NCAA Football Report (Week 2)
There is a flow to football that can make or break a team as everyone is always trying to get into that flow.
On defence, it is about everyone playing together and finding their groove with everyone in the right place at the right time.
When things are going well defences are flowing together covering all of the gaps and causing problems for offences.
On the offensive side of the ball, all teams are trying to get into the flow of the game and find some rhythm.
When a quarterback and his receivers can get that rhythm it is extremely hard to stop with every player just making plays at the right time.
It is a tough thing to do but over time it gets easier with quarterbacks and receivers building a trust that helps them get into that flow.
That is why there is a usual need for a starting quarterback to be named and to take over the team.
Making sure that there is one QB for the receivers to concentrate on and to learn how they throw.
Finding that rhythm with a quarterback can change everything about an offence and can provide stability when it is needed the most.
A starting QB is important for so many reasons as the rhythm is important but that leadership that starting QBs bring is just as important.
This year in the NCAA naming that starting QB has been a bit of a challenge for a number of teams.
Heading into Week 2 two of the best programs in the country are dealing with a much different strategy for their biggest position.
Both Clemson and Alabama are among the top teams this year and many believe they are headed to another National Championship matchup.
Yet both are breaking that cardinal rule under centre with both teams using a two-quarterback system this year.
Heading into the season both teams were looking for that starter to carry their team into the playoff.
None of the QBs in the competition could make their case well enough for the coaches to make a final decision.
They went into Week 1 not naming starters and then went about using both quarterbacks for their diverse skill sets.
For Alabama, the battle began during the National Championship a year ago when Tua Tagovailoa came in to replace Jalen Hurts and led the Tide to another title.
With both quarterbacks returning for the 2018 season everyone wondered whether the younger more athletic Tagovailoa would take over for the more experienced Hurts.
Nick Saban is two weeks into the season and has still not made a decision while also getting sick of the questions.
For Saban it is simple, they have two talented quarterbacks with slightly different skill sets so why not use both skill sets?
They want to use the talent they have and they will continue to use two quarterbacks as long as it continues to work.
So far the Tide have faced two pretty easy tests with this two-quarterback system with both QBs getting time in blowout wins.
The Tide seem to be leaning towards Tagovailoa as their starter ore than Hurts with the younger QB starting Week 2.
Hurts only made his entrance after the game was over and did just as well in making their win over Arkansas State a simple one.
The Tide will not necessarily name a real starter as Saban refuses to give out that information and will continue to make decisions week to week.
In Clemson, the situation is a similar one with two QBs that are vastly different in their abilities and strengths with a coach wanting to use both.
Kelly Bryant and Trevor Lawrence have gone into every game knowing that they are essentially playing as a team.
Bryant provides that calmness and reliability that so many teams wish for in their leader on the field but never get.
Lawrence is that big-play QB who can make something happen in a big way when the Tigers need something.
Although Bryant seems to be taking the majority of snaps as their main starter it is clear that Dabo Swinney likes both quarterbacks.
He will likely try to keep using both although Bryant will get more snaps and more time while Lawrence likely gets limited reps but will get into games.
Neither coach sees much of an issue with using both of their talented players, shaking off the common thought that one should take control.
Both battles seem to have a clear leader as two QBs are taking the majority of snaps but the other QBs are not staying on the sidelines.
They will get snaps and will take series in the hopes that it can be close to changing a running back and providing a change of pace.
For some that is a recipe for disaster as quarterbacks begin to get into a groove and then they are taken out of the lineup.
Then again these are two of the biggest programs in the country right now and what works in these programs generally is tried everywhere.
Although both teams will be looking at one quarterback as the bigger leader they will use other QBs and if they are successful it could happen a lot more.
Both Alabama and Clemson could see their QB situation solidify when they get to bigger teams and bigger games.
After all, so far they have experimented with teams that have not necessarily been the best.
The Tide have beat Louisville and Arkansas State while Clemson has beaten Furhman and Texas A&M.
They have the freedom to experiment against these teams as they are not considered to be some of the best in the country.
When both teams take on their bigger tests they could rely on their favourites and the two-QB system could fall apart.
That remains to be seen but both schools are going against the usual in an attempt to find their way to the National Championship.
One thing is for sure though as the NCAA, like any league is a copycat league and everyone will be watching.
If they can be successful all year using this type of system, expect that old thought to shrink away with more teams trying.
It is still a dangerous prospect for a lot of teams to try but if the big teams can do it the rest could follow.
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