College Football Nation: Robert Benjamin
Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson
Wyoming coach Dave Christensen is done auditioning quarterbacks.
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| Ron Chenoy/US PRESSWIRE | |
| Austyn Carta-Samuels has completed 26 of 53 passes for 294 yards this season. |
Carta-Samuels is the first true freshman to start for the Cowboys since 1974.
“We just felt he was more productive moving the ball, moving the offense, and was more consistent,” Christensen said during Tuesday's Mountain West teleconference. “At this time we just feel that having one guy being established as far as running the offense adds a lot more continuity to our offense. We just think that he gives us the best chance to move the football and be consistent offensively.”
Carta-Samuels, Benjamin and senior Karsten Sween all played in last week's 24-0 loss to Colorado with mixed results. Of the three, Carta-Samuels seemed to have the most success, completing 11 of 24 passes for 125 yards. He also rushed nine times for 36 yards.
This season, Carta-Samuels has completed 26 of 53 passes for 294 yards with no interceptions and no touchdowns. Benjamin has completed 25 of 56 passes for 209 yards in his three starts with no interceptions and no touchdowns.
Christensen was adamant Tuesday that Carta-Samuels was the team's full-time starter and that there would be no rotation in the foreseeable future.
“It was kind of our plan early on to see where we were at and find somebody to step up and take charge of the position and give us a chance to have a little consistency there,” Christensen said. “We just feel that Austyn gives us that best opportunity for that to happen right now.”
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin
Here are my Big 12 picks for this weekend.
Colorado 21, Toledo 20: This might be the biggest game of Dan Hawkins’ career after his team’s opening-game debacle against Colorado State. The Buffaloes need to get a ground game going -- remember that guy on the bench is Darrell Scott -- and do a better job of limiting big plays on defense. Toledo quarterback Aaron Opelt threw 67 passes in last week’s loss at Purdue, but will find it much tougher this week against the Buffaloes’ underrated secondary keyed by cornerback Jimmy Smith. I’m looking for the Buffaloes to do just enough to escape the Glass Bowl with a victory-- but it’s not going to be easy or pretty.
Iowa 21, Iowa State 17: The Cyclones have had much recent success against the Hawkeyes at Jack Trice Stadium, where they have won four of the last five in the series since 1999. The Hawkeyes struggled last week against Northern Iowa and were lucky to escape with a victory only after blocking field goals on the last two plays of the game. I look for replacement running back Adam Robinson to run with a little more confidence this week for the Hawkeyes. Don't be surprised if wily Iowa coordinator Norm Parker cooks up a defensive scheme that will handcuff the Cyclones’ emerging no-huddle offense. But it wouldn’t surprise me if the Cyclones were able to make this one close and maybe even eke out an upset victory.
Nebraska 41, Arkansas State 14: The Cornhuskers ran off a 49-3 victory over FAU and Bo Pelini wasn’t happy about his team’s defensive efforts. They’ll be facing another challenger from the Sun Belt in Arkansas State, who shouldn’t pose too many problems. I’ll be interested to see the continued development of future Cornhuskers like Rex Burkhead and Cody Green and see how the defense reacts after the scalding criticism of their coach. If Pelini gets mad after giving up three points, what's he going to do if they give up seven or 10 or 14 points this week?
Oklahoma State 45, Houston 34: Oklahoma State had a strong opening performance, including a salty defensive showing that stopped Georgia cold after the Bulldogs scored a touchdown on their opening possession. It will be interesting to see if that huge victory left the Cowboys with a hangover. It’s something they can’t afford, considering Houston’s high-powered offense keyed by Case Keenum. The Cougars had Oklahoma State on the ropes last season before the Cowboys blew the game open in the second half. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar kind of game on Saturday.
Texas 45, Wyoming 7: The Longhorns’ toughest nonconference road game shouldn’t pose too many problems, even with injuries on the offensive line and other personnel losses in the secondary. I’ll be interested to see how alternating Wyoming quarterbacks Robert Benjamin and Austyn Carta-Samuels attack a Texas defense that allowed more points in an opening game last week in 10 years. It will also be noteworthy to watch Texas’ running backs and see if Vondrell McGee still is the featured back after his fumble problems last week. Despite playing at high elevation, the Longhorns should have no worries.
