Editor’s note: From Idaho’s John Friesz and Doug Nussmeier to Weber State’s Jamie Martin to Montana’s Dave Dickenson to a seemingly endless string of gunslingers from Eastern Washington, the Big Sky Conference has long held a reputation as a quarterback-driven league.
But when one analyzes the 21st century landscape of the conference’s best teams, it becomes apparent that, whether its Montana between 2000 and 2009, Montana State from 2010 until 2014 or Weber State the last five seasons, teams with defensive identities win most of championships. Individual talents like Montana State’s Dakota Prukop, Sacramento State’s Garrett Safron, Northern Colorado’s Kyle Sloter and Northern Arizona’s Case Cookus all went on to the professional ranks. None won a Big Sky title.
That notion is bucked, of course, when you consider Eastern Washington, an offensive juggernaut that has produced eight different Big Sky MVP quarterbacks, a group that won 12 league Most Outstanding Player honors overall over the last 18 seasons.
This year’s Big Sky landscape is shrouded in mystery when it comes to the primary trigger men for teams across the league. With the season less than a month away, here’s a look at the quarterback situations, from most cloudy to most clear, across the Big Sky Conference.
Big Sky quarterback rankings by team – Part I (CLICK)
6. Northern Colorado
New Northern Colorado head coach Ed McCaffrey might be the most interesting man in the Big Sky coming into the season. His son and starting quarterback Dylan might be second. Dylan McCaffrey isn’t just a former Power 5 recruit like Montana State’s Matt McKay (NC State) and Northern Arizona’s Keondre Wudtee (Oklahoma State). McCaffrey is a former blue-chip recruit, the No. 6 quarterback prospect in the class of 2017 according to both 247Sports and ESPN, who played in 13 games at Michigan over four years in Ann Arbor before transferring.
“You know, our quarterback’s alright,” offensive coordinator and Dylan’s older brother Max McCaffrey said at the Big Sky Kickoff, suppressing a smile. “I’m obviously very biased, but I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in college football, and not just in the Big Sky, in the entire NCAA. So we’re excited as heck to get him here. He had a lot of options. A lot of FBS options, Power 5 teams reaching out.”
I have no idea how to rank McCaffrey. I don’t think he’d possibly be lower than this, although the lack of talent on the rest of Northern Colorado’s roster could make it hard to judge. As for his ceiling, your guess is as good as mine. He could be the best quarterback in the conference. He could be the best quarterback in the FCS. The Bears could still be winless. Redshirt junior Conner Martin has the next-most experience on the roster.
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4, 5. Southern Utah, Idaho State
Idaho State’s Tyler Vander Waal and Southern Utah’s Justin Miller saw their stock shoot to the moon like bitcoin in the spring season, at least in terms of reputation around the league. Both were transfers, Vander Waal from Wyoming and Miller from Snow College, who had combined to throw seven passes in the Big Sky prior to the 2021 spring season. Vander Waal went on to throw for 1,843 yards and 12 touchdowns and was named the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year.
“We didn’t have an established quarterback in 2019, and you saw where we ended up,” Idaho State head coach Rob Phenicie said, referring to his team’s 3-9 finish that included just two Big Sky wins. “I think this is a quarterback-driven conference. And (Vander Waal’s) pretty good right here, you know, and I think that helps tremendously.”
Miller put up a line of 1,743 yards and 15 touchdowns, and made the HERO Sports sophomore All-America team.
“Southern Utah’s quarterback is very talented, I was very impressed the way he played,” Northern Arizona coach Chris Ball said. “We played them twice this spring and I was very impressed with the way he played.”
The records weren’t pretty — 2-4 for ISU and 1-5 for SUU. But only one of those nine combined losses was by more than one score.
They’re stylistic opposites, Vander Waal the punk-rock gunslinger against Miller the precise technician. Vander Waal threw 10 picks in six games and completed just 54% of his passes in the spring.
I’d still take him by a whisker over the more efficient Miller, with memories of Vander Waal’s heroic near-comeback against Weber State in the spring finale still fresh in the mind.
Reasonable opinions can differ — HERO Sports’ Sam Herder had Miller at No. 23 on his preseason list of best returning FCS quarterbacks, leaving Vander Waal unmentioned. Despite my preference, I think they’re close enough that Southern Utah’s depth gives the Thunderbirds a slight edge, considering the quarterback situation as a whole.
Idaho State’s coaches like redshirt freshman backup Sagan Gronauer from Las Vegas, but he hasn’t shown much in 36 attempts over two years, and there’s only freshmen behind him.
