Rutgers Football: Surprise, Surprise, Scarlet Knights Have Quarterback Issues

The new era of Rutgers football is getting started with a familiar theme. Despite opening up the spring schedule Tuesday with a new head coach for the first time since 2001, the uncertainty at quarterback is once again the hot topic in Piscataway.

The spring depth chart reads "Chas Dodd OR Gary Nova" on the quarterback line, signaling the start of a quarterback competition between Dodd, a junior, and Nova, a sophomore.

“I think what we have, as our strength at quarterback, is two really talented, quality young people who’ve won big games for us," Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood said in a press conference Tuesday. "I’m anxious to watch them compete for the job this spring.”

The starting job is up for grabs between Chas Dodd and Gary Nova, who each put up pretty equal numbers in 2011. With neither player really showing much reason to go with one over the other in the fall, the spring should become a contest to see who can establish himself as the emerging leader of Rutgers' offense.

	Att	Comp	Pct.	Yards	TD	INT	Rating
Chas Dodd	245	139	56.7	1,574	10	7	118.46
Gary Nova	227	116	51.1	1,553	11	9	116.62
Source: CFBStats.com

If you are a Rutgers fan, do not expect a decision to be made on a starter anytime soon. Flood is prepared to wait as long as he needs to arrive at a decision.

“I’m not putting a timetable on it," Flood said. "I’m not concerned about that."

Just because Flood is not expecting to make a decision soon does not mean he devalues the importance of doing so.

“To me, if you want to put a long-range timetable on it, you want to have your starter in place 10-14 days before you play your first game," Flood said. "So that would be the back end of the schedule. Whether or not that will happen this spring is really up to the players themselves to separate themselves from the other.”

Flood is looking for a leader. If a leader is a guy who can put the offense in the end zone, then the competition looks to be a tight one. Dodd and Nova each threw seven touchdown passes in the red zone last season, but neither had a completion percentage above 49 percent.

If a leader is one who controls the football with the lead in a close game, then look again. Dodd and Nova each threw three interceptions when Rutgers was up between one and seven points and two interceptions when the game was tied.

Flood and the Rutgers coaching staff will have a number of issues to sort through this spring, but that is the key thing to remember. It is just spring, and Rutgers is not the only team looking to find a starter at a key position such as quarterback.

Other Position Battles to Watch

In addition to the quarterback position, the spring depth chart for Rutgers shows a couple other spots that should be considered up for grabs.

On offense, the tight end position has D.C. Jefferson and Paul Carrezola competing for the starting job and running backs Jawan Jamison and Savon Huggins (both sophomores) looking to become the go-to guy in the backfield. Flood says Huggins will be good to go this spring after recovering from injury.

On defense, the key position to watch this spring will be at defensive end, where Rutgers will test a few players for the line. Michael Larrow is the one guy not considered to be in competition for a spot at the end, but Marcus Thompson, Jamil Merrell, Ka'Lial Glaud, Marvin Booker, Jawaun Wynn and Myles Jackson are all competing for the other starting job or backup roles.

Quotes provided by Rutgers Athletics, unless noted otherwise. Link also includes Rutgers spring depth chart.

Kevin McGuire is the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast and a member of the Football Writers Association of America and National Football Foundation. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook and add him to your Google+ circle.