Kansas 44, UTEP 35: Kansas ran the ball strongly last week against Northern Colorado and should be able to do the same against the Miners. But it wouldn’t surprise me if UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittatoe and some underrated offensive weapons make the Jayhawks sweat their way through their visit to the Sun Bowl. In the end, Dezmon Briscoe will make enough plays as a receiver and maybe as a kick returner to extend the Miners’ 16-game losing streak against Big 12 teams.
Missouri 34, Bowling Green 14: What can Blaine Gabbert do for an encore? His auspicious start has been the talk of the “Show-Me” State this week after a breakthrough performance against Illinois. I was just as impressed by the Tigers’ “Scorpion” defensive front which made Illinois quarterback Juice Williams miserable. The Missouri defense will be tested by Bowling Green’s talented pass-and-catch duo of Tyler Sheehan and Freddie Barnes. The Falcons beat Missouri in each of Gary Pinkel’s first two seasons at Missouri, including his first game there in 2001. But that’s a long time ago.
Oklahoma 34, Idaho State 0: Landry Jones gets his first start at quarterback as he replaces Sam Bradford. I look for Bob Stoops to have a conservative approach this week designed to build confidence for Jones over the next several games. There won’t be anything fancy as the Sooners will lean on a running game that needs to help restore assurance in an offensive line that struggled last week. Idaho State dropped a 50-3 outing at Arizona State last week in a game where Bengal quarterbacks threw four interceptions. It might be more of the same as the Sooners’ defense will be charged to pick up its performance with all of the lingering questions on offense.
Texas Tech 41, Rice 17: Taylor Potts didn’t have the best of college career starts, throwing three interceptions last week against North Dakota. I look for improvement from him and the Tech running attack as they meet rebuilding Rice. Owls coach David Bailiff is still struggling to find a quarterback and I expect both John Shepherd and Nick Fanuzzi to get an opportunity to play. But it won’t nearly be enough as the Red Raiders should cruise into the Texas game with a better performance than their first game.
Kansas State 31, Louisiana-Lafayette 24: Carson Coffman should have a better performance in his second game and the Kansas State special teams will be improved in a tougher-than-expected battle at Cajun Field. The Ragin’ Cajuns have a couple of nice offensive weapons in quarterback Chris Masson and running back Undrea Sails. If they get rolling, it could be a long night in the bayou for the Wildcats. I’m also a little concerned about how Kansas State’s lack of depth affects them at both offensive line and defensive line during what should be a hot, humid night. But in the end, Kansas State running backs Daniel Thomas and Keithen Valentine will provide enough offense for the Wildcats to escape Louisiana with a tough victory.
Last week: 10-2 (83.3 percent)
Season: 10-2 (83.3 percent)
Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson
Wyoming coach Dave Christensen said he wasn’t going to play two quarterbacks, but two quarterbacks played against Weber State with neither really distinguishing himself as the clear favorite for the starting job.
Junior college transfer Robert Benjamin started the game, completed eight passes and didn’t turn the ball over, but true freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels, who came in in the second quarter and played more than Benjamin, had the same stats.
Neither tossed a touchdown.
Carta-Samuels led Wyoming to 15 points and Benjamin 14, but neither looked overwhelmingly impressive as they combined for just 188 passing yards.
Christensen said after Saturday's 29-22 win over Weber State that playing two quarterbacks was his plan all along, though both players acknowledged that they didn’t know the time was going to be split.
“Our plan going into the game was to play Robert the first quarter and play Austyn the second quarter and see kind of how they played and go with the guy with the hot hand,” Christensen said. “Austyn had a little more success in the second half.”
Christensen said he’d likely use a rotation again against Texas this week and that he’ll use the week’s practices to decide the starter.