Redshirt sophomores Tyler Skidmore and Austin Ewing both have experience for Southern Utah, with Skidmore playing in nine games over the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
3. Montana State
The Bobcats, along with Montana and Northern Colorado, have a presumed starter who hasn’t played much or at all in the Big Sky, including in the spring season.
Matt McKay, played in 11 games over two years at North Carolina State before transferring to Bozeman in January 2020. The Bobcats haven’t played a game since then.
McKay is facing tough competition from 2019 starters Tucker Rovig and Casey Bauman, plus highly-regarded freshman Tommy Mellott, a Butte native who was the 2019 Montana Gatorade Player of the Year. But new head coach Brent Vigen has said that McKay is the No. 1 going into the fall on many occasions.
“I think it’s good to have competition,” Vigen said. “I think ultimately, you are going to have to go through a season and play with more than one guy. I think you have to prepare for that. … I know this summer, Matt (McKay), Tucker (Rovig), Casey (Bauman) and Tommy (Mellott) have all had a chance to lead the guys and that’s an area they all need to continue to grow in.”
If McKay does win the job, the 6-4 dual-threat junior from Raleigh could be the closest thing to Dakota Prukop since the explosive QB graduate transferred to Oregon following the dismissal of MSU head coach Rob Ash and offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey.
Former head coach Jeff Choate, who left for a defensive coordinator position at Texas, left the roster flush with talent at every other position on the field. McKay will have plenty of eyes on him as the season draws closer.
If we’re talking about developments that could swing the league title, McKay being a top-tier QB is right at the top of the list. They’re top five here because A) I think McKay will be that good, and B) Rovig and Baumann are high-floor backup options in case McKay falls short or gets hurt.
2. Portland State
Rolling up to the Big Sky Kickoff with a fresh buzzcut and mustache, Davis Alexander didn’t look much like the floppy-haired, clean-shaven young quarterback whose headshot still graces his profile page on Portland State’s website. He’s an old campaigner now, a long way from the freshman who burst on the scene in 2017, starting three games and throwing for at least 370 yards in each one.
That was surprising. His struggles as a sophomore were not, as he threw 11 touchdowns to seven interceptions, although he also ran for 12 scores that year.
Alexander was much better as a junior, with 25 touchdowns, just eight interceptions and the fifth-best season in terms of total offense in Portland State history — and all that while playing through a dislocated shoulder.
“Number one, it’s great to have him healthy,” PSU head coach Bruce Barnum said. “He played hurt, with one shoulder all last year. We just rolled with it. He’s a tough sumbitch, so we got through the games, but I’m excited to see him healthy this season.”
Junior Nathan West, who transferred to Portland State after two years at Orange Coast College, should be the backup — an important spot for the Vikings because for all of Alexander’s toughness, he takes a lot of hits for someone who’s listed at 6-0, 195 pounds.
Alexander and West are the only experienced quarterbacks on the roster, with four freshmen the others listed at the position.
1. Eastern Washington
Absent injury, Eric Barriere will be Eric Barriere — that is, a world-destroying force who might be the best quarterback in the country.
The Eastern dual-threat is difficult to scheme against because bringing pressure, usually the antidote to a hot quarterback, only invites him to get outside the pocket. The redshirt senior is most dangerous in the chaos of broken plays, where he can use his speed to stay alive and his arm to find receivers on the move.
Barriere did throw seven interceptions on 296 attempts in seven games in the spring, a year after throwing just four in 438 attempts; but he also set a new career high by completing 62% of his passes.
After watching most of the rest of the league break in new quarterbacks this fall, the Eagles will be in the same position next season as they’ll have to adjust to life after Barriere.
Longtime backup Gunner Talkington does have a year of eligibility left and will presumably be the favorite to take over, but the Eagles also have former Arizona State quarterback Ryan Kelley on the roster.
Kelley, who also had offers from Oregon, Michigan State, Texas A&M and UCLA coming out of high school, hasn’t played college football since 2018, his second year at Arizona State.
“In ‘22, we’ll be in that boat, to find out who our guy is,” EWU head coach Aaron Best said. “So as we go into fall of ‘22, not looking too far in front, but knowing that we will be replacing Eric. And so, what can we do as a team to have a better chance in the event it doesn’t happen as fast and as well as we anticipate.”
Redshirt sophomore Simon Burkett and two freshmen, Trey Turner and Kekoa Visperas, complete the Eagles’ QB room.
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