Feb. 25, 2015
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Matt Alviti had to get to class.
So, shortly after the conclusion of the `Cats first practice of the spring, the 6-foot, 200-pound redshirt sophomore popped into the interview area and faced questions alone. But then, shortly after he departed, in came Zack Oliver and Clayton Thorson, and they insisted on doing that together. "To show everybody that we're all part of the team, that we're all working together," explained Oliver, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound fifth-year senior.
"I've got his back, he's got my back. Same with Matt," injected Thorson, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound redshirt freshman.
So ended the opening day of the competition that will conclude with one of them leading the `Cats next fall as their starting quarterback. A blood feud, as you can (and shall) see, this is not.
"Zack is an elder statesman. He's been there, he's a little bit more chill. Really bright, a really bright guy," Pat Fitzgerald says when asked to describe his quarterbacks. "I think the two young guys are unique to their own personalities. From the standpoint of Matt, he's been here a little longer so he has a little bit more confidence in himself because he's been through a spring ball. Everything for Clayton, at least here initially, it'll be doing something for the first time.
"But all three are really respectful, all three are great teammates, and pretty humble. I'll be interested to see how it plays out."
Oliver got a chance to play in the `Cats final game last season after Trevor Siemian was injured, and he struggled in the 14-point loss to Illinois. Now, on the dashboard of his car, is the parking pass he used that afternoon. "Staring at me everyday," he explains, "as a reminder everyday that that wasn't where I wanted to be. And to keep moving forward and get better."
Alviti also got an opportunity on that November day, but he too was ineffective against the Illini. "Obviously," he says, "I was disappointed in the way I performed. I didn't perform very well. But now we're moving forward, and we're focused on this year and this spring, where we obviously have a three-way competition. We have three great guys. We're all good friends. I'm happy to see where it goes from here."
Thorson, in contrast, spent all of last season guiding the Wildcats scout team, and so he prepared for this competition by burying himself in the playbook. "I just needed to know the offense, to know what I had to do," he says. "He (Oliver) was really helpful in that, and Matt as well."
"Similar," Oliver says when asked his area of concentration in the off-season. "I'm still looking at the playbook, I'm still learning, going into it with specific defenses that teams were playing. Then getting in the weight room and getting bigger, faster, stronger. You can never be too big, fast or strong."
"The mental part of the game," Alviti says when asked the same. "I tried to watch film two-hours-a-day, to go over the playbook two-hours-a-day. Last year, I think that was the big thing. I didn't realize how big of a mental game college football was. So that was big for me. Getting in the film room. Getting in the playbook. Really knowing everything."
But there is no clear favorite in this competition, no leader in the clubhouse, and so its result will not soon be known. The trio is splitting starting reps now, and that is how it will be until one of the three separates himself from the other two. "When we get going in competitive drills, who can move the football? Who can lead our offense to score touchdowns? Who can lead our football team? It'll probably fall into those three areas," Fitzgerald says when asked what will distinguish the chosen one.
"Then, obviously, the glue that keeps it all together is who can do it consistently. If we can't answer that and they're close, we'll keep it rolling. All three guys did a nice job in the weight room and conditioning in the winter. Now this is the next phase in the evaluation. I know you've got to ask. But it's going to be a long road. It's going to be fun to watch."
Oliver has the strongest arm of the three. "We call him Golden Arm. He can zing it," says Thorson.
But he is also the least mobile of the three. "Obviously," says Alviti, "Clayton and I are a little bit more elusive than Zolly. Zolly's more of a pocket guy. But I think all three of us can get the job done here. It just comes down to who prepares the best and who can get guys to follow them the most."
"Again, I think we've got three talented guys," says Fitzgerald, concluding this thumbnail scouting report. "I think they're going to compete. I think they're embracing that. I think they're doing a great job of being great teammates."
They are also, as each has attested, great friends, and occasionally hang together on weekends and share position dinners together. This lends an unusual dynamic to their competition, yet it is a circumstance familiar to Thorson, who experienced a similar situation as a junior at Wheaton North High School. That year his rival was a senior named Johnny Peltz, another of his good friends, and it ended with each spending time at quarterback and wide receiver.
"For me," says Oliver, "I feel I've been doing that (competing with friends) for four years now starting with Dan (Persa) and then last year with Trevor (Siemian). I think it's great. It allows a better dynamic between us."
"It's a good dynamic and it's good to help each other out," adds Thorson. "We know each other well and I think that really helps in knowing what each other needs."
"It's tough," demurs Alviti, "especially off the field because sometimes you can let emotions get in the way. But when it comes to on the field, you just have to be yourself and you have to do what's right for the team. Be a great team guy, a great team player."
But, it must be asked, could their competition end their friendship?
"Everyone wants to compete," says Thorson. "But if you let that get the best of you, first of all, it'll hurt the team and it's all about the team. There's a competition between us. But it's about the team. It's about bringing guys together and gaining trust. If that friendship fails or fades away, that doesn't do anything for the team."
"And Coach Fitzgerald recruits quality guys," concludes Oliver. "So I would never expect anyone on our team to ever lose a friendship over a position. It's more than that. Everyone realizes that."
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