"We'll go back to the same plan again. I feel real good about both kids. I think they're going to get better every single week," Christensen said. "We'll evaluate the film, make a decision going into next week's game. But we certainly still have a lot of confidence in Robert and in Austyn."
Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson
Wyoming coach Dave Christensen said earlier this week that he had no plans to play true freshman quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels.
That lasted less than a quarter.
Carta-Samuels made his first appearance at the end of the first quarter during the Wyoming-Weber State game and hasn’t seen the bench since.
Benjamin was 6 of 8 for 66 yards in his limited action while Carta-Samuels was 6 of 13 for 67 yards. Neither quarterback has a touchdown pass, though both have been in during scores.
No telling if Carta-Samuels, Benjamin, or both will playing the second half. Wyoming leads 16-7.
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| AP Photo/Laramie Boomerang | |
| Robert Benjamin appears set to be Wyoming's starting quarterback. |
Like several teams in the Mountain West Conference, Wyoming hasn't named a starting quarterback. But with two weeks remaining in the preseason, junior college transfer Robert Benjamin seems to have a firm grasp on the starting role.
"Robert takes every single rep with the ones and until someone plays better than Robert, he's going to continue to take every single rep with the ones," Christensen said during Thursday's Mountain West Front Range Kickoff Luncheon in Denver.
Benjamin started fall camp behind senior Karsten Sween, who won the job during the spring. Benjamin was behind in learning Christensen's spread offense since he didn't arrive on campus until late July because of academic issues.
But after the team's first scrimmage last Saturday, Benjamin showed why he was a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region I Offensive Player of the Year at Phoenix College in Phoenix, Ariz., last season.
Benjamin completed 12 of 17 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 62 yards and a score during Wyoming's first scrimmage. Sween completed 75 percent of his passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Benjamin was named the No. 1 quarterback the next day.
Benjamin kept his No. 1 spot after Tuesday's scrimmage despite struggling. Wyoming's other quarterbacks also struggled. The team will scrimmage again Saturday.
But Christensen said he's not ready to hand Benjamin the starting role just yet. He's encouraged by the competition.
"I think our quarterbacking competition has increased drastically in the last three weeks," Christensen said. "Robert's the No. 1 quarterback right now. Karsten's No. 2 at this point in time, Austyn Carta-Samuels No. 3 and Dax [Crum] is No. 4. And the competition level is increasing daily."
Christensen said although there are a few positions up in the air, he's pleased with how his team has responded to the new coaching staff and the new system. He said every player has bought in, which has made fall camp progress smoothly.
"We're probably a little bit further ahead than I thought we would be as a program," Christensen said. "Obviously, we're a long way away from being ready to play a football game, but I think we've made great progress."
Adam Barry wanted to get on the field and he knew that wasn't likely to happen at quarterback.
The Wyoming redshirt freshman was already third behind Karsten Sween and Dax Crum heading into fall camp and with the arrival of junior college transfer Robert Benjamin and Austyn Carta-Samuels, the writing was on the wall.
Wyoming coach Dave Christensen hinted during Mountain West media days that Barry might switch positions. During the Cowboys first fall camp practice on Thursday, it was made official. Barry switched to inside linebacker, a position that's full of young players. Barry had played fullback and linebacker in high school before moving to quarterback his senior season.
"Adam wanted to move to linebacker, and we granted that request," Christensen said after practice. "He wanted to get an opportunity to compete for playing time at that position, and we wanted to give him that opportunity."
With Barry out of the mix, the other four quarterbacks will begin their competition to earn the starting job. Senior Karsten Sween, who has had his ups and downs with the program, is the starter heading into fall camp, but newcomers Benjamin and Carta-Samuels are expected to give him a run for his money.
Sween, Crum and Carta-Samuels have been working out on campus most of the summer while Benjamin didn't arrive at Wyoming until July 30 because of academic issues.
Christensen said he would not name a starting quarterback until the Thursday prior to the Cowboys season opener against Weber State on Sept. 5. He also said that he'd post a new depth chart every day, something that was done at Christensen's former school, Missouri.
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