Jake Heaps leads the BYU Quarterback Race after Day 1

Coming out of the blocks, freshman Jake Heaps has a slight lead in the race to be the Brigham Young Cougars next starting quarterback. Heaps put up bigger numbers (8-13, 114 yards) than junior Riley Nelson (5-8, 49 yards), while reports conflict on how many scoring drives they each had. Each quarterback was able to move the ball and direct at least one drive that ended in a touchdown.

While the numbers appear to give more than a slight edge to Heaps, the coaches are looking at much more than the numbers to make their decisions. I also don't want to make too much out of stats from a day with no pads on. However, I am much more favorable to the idea of Heaps starting as a true freshman than I have been in the past. If Heaps continues to perform at this high level, then I don't see how he doesn't win the starting job. At a certain point, the coaches will throw all the doors and windows wide open to test Heaps and see how he handles the blitzes, the disguised defensive coverages, and the entire playbook. If he performs at a high level still, then he has earned the job.

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