Spring Preview: Quarterback

(Will Maynard be looking over his shoulder this season? (Daily Cal))

We’re taking a look at each unit as the team prepares for Spring Camp which starts up March 14th and ends on April 21st.

We start with the most scrutinized position in all of football, the quarterback spot.

2011 Position Wrap-up
Most praise and blame fell on the shoulders of newly anointed starter Zach Maynard. The junior transfer from went through a series of ups and downs throughout the season, finishing the year with the highest passing yardage total (2,990) since 2006. He completed 57% of his passes, with just 17 TDs to 12 INTs, and a 126.98 passer rating, good for just 8th in the conference. Statistically, Maynard’s numbers were actually the best since Nate Longshore’s solid sophomore campaign, but many Cal fans still found themselves pulling their hair at the enigmatic signal caller’s inconsistency.

Maynard started the year on a tear, throwing 9 TDs to just 3 INTs in his first three games with a 142.8 passer rating.

Then during the Bears’ three game losing streak, the passer rating fell to 110.8, with just 2 TDs to 3 INTs during the span. All three interceptions came against USC, with opposing Trojan players claiming that Maynard had been telegraphing his throws all game.

Maynard rebounded well enough against Utah, but had his worst game of the year against a mediocre UCLA defense, throwing 0 TDs and 4 INTs. The performance had many Cal fans demanding the end of the Zach Maynard experiment.


Tedford stuck with his quarterback however, and the team and Maynard appeared to prove him right as the Bears responded by winning three of their final four regular season games, including a near upset of Stanford. Maynard shined during stretch, completing 68 percent of his passes, tossing 5 TDs to just 1 INT and a 154 passer rating.

By the end of the season, I stated:

“(of ASU) It's the type of performance Cal fans had hoped they would get from Maynard, an athlete with an ability to make plays. Most unfairly expected this performance from Maynard right from the season's get go, and many had lost faith in both Maynard and the coaching staff after some very painful growing pains in bad losses to Oregon, USC and UCLA.

Yet, credit Coach Tedford and Coach Arroyo for continuing to stick with and develop Maynard. Tedford and Coach Kiesau have done a much better job in the second half of the season in finding a formula that works for both Maynard and the offense. They've seen enough progress from the running game to help develop Maynard into a game manager, calling plays that suit his strengths as an athlete and passer.

And credit Zach Maynard for his growth and maturity this year. The guy is unflappable, and has bounced back from some tough games and criticism to really come on strong towards the end of the year. You can see his understanding of the offense, and his ability to go through his pre-snap checks improving with each game. If he can continue his growth, you have to feel a lot better about this offense moving forward.”

And all seemed good until the Bears stumbled against Texas in the Holiday Bowl. Maynard threw 0 TDs and an interception against a staunch Texas defense, and the offense as a whole fell apart in a disheartening end to the season.

Spring Preview
So after all the ups and downs, with a apparent upward projection, the Bears’ faceplant against Texas seemingly dropped Maynard back to square one, at least in many fans’ eyes. Few seem to be sold that Maynard is the answer, though few seem to know who else exactly to be clamoring for.

Most of that is due to the fact that Maynard has shown flashes of brilliance throughout the season, though some of the doubt can be attributed to the lack of evidence in favor of any of the other candidates.

It seems the job is indeed Maynards’ to lose. In Coach Tedford’s press conference, Tedford cited Maynard’s progress throughout the season:
"He really started managing the game well; he let the game come to him. He was smart with the football in terms of not turning it over. He needs to continue to understand the speed of the game. I think he's taken big steps in understanding what we're doing on offense, and now I think through his experience, he understands how to manage the game. When he did that, he played really well for us."

In an interesting possible twist however, I am hearing whispers that Maynard may or may not be academically eligible for the first four games of next season. The official line is that “as of now,” there aren’t any changes, but most presume that is because there has been no official ruling, only a tacit understanding of what will indeed happen unless Maynard is able to successfully complete a number of units in the Spring and Fall quarters.

So it seems there may be increased opportunities for the four other candidates to show off what they can do. The first at bat will be junior Allan Bridgford who saw his first collegiate snaps as a backup last year. It was visible that Bridgford was inexperienced, but did appear to show decent accuracy on a number of his throws. There are still some questions about whether Bridgford had fully recovered from his shoulder surgery which sidelined him for over a year, and whether he was physically capable of handling the punishment a Pac-12 QB usually endures throughout the season. Bridgford, in response though, has reportedly been putting in his time in the weight room.

RS sophomore Austin Hinder RS freshman Kyle Boehm are both two big, athletic QBs who have looked impressive in their limited reps in previous camps. Both will have an uphill battle in knocking off either Maynard or Bridgford, but neither can be completely ruled out.

The true wild card might be heralded recruit QB Zach Kline. The Gatorade CA Player of the Year is about as accomplished of a HS recruit as Tedford has ever had, and few QB prospects for the Bears have had as much hype or as much expected of him by fans as Kline.

Kline graduated early and enrolled this Spring in hopes of getting a leg up in acclimating to college and begin working with the offense.

Tedford appears to recognize his talent but seems wary of placing too high expectations on the youngster.

"While he is a gifted guy, I think we have to be careful about putting too much pressure on him. He's a talent and working really hard. I'm glad he's here this spring so he can get some experience under his belt."

I fully expect Kline to impress in his limited reps, while still showing signs of youth. Very rarely does a true freshman beat out four other upperclassmen, especially before the season starts. Most signs point to Kline redshirting this season, but who knows how the season might unravel? There may be a set of circumstances leading to Kline seeing some playing time this season. Unlikely, but possible.

At this point, I’d wager that Maynard will be the 2012 starter, though if he is out for the first four games, all bets are off. Bridgford would be the first in line, but is he physically cut out to take all snaps over the course of the season? What would happen then if Maynard returns midway through the season? And who can truly rule out neither Bridgford or Maynard being the QB starter come October?

A lot of possibilities, and a lot of uncertainty moving forward. At the most crucial position in football. Hurray.