QB race whittled from 4 to a pair

Rice’s football scrimmage on Saturday punctuated a week that saw position changes and a narrowing of the depth chart.

At quarterback, a four-man race has been whittled to two, between Jackson Tyner and Shawn Stankavage.

“One seems to have a great day one day, and another seems to have a great day the next,” coach Mike Bloomgren said Saturday. “Today was Jackson Tyner’s day. He outperformed Shawn from an efficiency standpoint and a protecting-the-ball standpoint.”

Stankavage displayed adequate mobility and decent touch on intermediate passes, but struggled on longer throws. But that competition isn’t over.

Sam Glaesmann, who moved to receiver, was inserted at quarterback in wildcat formations Saturday (he was also targeted on an unsuccessful fade route in the end zone). Redshirt freshman Evan Marshman appears situated on the third string.

“At this point, it is shut at two unless he forces the door open,” Bloomgren said of Marshman. “Right now, he’s going to be comfortable in that three spot, and it’s not out of the question that he could work his way up.”

At receiver, another young playmaker is emerging.

Brendan Harmon ,a6-5 true freshman from Fort Worth, has impressed coaches and teammates with his ball skills, something that could complement the 6-4 Aaron Cephus in red-zone scenarios. “The most consistent guy we have right now is Austin Trammell,” Bloomgren said when discussing his top receivers. “He’s good at everything.”