Rutgers football: What we learned from Chris Ash’s presser 8/26/19
By Ed Stein
No quarterback announcement
For those looking for answers on who won the Scarlet Knights’ training camp quarterback battle were left with the same questions, they started with. We won’t know if incumbent Artur Sitkowski or graduate transfer McLane Carter will lead Rutgers offense onto the field until close to game time on Friday. Ash said there is no competitive advantage to naming a starter.
He did acknowledge that the two signal-callers have different skill sets. Sitkowski is more of a classic dropback gunslinger. On the other hand, Carter is more of a mobile quarterback, who can use his feet. Additionally, the former Texas Tech Red Raider is left-handed which requires different roles from the players and different calls from the coaches.
It was a spirited battle in camp. Ash said they took their time in evaluating the quarterbacks to come up with how the Knights will run their offense this season. The coach feels that when it came to intangibles like preparation, effort, and leadership his quarterbacks were close to even with each other.
His decision came down to which of the quarterbacks made the most plays ad led the offense most effectively. Coach speak for the best man won the job. It’s important to note that there is a good likelihood more than one QB will play Friday night if the circumstances allow. Winning the job in camp and keeping it are two different things. Carter can attest to that from his experiences last season.