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UNI's Sanders settling in as quarterback
By DOUG NEWHOFF, Sports Editor
CEDAR FALLS --- Eric Sanders is beginning to sound like a college quarterback.
The freshman from Oelwein isn't getting too caught up in his successes this spring because he knows failure is never more than one play away.
During Northern Iowa's scrimmage last Saturday, Sanders completed most of his passes, including several difficult throws on the run, but those weren't the plays that stood out when he assessed his performance.
"I'm starting to get more comfortable in the pocket and everything," said Sanders. "But I've got to get better at making decisions. I threw two picks today, and both of them weren't very smart throws.
"You've got to do both — you've got to make good decisions, but you do have to take a chance sometimes."
Sanders will be under center for one of the teams at 1 p.m. Saturday when UNI wraps up spring drills with its annual spring game in the UNI-Dome. Chris Parsons of Oklahoma, who will be a redshirt freshman in the fall, will get most of the snaps with the other team.
They are the two leading candidates for backup duty next season behind returning starter Tom Petrie, who will play little, if at all, Saturday.
Sanders got a crash course in college football last fall just a couple of months removed from high school and was on UNI's travel roster, although he didn't see any action.
"I got to run the scout team, so I got to go pretty much live against the 1 and 2 defense for 20 to 30 plays three times a week," he said. "That helped me a lot to get some reps in live situations and see how fast it really is out here.
"There's definitely a difference adjusting to this speed and how defenses mix up their coverages so much better than they did in high school. You've got to make your reads in a split-second."
Petrie hasn't seen much live scrimmage action this spring, so Sanders and Parsons have taken plenty of snaps.
"It's very valuable," said Sanders. "All these live situations are just like game day, and it will help you be more relaxed when you do get out there on game day."
Head coach Mark Farley said both his young quarterbacks have made significant progress, but also a fair share of mistakes.
"You like to see them go out and make plays, which I think they are," he explained. "The two-minute offense is a great example with the decisions and the strike points and where to put the ball. All of that is very important to those guys.
"Yet, when you see interceptions and things, you take all the good things that happened and that one play can deteriorate an afternoon's worth of work."
At the same time, Farley added, now is the time to make those mistakes and learn from them.
"The only way to experience that is through live scrimmaging, and that's what we're doing," he said. "I also think that's why we're showing the progress we are. Coach (Mario) Verduzco and coach (Bill) Salmon are doing a great job with those guys."
Farley said Parsons and Sanders are similar in many respects.
"Their ability to throw on the run really stands out," he said. "As I watch them, I've really seen Chris get more comfortable the more snaps he's taken. And you look at the strike points with those two guys on the run. ... They put some balls right on the button.
"This is Parsons' first real time throwing the football a lot. He was an option quarterback in high school. It's the opposite for Sanders. He was pure run-and-gun at Oelwein. That's probably why he might be a little ahead in our two-minute offense. His whole offense in high school was two-minute."
No matter who eventually wins the competition for the No. 2 spot, both figure in UNI's long-term plans. Sanders said he's more worried about his own performance than any battle for playing time.
"It's been good competition," he said. "Chris is playing well. But you really try not to worry about what anyone else is doing. You're just trying to get better yourself as a quarterback, and whatever happens, happens."
Both quarterbacks have an ideal role model in Petrie, who was an option prep quarterback who walked on at UNI and has now established himself as one of the best in the Gateway Conference.
"Tom is what you want in a quarterback," said Sanders. "He's an excellent leader and a great model to look up to. He's the ideal quarterback for this system.
"He helps the young quarterbacks out so much. He doesn't care that he's not taking reps. He wants to make us better.
"If I can be as good as Tom Petrie, that will be good."
NOTES: UNI's coaching staff drafted teams for Saturday's game, but with a twist. In an effort to keep the competition even, if one staff drafted the starter on one side of the ball, the other staff automatically got the corresponding starter on the other side of the ball.
Farley said the first half will be played in two traditional 12-minute quarters, but the second half will feature a running clock. Everything will be live except for kickoff and punt returns.
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