The Daily O’Collegian

As confident as the OSU coaching staff is in its offense, there is still one thing to be determined; the backup quarterback.

Zac Robinson, the returning starter, has the top spot secured, but two players have been in heavy competition for the backup position with still no winner.

Alex Cate, a sophomore from Salt Lake City, Utah, and Brandon Weeden, a redshirt freshman out of Edmond, are competing for the backup position.

Only Cate has seen any college game time, coming in last season’s home opener against Florida Atlantic. He did not attempt a pass.

Weeden is a former professional baseball player, selected in the second round as the New York Yankees’ first pick in the 2002 draft.

His football experience comes from Edmond Santa Fe High School, where he led his team to its first-ever state semifinal in 2002 and finished the season with nearly 3,000 yards passing and 29 touchdowns, which ranked second among Oklahoma prep players.

The coaching staff is pleased with how both of the players are coming along, but are still hesitant to name a player to the position.

Co-offensive coordinator Gunter Brewer said it is going to be a tough battle for the position.

“We’ve yet to make a decision on, ‘Who is the guy?’” Brewer said.

“These guys are coming out of the bullpen, so we’re lucky to have these guys going neck-and-neck and competing hard for the job.”

Although the position is up in the air, coaches and players aren’t concerned with who will end up taking the spot, considering the players are so close.

Robinson said both players will fit well with the offense.

“Both of those guys are doing well,” Robinson said. “They’ve both improved from the spring and this fall in camp.

“Both of those guys keep making plays, and so whoever the guy is I have confidence that they can get the job done as well.”

Normally a backup quarterback would be named at this point in the season, but coach Mike Gundy said a player won’t be named to the position prior to the season opener against Washington State.

This may not be a bad thing.

Gundy said the competition for the spot in practice will help these quarterbacks in game situations.

“I think it puts internal pressure on them,” Gundy said.

“If they ever get in a game in a crucial situation there will be a lot of pressure on them, which just comes with the job, but they’ll have [pressure] internally from playing against each other, and that has been good. They’re getting better.”

Cate said the experience he is getting in practice will benefit his football career.

“You’ve got to come out here every day and play your best,” Cate said. “You can’t have a bad day. So it’s definitely helped both of us. It will make us better players.”

Weeden has seen his competition level rise throughout this battle for position, as well.

“When you have to compete with somebody day in and day out, it’s going to make you a better player,” Weeden said. “You know you have to be ready every day. Every day that I’ve come out, I feel that I have gotten better competing with Cate.”

Gundy and his staff have several reasons for not selecting a backup quarterback yet this season, but the close competition has made the decision more difficult.

“Both guys have gotten better, but there hasn’t been one that’s done anything in practice to distance himself from the other,” Gundy said. “I’m not ready to say that I’m comfortable with either one of them yet.

“But I’m not ready to say that I may not be comfortable with both of them.”

Although a player won’t be named to the position prior to the game on Saturday, Gundy and his staff will be doing heavy evaluations of the two players during this last week of practice.

Until a player is named to the position, Gundy said the backup position will be determined on a situational basis.