Decision to select Endres over Sabo at QB

One of the most heavily discussed topics when football season starts at any level is the debate over starting quarterbacks.

The debate is even more intense when there are two evenly matched quarterbacks going up against each other. That is the situation that has occurred at Slippery Rock University since the transfer of former University of Connecticut quarterback Cody Endres.

In 2010, SRU had Ryan Sabo at the helm of the offense.

He led the team to a 6-5 record and showed potential that he could grow into a solid quarterback in the future.

Now, his chance to continue growing has been put on hold as head coach George Mihalik and the rest of the football staff have decided to go with Endres as the starting quarterback for this season.

Before passing judgment on the decision, let's look at the facts surrounding both of these quarterbacks.

Endres is a senior, and this will be his final year with the team. Sabo will have two more years of eligibility after this season and should take the starting role back after this season is over.

In 11 games last season, Sabo had a 50.6 completion percentage with five passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. Added to the seven touchdowns, he threw 11 interceptions.

While at UConn, Endres played in a total of 15 games and had a 58.1 completion percentage. Last year he threw five touchdowns and two interceptions in three games with the Huskies.

This season, he will have a solid offense surrounding him with the key component redshirt junior running back Akeem Satterfield.

So it seems that the mindset of the Green and White is to insert a piece that presents them with the best chance to win now and keep Sabo in waiting for the future.

In a side-by-side comparison of Sabo and Endres, Endres appears to be the more complete quarterback, possessing an extremely strong arm and standing at 6 feet 4 inches and 230 pounds.

Then why is there any debate of who should start this season for SRU?

It's simply because of the fact that Sabo was getting comfortable in the system and starting to look comfortable in the starting role.

Even though he had some struggles in his first full season as starter, it was expected that he would have some troubles.

With Endres in the starting role, it could hinder Sabo's chances of growing to his full potential and hurt the team next season.

Even with that as a possibility, going with Endres gives SRU the best chance of being successful this season. It seems that the problems that led to Endres leaving UConn are in the past and that he is fitting into the system here at SRU well.

The results on the choice to choose Endres over Sabo will play out as the season progresses. The Rock definitely has two capable starting quarterbacks in their arsenal this year.