BOULDER — With Colorado coach Dan Hawkins previously saying the battle between Cody Hawkins and Tyler Hansen for the starting quarterback job probably won’t be decided before the Sept. 6 opener against Colorado State, this evening’s closed scrimmage might be more important to two true freshmen vying to be next in line.
Clark Evans, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound scholarship player from Los Alamitos, Calif., and Seth Lobato (6-5, 205), a preferred walk-on from Eaton, are competing for the No. 3 quarterback spot, CU offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau said.
Another preferred, in-state walk-on, Jerry Slota (6-2, 220) of Chaparral, trails Evans and Lobato, Kiesau said.
The team plans to travel with four quarterbacks, but Kiesau said it would be nice to settle on a third. That makes it easier to distribute repetitions.
“But (between Evans and Lobato), No. 3 could be a week-to-week deal,” the coach added, “depending on who understands that particular game plan the best.”
Evans started slowly during August camp but has come on of late.
“At first, I thought, ‘He’s going to take a lot of work,’ ” Kiesau recalled. “But Clark did a lot of studying on his own. He has improved a lot in communication, how he calls the play, how he carries himself.”
Evans agreed, saying, “It was a matter of learning the playbook and getting comfortable.”
Lobato also has made recent strides.
“Seth came in with a really long windup and was really awkward,” Kiesau said. “But he has spent a lot of time on his throwing mechanics and getting his body right.”
Kiesau said he is spending about as much time trying to decide on a No. 3 quarterback as he is on the No. 1 job.
“(Evans and Lobato) have good days, and they have days where they look like freshmen,” Kiesau said. “There’s a lot on them right now. But they’ll be all right in the long run.”
Footnotes.
Today’s scrimmage at Folsom Field is closed to the public and media. It will be the final preseason scrimmage. . . .
Dan Hawkins on what he hopes to see this evening: “Just try to be clean. Try to get more in that game comportment of substitution, getting on and off the field, special teams, all that stuff.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
