Leading up to WVU’s spring game last Saturday, the talk of Morgantown was the quarterback competition between redshirt senior Jarret Doege and redshirt freshman Garrett Greene. Ever since Doege was benched in favor of Austin Kendall in the team’s 24-21 Liberty Bowl win over Army, it has been speculated whether or not Doege would regain control of his starting position. With Greene bringing his unique talent and skill set to the table, many assumed that the youngster would be breathing down the experienced Doege’s neck.
Now that the spring game has come and gone, WVU fans have had the opportunity to watch the signal-callers in action. We have seen both Doege and Greene in live situations now, and if there is anything apparent to me, it’s that Jarret Doege has a pretty strong grasp on the starting job at this point in time.
Greene had some good and some bad on Saturday, as all young quarterbacks will. I saw a lot of flash, but there are still a good many areas that he needs to clean up his game in. Looking on down the road, even later on this season, I could see Greene getting some game action. But when the Mountaineers roll out against Maryland on September 4th, I would be shocked if there is anyone else but Jarret Doege out there.
It has been reported several times that Doege has been working on his footwork this spring, and it showed on Saturday. He was a little more nimble on his feet, and didn’t hesitate to escape the pocket if needed. His passes also seemed to have a little more zip on them, and his decision making was far better than that of Greene’s (mostly due to experience).
Many outlets will try to continue to push this quarterback competition on you leading up to the season, but I just won’t be buying the narrative. Jarret Doege is simply the better option right now, and while that could obviously change in a hurry, it would take something pretty significant, from Doege or Greene, to change my mind at this point in time.
I expect this will once again be drawn out into fall camp, and this August, Coach Neal Brown will once again be naming Jarret Doege as his starting quarterback. As for how everything will play out the rest of the season, well, that’s anyone’s guess.
