FORT COLLINS — Colorado State offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin wasn’t trying to be funny, although his response drew a chuckle Wednesday during the school’s football media-day interviews.
Baldwin was asked when he hoped the staff could decide on a starting quarterback: junior Garrett Grayson or sophomore Conner Smith.
“In an ideal world, it would be tomorrow,” Baldwin said.
In coachspeak, that means a decision needs to be made, like, yesterday.
“But that’s not going to happen,” Baldwin said with a shrug.
Evidently, the quarterback battle remains too close to call. Although CSU has completed only two days of preseason camp, the coaching staff must feel the clock ticking toward the Sept. 1 opener against Colorado at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
Baldwin, who also serves as the CSU quarterbacks coach, said the offense can’t wait on a leader much longer. He is pointing toward the first scrimmage of camp — Tuesday at Hughes Stadium — as perhaps the final audition for Grayson and Smith.
“We’ll scrimmage, and I’ll have a great evaluation of both of them,” Baldwin said. “After that scrimmage, hopefully we can say, ‘You’re the guy.’ And we can run with that one offense and go from there.”
That’s fine with the quarterbacks.
“I think we all hope this (the decision) comes sooner than later,” Grayson said Wednesday.
When asked what might separate one from the other, Baldwin said two things: completions and accuracy.
“You can’t win the position without completing the ball,” Baldwin said. “Completions might mean checking down to the running back and not forcing the ball downfield.”
Another determining factor: leadership.
“It’s showing the whole offense that you’re the guy, take it over,” Baldwin said. “(The offense) wants somebody to take it over. You take it over.”
Grayson, a 6-foot-2, 220-pounder, opened the 2012 season, the first with the current coaching staff, as the starter. But he suffered a broken collarbone in Game 5, at Air Force, and played in only one subsequent game, a cameo appearance Nov. 3 against Wyoming.
“I ask myself sometimes, ‘If I hadn’t gotten hurt, would we still have had this competition?’ ” Grayson said. “But I’m fine with the competition. It brings out the best in everyone. That’s what Coach (Jim McElwain) is trying to bring here. That’s what he had at Alabama (as offensive coordinator). Everyone was so good, there was competition every day.”
Smith, 6-5, 220 pounds, who began last season third string, started four of the final five games after top backup M.J. McPeek, then a senior, went out with a shoulder injury. Grayson has the most experience and has the ability to scramble out of trouble. Smith is less mobile but has a much stronger arm.
Grayson finished 78-of-138 for 946 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Smith was 80-of-126 for 1,022 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions.
Perhaps in Smith’s favor: CSU (4-8, 3-5 Mountain West in 2012) went 3-1 with him as the starter. But he knows he must cut down on turnovers.
“Last year was obviously my first college experience, and I was making mistakes that a young kid is going to make,” Smith said. “I’m definitely ready (to be the starter). If I was scared of the competition, I wouldn’t be here.”
Footnote. Joey Porter, the former all-pro linebacker who returned to CSU last week to be an unpaid student assistant coach while completing his bachelor’s degree requirements, is attempting to rectify a long-standing legal issue. According to the Fort Collins Coloradoan, Porter turned himself in on an arrest warrant dating to a 1999 traffic violation during his days as a CSU student. Porter was released on $1,000 cash bond.
McElwain told the Coloradoan he was aware of the situation and would use this as a lesson to players that they need to take care of obligations.
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280, tkensler@denverpost.com or
