QB situation clearly unclear for UNI

CEDAR FALLS - If you're in the camp of disliking ongoing or unclear quarterback battles, Northern Iowa Coach Mark Farley essentially gave you a 'Sorry, not sorry,” answer at his weekly press luncheon on Monday.

No, he wasn't a sarcastic Facebook meme, but he was jovial about how playing two quarterbacks won the game for the Panthers on Saturday. After seeing how that worked out, there's no clear starter between Aaron Bailey and Sawyer Kollmorgen, and there's no clear answer as to if one will play the whole way for sure or if both will play for sure.

So settle in, UNI fans. Until Farley and offensive coordinator Joe Davis feel like one is far ahead of the other, nothing will be set in stone.

'I don't (have a starter) sitting here right now, but I won't say there won't be. I haven't looked that far ahead. I'll look at what they do and what we do and see who fits best to start the game,” Farley said. 'We'll go with whatever gives us the chance to win, and that's really an honest answer.

'If one guy can take it from start to finish, then that's a great choice. If one guy goes out and it's not going well and the other guy goes in and gets it going and then it doesn't and slows down for him, the other guy could still go. I'm not going to make a certain plan for this.”

For his part, Bailey didn't seem phased by that plan.

He was pulled from the game against Iowa State and responded with the start against Eastern Washington and compiled 225 total yards - 91 passing, 134 rushing - and threw two touchdown passes. His confidence level didn't seem impacted when he met with media for the first time in the regular season on Monday, and that likely had something to do with his improved play from Week 1 to Week 2.

'(My play was) night and day, I would say. There were some missed opportunities in the first game and the teammates, and me as well, just learned from that and didn't want to make the same mistakes twice and tried to produce,” Bailey said. 'It was definitely a confidence booster and very nice to see that (I started again). We have a great deal of quarterbacks, so it was great to have that that they trusted me and I trusted them. It's just great to have the opportunity.”

The two quarterbacks' skills being so different is seen as a positive by everyone in the program because it offers the offense something unique. Bailey knows he has to improve his pass game if he wants to continue to see the field.

He and Kollmorgen have shared reps in practice and Bailey said the two have worked closely together to help improve the offense.

'It doesn't bother me at all as long as we get the W. Me and Sawyer are both happy about that, and the other quarterbacks as well. We're all rooting for each other. I'm helping him on the sideline, he's helping me and vice versa. We were very happy for each other,” Bailey said. 'I know they're going to key on me in terms of the run, so that's going to open up more for the backs and receivers. When the opportunity comes, just hit them. When the run comes, just go. Just try to keep the defense off balance and work hard.”

Both could play, but might not. Both could start, but one will.

Who plays how much won't be known until the game is finished. Who the starter is won't be known until game time Saturday at Cal-Poly, and it might even be the team doesn't know until then.

And Farley warned that even though the change of pace worked last Saturday, it might not always.

'I think they both play (Saturday). Coach Davis came to my office this morning and asked which one we'll start this week. I don't know that we have to say who the starter is to the players,” Farley said. 'We have to get them both ready to play. I think it worked about as well as it could this week. It's not always going to turn out that way. It worked well this week because of Sawyer's approach to the game and yet Aaron's ability to do what he did. They're both effective and healthy, and I think they're both on the docket for any time and can take the field for us.

'We'll just continue to build our offense the way we have because as of last week, there was great progress from the first week to the second week. Hopefully we can make similar progress this week.”

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