BYU football: Quarterback quagmire may change

PROVO — For the first time since he became BYU's head coach more than five years ago, Bronco Mendenhall has a legitimate quarterback quandary on his hands.

A quarterback duel between junior Riley Nelson and true freshman Jake Heaps that began last spring, and continued through fall camp, evolved into a dual quarterback situation at the start of the season.

But in the wake of last Saturday's 21-point loss at Air Force, which saw the Cougars pass for just 88 yards, it became clear the two-quarterback approach has faltered. So, early Monday morning, Mendenhall did something he said he rarely does. He met with the offensive coaching staff — in an attempt to resolve the QB issue.

Later that morning, Mendenhall told reporters he will likely abandon the plan of Nelson and Heaps alternating each series, as they did in the season-opening victory over Washington and in the first half against the Falcons.

"It will probably move away from the every-other-series mode. Reps might become more situational," Mendenhall said.

He didn't say which player would start at Florida State Saturday (1:30 p.m., ESPNU), adding that the QB plan for FSU "is still being developed."

Heading into their third game of the season, the Cougars (1-1) have an unsettled quarterback situation, which is an unsettling set of circumstances in Provo, home of Quarterback U. So far this season, BYU is ranked a dismal No. 91 nationally in passing offense and a ghastly No. 105 in pass efficiency.

"We need to throw the ball more effectively than we currently are," Mendenhall said.

The dilemma Mendenhall faces is that he has two very different quarterbacks. Nelson is a nifty runner with two years of college football experience, including 10 starts, under his belt. Heaps is a talented passer, but he's a 19-year-old true freshman.

"One is a little bit more mature in terms of grit and leadership and command of the team," Mendenhall said of Nelson. "The other (Heaps) has potential of really throwing the football and being more of a traditional BYU quarterback, which is no surprise to anybody."

During his first five years at the helm, Mendenhall was blessed with two "traditional" BYU quarterbacks who were clear-cut starters — John Beck, followed by Max Hall, who are both in the National Football League.

Finding a successor to Hall, who was the winningest quarterback in school history, has proven to be difficult to this point.