Starting QB job not in question for ISU

AMES – Right now, there's no debating Austen Arnaud is Iowa State's No. 1 quarterback.

“Without a doubt,” Coach Paul Rhoads said Saturday following his team's spring game before thousands of spectators at Jack Trice Stadium.

Both he and second-team quarterback Jerome Tiller did good things.

Arnaud recovered nicely after losing a fumble on the day's third offensive play, finishing 14 of 20 passing for 156 yards in one half of action. Tiller went the whole way playing with both the first- and second-team offenses.

The sophomore-to-be finished the day 21 of 32 passing for 200 yards. He also ran for 50 yards and a score.

“He's made dramatic improvement since last year, but when you are playing behind Austen all you can do is sit there and work on your game,” receiver Darius Darks said. “There's not much you can do. Austen is a pretty good quarterback and he's getting better every day.”

Decision-making seems to be where Tiller trails Arnaud.

Rhoads talked about an option pitch Tiller made Saturday that turned into a fumble recovery by the defense. He was about to be tackled and tried to lateral it back to receiver Darius Reynolds.

“Jerome has great ability to throw the football and to make people to miss and create big plays,”

“If he is going to be an every down player for us he has to be smart. The No. 1 way to win football games is not to lose them.

“Whether we have a quarterback race or not, we'll have two quarterbacks who can help us win games.”

Tiller will keep working through the summer to try and overtake the two-year starter.

“I know pretty much the entire offense in and out,” he said. “It's just a matter of putting it out on the field… I can only do what I can do and it's up to the coaches to make the choice.”

HIT ME, HE SAYS. Officials blew plays dead when quarterbacks were touched, but Tiller didn't shy away from contact on many of his runs and probably was knocked around more than coaches would have liked to see.

“They didn't hit enough,” he said. “It's how you play. If you are going to get in the game, you should get hit in practice.”

He also raced downfield a few times on running plays to throw blocks.

“(Coaches) say don't do it but I'm not going to listen,” he said. “I'm going to hit somebody because they are trying to hit me.”

CAPTAINS PICKED. Captains this season will be Arnaud, David Sims, Mike O'Connell, Alexander Robinson and Rashawn Parker. Parker was in uniform and went out to midfield for the coin flip, but did not play while continuing to recover from knee surgery.

BIKE RIDE. Rhoads is hosting a motorcycle outing in Ames on Sunday, April 25, benefitting Alzheimer's Disease. Registration and a meet and greet with Rhoads begins at noon, starting from Jack Trice Stadium. The 66-mile ride begins at 1 p.m.

Included in the $25 fee is a T-shirt and lunch.

Rhoads' mother, Mary, suffers from Alzheimer's. All proceeds from the event will go to the Alzheimer's Association of Greater Iowa.