the quarterback position at Fresno State has become like a game of musical chairs played on a merry-go-round.

The question that matters now is who will be the starter in 2016?

Could it be Chason Virgil? Sure. But we really don’t know. All we know about the freshman from West Mesquite, Texas, is that he’s poised for an 18-year-old and played well against Mississippi.

But let’s not forget Greenlee started that game in Oxford, and Virgil didn’t enter until the Bulldogs were down 28-0.

Sure, Virgil completed 12 of 18 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns (plus two picks) against a stout Southeastern Conference defense. Just keep in mind those numbers came in mop-up duty of a blowout loss.

Anyone who thinks Fresno State would’ve won more games this season had Virgil stayed healthy is kidding themselves.

While it’s encouraging Virgil has resumed throwing following his broken clavicle, he remains far from a sure thing.

Perhaps this season’s biggest misfortune is that Virgil didn’t get a chance to learn on the job, to make all those freshman mistakes, in a year when the Bulldogs struggled.

Now he’ll make them next season, in a year Fresno State desperately needs to rebound following consecutive losing seasons.

Could it be Ford Childress? Perhaps. The West Virginia transfer gave a good account of himself in the San Jose State loss before suffering a season-ending internal injury thought to be a ruptured spleen.

Like Virgil, Childress is already rehabbing and getting ready for next season. But he’ll be a senior in 2016. Can Fresno State really put all its eggs into that basket and further delay the others’ development?

Could it be Greenlee? Based on what we saw Saturday and most of his previous starts, the sophomore lacks the consistency and mental fortitude required for the position.

According to several sources, Greenlee asked out of the San Diego State loss because he felt panicky. While Greenlee redeemed himself against Hawaii, it was a much different story against a legitimate defense.

The sophomore from Stockton already has been given several chances. Hard to see him getting another.

Could it be Anderson? From what we’ve seen, probably not. You’ve got to admire his competitiveness and running ability, but the redshirt freshman lacks the passing accuracy necessary for a spread offense.

He’s a change-of-pace, special-package quarterback. Just not the guy to whom you can hand the reins and say, “Go win us a game.”

So there you have it: four quarterbacks, all with question marks. Will all four still be on the team next season? That remains to be seen. Fresno State is recruiting high school quarterbacks, so a fifth likely will be added to the mix.

While it would be highly unusual for the Bulldogs to have five scholarship quarterbacks, it’s not uncommon at other programs.

The truth is Fresno State will enter the 2016 season with very little certainty with regard to its starting quarterback.

Two years and 25 games following Carr’s departure, the identity of his successor remains a mystery.

This story was originally published November 21, 2015 at 7:30 PM with the headline "Warszawski: Two years later, Fresno State still lacks successor to Derek Carr."