New Tech coach - Replacing the QB doesn't have to be traumatic

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Mike Leach acknowledges that replacing a quarterback, as half of the teams in the Big 12 Conference must do this year, can be a challenge.

However, Texas Tech's coach -- one of four who will start a new or unproven quarterback in the six-team South Division -- said the effect of such a change is often overstated.

"Any time anybody loses a quarterback, it's like all of a sudden the sky is falling," Leach said Thursday as the Big 12 concluded its media days. "But nobody heard of any of these star quarterbacks before they were starting. I just think it is the natural course of things, although it is an adjustment to start a new quarterback."

Colorado's Gary Barnett, one of two Big 12 North coaches with a new starting quarterback, agreed.

"We've lost a quarterback for the last two years and still found a way to win the Big 12 North," Barnett said. "If you don't make so much of a deal about one position, then when something happens your team can handle it better."

That said, Barnett added, it's understandable that the position draws so much attention.

"We've all seen NFL quarterbacks, and we know that an NFL team doesn't run without a great quarterback," he said. "I think sometimes the perception is that that carries down to the college ranks, and it doesn't necessarily."

Of the Big 12 schools, Texas Tech's loss is possibly the most dramatic. Kliff Kingsbury not only starred for the Red Raiders, he defined their wide-open possession passing game with 5,017 yards as a senior and 12,429 for his career.

New starter B.J. Symons, meanwhile, appeared in nine games and threw for 360 yards last season.

"He's not a guy who's new to the deal," Leach said. "He's thrown balls to these receivers for years and really has a strong familiarity with our package. It's not like when he steps out there that everything's new."

The situation is more settled at the other four schools whose coaches spoke Thursday.

That's especially true at Missouri and Kansas State, where multitalented quarterbacks Brad Smith and Ell Roberson return.

Missouri's Smith is a preseason All-Big 12 first-team pick after becoming only the second player in NCAA Division I-A to throw for 2,000 yards and run for 1,000 in one season.

"About every few weeks he does something I've never seen done before," offensive lineman A.J. Ricker said. "He's definitely an amazing kid."

But Smith, who threw for 2,333 yards and ran for 1,029 as a redshirt freshman despite playing the second half of the season with a sore finger on his throwing hand, said he still has room for improvement.

"There's a lot I can do to be better as a quarterback," he said. "It's a constant learning experience. There are guys who have been playing for 20 years who are still learning."

Roberson passed for 1,580 yards and ran for 1,032 more as a junior after winning the starting job from Marc Dunn with a strong performance in Kansas State's fourth game.

Dunn's graduation and Roberson's solid play have eliminated any questions about who will start this year.

"Ell has earned the right for us not to have to answer those questions," said coach Bill Snyder, who spoke from Manhattan, Kan., via a satellite link. "Our players have gained great respect for Ell over the years -- for his leadership capabilities and certainly his athletic abilities and abilities to make plays."

Oklahoma State also returns a solid starter in junior Josh Fields, who threw for a school-record 3,145 yards a year ago. Fields has one of the conference's top targets in senior wide receiver Rashaun Woods, who caught 105 passes for 1,695 yards last season.

"I think any offensive team must be settled in what they're going to do at quarterback," coach Les Miles said. "I just look forward to having Josh Fields in that position. He's a tremendous playmaker."

Even Baylor, where former Kentucky coach Guy Morriss takes over a team that has won just four conference games since the Big 12 started play in 1996, has an experienced quarterback in place.

Junior Aaron Karas is the school career leader with a 61.2 completion percentage and threw for 1,792 yards a year ago. He is the clear starter, Morriss said -- especially since the Bears have no proven backup.

"We're going to have to work hard to protect Aaron," Morriss said. "We need to establish the running game so he doesn't feel like he has to go out and win the game himself."