The QB Shuffle - Finding State's Starter

With only one Saturday left before the season opener, several positions are still up for grabs on the N.C. State depth chart. None has been as closely followed as the battle for quarterback.

There are three men in the conversation: the incumbent Daniel Evans, the transfer Harrison Beck and the redshirt freshman Justin Burke.

Each has brings something different to the competition but none of them have distanced themselves from the rest of the pack. Even they don’t know where they stand in rank.

Burke redshirted last year as a newcomer from Lexington, Ky. His prep numbers were matched only by his test scores.

As a senior in high school, Burke threw 62 touchdowns against six interceptions and also accumulated 30 college credits. His teammate and challenger, Beck, called him the “cerebral” one of the group.

Despite never having taken a collegiate snap, coach Tom O’Brien has given him an equal chance for the starting job in 2007.

“I think we’re all pretty equal, Burke said. “They gave us the opportunity to have a clean slate and from there we have to prove how we can play quarterback.”

So far in scrimmages, Burke hasn’t had the completion percentage or the touchdowns you’d expect from a guy who once threw six times as many TDs as picks.

“I need to get more consistent,” Burke said. “Consistently being on the field and getting the ball where it needs to go; I just need to improve on that and we’ll be all right.”

Burke may be the youngest of the three, but is making his run now to be the leader of the Pack offense in 2007.

“Not having one guy allows the three of us to rotate and to all get reps and try to be the best we can. With one guy, you obviously need a leader,” Burke said. “We’ve just got to separate ourselves in this competition and once that happens then we’ll have that [leader].”

Beck first became interested in playing for the Wolfpack when Jay Davis was named starter in 2004. At the time, Beck was a senior at Countryside High School in Clearwater, Fla., the alma mater of Davis and where Davis’ dad is still the head coach.

After seeing limited action during his freshman campaign at Nebraska, Beck transferred to State.

Of the three, Beck has the strongest arm – even if it isn’t always accurate – and has shown flashes of it in the Red and White game and in fall scrimmages.

Considering O’Brien has a preference for strong-armed quarterbacks, it would seem Beck has an edge in at least that department.

“It does help me, it would help any quarterback. The stronger your arm is the more variety of throws and plays you can make,” Beck said.

During his time at Nebraska, he went just 1-10 for 21 yards and one interception. But that one completion set up a game-winning field goal with just a minute left in the Huskers home finale against Kansas State. In much the same way, Beck has tried to keep his cool through the ups and downs of this year’s competition.

“I am satisfied with how I’ve performed. I’m not the type of person that gets down or gets really high,” Beck said.

“It’s the same thing I’ve been doing my whole life. I’m trying to go out there and make plays that I know I can make. All of us quarterbacks weren’t recruited to come here for no reason.”

Evans started off last season preparing to be Marcus Stone’s backup. No sooner had he been given the starting job was he living a boyhood dream.

The Raleigh native is the son of current radio analyst and former Pack great Johnny Evans. In his first two starts, he engineered a last-second win over Boston College and a Thursday night victory over Florida State.

But the rest of the year was taxing on Evans, as each game ended in pretty much the same fashion. With the Pack down by a score, Evans had to lead his team down the field for the win – but it often ended in a turnover.

“It was tough,” Evans said. “It kind of wears on you and grades on you. Probably in the long run, [I lost] a few years of my life because of the stress that caused. It’ll be something we can learn from, if we’re put in those situations again this year we know what to expect and hopefully we can handle it better than last year.”

Before the seven-game losing streak, Evans had five touchdowns and two interceptions. During the streak, he had one touchdown and nine interceptions. This off-season he prepared himself to fight to win back the job he held last year.

“I’ve improved physically as a quarterback and then from a mental aspect, I’m nowhere where I was at the end of last season. I’m a lot better as a quarterback mentally and physically,” Evans said.

“I feel like my arm strength has improved and I’ve been really concentrating on my footwork to be able to get depth away from the line of scrimmage.”

Evans has a clear advantage in experience, having started nine games last year. He also has had been more consistent in the team’s scrimmages.

“I know what to expect. I feel like I have a routine on game week, I know how to prepare, I know how to look at film,” Evans said. “It’s comforting knowing that I’ve been through it and I know how to approach it. I feel a lot more at ease.”

Justin Burke 17-48, 2 touchdowns, 5 interceptions