Coronavirus put Fresno State QB competition on hold. Here’s how one can get an edge

Fresno State planned its spring football practices so that Ben Wooldridge and Jake Haener could compete to be the starting quarterback this season, to go at it read for read, check for check, throw for throw.

Steven Comstock, the No. 3 a year ago, was moved to safety and there were two walk-ons coming in to stick their toes into the deep end of the pool and get a grasp of the Bulldogs’ offense.

But in the spring it was going to be Wooldridge, a third-year sophomore, and Haener, a fourth-year junior who transferred to Fresno State last season from Washington.

“That’s something that we were really looking forward to – the guys getting out there and dueling it out,” offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said.

“They were both doing an outstanding job in off-season workouts as far as transitioning into the leadership role that they needed to, but there were no real answers. You need to roll the football out there and see who can produce and lead from that position and unfortunately we weren’t able to do any of that yet.”

It was all put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, and there is no clear picture of what the next few weeks or months look like for college football.

With team activities shut down, the players are taking spring semester classes online and working out on their own. Many have returned home, scattered across the state and the West.

“Obviously, it’s tough,” Wooldridge said in a telephone interview.

So, how does a quarterback prepare mentally and physically for a competition in these times? Particularly this year at Fresno State, how can Wooldridge and Haener gain some sense of comfort and timing within the offense and with a dynamic set of wideouts who are expected to have the Bulldogs pushing the football down the field?

Is there a way to make up for the missed reps?

What can be done now

Wooldridge is back home in Pleasanton, getting in workouts with personal quarterbacks coach Victor James when he can.

They lift, they run. There is quarterback-specific drill work, the fundamentals. He checks in with his teammates every few days to see how they’re doing, how their workouts are going, how their families are doing. There also is a lot of time spent with the Bulldogs offensive plan, studying film and plays.

“You’re always in it, studying it and understanding your scheme, what your offense is built around, what your fundamentals are in that offense,” Wooldridge said. “Everyday or every other day, you’re studying and going over everything you were going over in the winter and that you were going to go over during spring ball.

“It’s staying ready and having that mentality – you want to compete.”

Haener, who’s from Danville, is unavailable – Fresno State does not allow players to meet with the media until they have played in a game, even now.

But there is not much that can be done about the missed time on the practice field, working with Jalen Cropper, Keric Wheatfall, Zane Pope or Emoryie Edwards.

When college football and the Bulldogs do resume, decisions will likely have to be made on a compressed time schedule.

“It’s all going to come down to the work that we put in with each other to be on the same page and to get into sync with everyone, including the o-line,” Wooldridge said. “How I act. How they act. How the receivers act. That’s all going to come over time and it’s all going to be extra work that we have to put in because we didn’t get those 15 practices in the spring.”

Coach’s take

Grubb said, “One of the things we’ll have to evaluate quickly is, ‘Who is the guy that is going to need the least amount of game examples or reps to be productive?’ You don’t want guys making those mistakes, those learning opportunities in the course of a football game, so who is the guy that can translate that quickly and look like he’s a vet out there?

“I think both Ben and Jake are wildly talented kids and we’re excited about both of them. The reality is neither one of them has started a football game for the Bulldogs.”

Wooldridge played in three games last season, backing up starter Jorge Reyna. He completed 4 of 6 passes for 30 yards with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Wheatfall in a 35-28 loss to Nevada.

Haener, who joined the program the first week of September, played in four games at Washington in 2018. He hit on 9 of 13 passes for 107 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Wooldridge and Haener will be working in a quarterback-friendly system under coach Kalen DeBoer and Grubb that has been productive even with first-year quarterbacks.

At Indiana last season, DeBoer led an offense that improved its passing production in yards per game (302.4, up from 257.8), efficiency rating (150.61, up from 128.04), third-down efficiency rating (161.14, up from 116.15) and explosive pass plays of 20 or more yards (60, up from 37).

At Fresno State in 2017, the Bulldogs made similar leaps starting the season with Chason Virgil and then turning to Marcus McMaryion at the start of Mountain West Conference play.

But they also will be working from behind.

“Overall, you’re always looking for productivity, and I mean that in a lot of different ways,” Grubb said. “Are you able to be productive as a leader? Then, obviously, the easy part to monitor is what you’re doing with the football in the course of a game …

“We just want a guy that in every sense of the word can be productive. Productive as a leader, getting the most out of your teammates, productive as a player and just being everything we need him to be. Whoever that guy is, give him the keys to the car.”