Huskies’ QB derby remains undecided

SEATTLE – The time for Chris Petersen to make a decision is nearing.

And if the Washington head football coach is to be believed, it’s not going to be an easy call. Each of the Huskies’ three competing quarterbacks – Cyler Miles, Jeff Lindquist and Troy Williams – provide a useful skill set, Petersen says.

And, again, each was given nearly equal opportunity to make his case during the Huskies’ 130-or-so-play scrimmage at Husky Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

“You can make a case for all those guys,” Petersen said. “You really can. It’s probably going to be splitting hairs when it comes down to it, really.”

After an improved performance by the offense during Saturday’s scrimmage at Husky Stadium, Petersen and offensive coordinator Jonathan Smith each fielded a handful of questions about their timetable for naming a starting quarterback prior to UW’s Aug. 30 opener at Hawaii. Miles is suspended for that game, so even if he does end up winning the job, Petersen would still have to name another starter for the opener.

And if you’re looking for a “winner” of Saturday’s scrimmage among the quarterbacks, Miles and Lindquist might have to share the distinction.

UW didn’t distribute official statistics, but Miles completed roughly 10 of his 16 pass attempts for about 139 yards.

Miles didn’t get the Huskies in the end zone, as a pair of promising drives stalled inside the 10-yard line. But the offense did score twice when Lindquist was under center. The third-year sophomore completed 7 of 14 through the air for about 87 yards. It wasn’t as good of a day for Williams, a redshirt freshman. He completed 7 of 14 for just about 33 yards, was sacked twice, was called for intentional grounding and threw the only interception of the day.

But Smith won’t judge the competition based solely on Saturday. Asked about what might separate the eventual starter from the rest of the pack, Smith emphasized consistency above all else.

“It’s just the daily approach,” Smith said. “I don’t know if there’s any specifics.”