Look of a legend
Kiffin says system not a first choice, but not ruled out
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BOCA RATON — In his most recent season as a head coach in 2013, Lane Kiffin utilized a twoquarterback system to start the season. Last season, Florida Atlantic employed a modified twoquarterback system during the season.
It wouldn’t be the first choice for Kiffin and FAU this year, but the Owls coach didn’t rule it out Thursday afternoon.
“Ideally, that’s not what we want, but if that’s the best thing for us to win, we’d entertain anything,” Kiffin said. “So we’ll look at every avenue, and if we think at that point, that helps us win, then we’ll do it.”
Quarterbacks Jason Driskel and De’Andre Johnson appear the favorites to win the Owls starting job, but Daniel Parr has made a push in the last week to make it a three-way battle. On Thursday afternoon, it was Johnson’s turn to command the first-team offense. Driskel and Parr split reps with the second unit.
Kiffin reiterated there was no deadline to decide on a starter, saying he was willing to take it into the
week before the season opener against Navy. Parr’s insertion perhaps pushes a choice further away.
“Doesn’t bring me to closer, definitely, because now you got more reps divided, more factors that go into it,” Kiffin said. “We tell the players that the best players are going to play here. When you’re making plays, you’re going to get more opportunities. That’s why we’re doing it.”
Parr missed spring practice with a foot injury, but made the most of his opportunities last week when both Driskel and Johnson missed practices. Kiffin has said multiple times that Parr is “in the mix.”
A Driskel-Johnson or Parr-Johnson combination would feature two distinct types of quarterbacks. Driskel and Parr are both mobile but would classify as more pro-style threats. Johnson is the dangerous dual-threat quarterback that’s been tough to judge because of non-contact during practice.
“When you get two guys similar, you usually need to make a choice,” Kiffin said. “If you have two guys that do have different parts of their game, that is very difficult for the defense to prepare for.”
Some teams have tried to implement a two-quarterback system to remedy a stagnant offense or to diversify its attack. Sometimes, the scheme is adopted because the coaching staff simply cannot decide between their options.
Kiffin understands the predicament. In 2013, when he was the head coach at USC, the Trojans split quarterbacking duties between Cody Kessler and Max Wittek. Kessler would play the first half of the game. Wittek would take the second.
The system was trashed after two games. It included a 10-7 loss to Washington State in which USC quarterbacks combined for 54 passing yards. Kessler started the remainder of the games, while Wittek attempted only eight more passes as a Trojan. Kiffin was fired five games into 2013.
Driskel and Parr are also familiar with a two-quarterback system. Last season, Driskel beat out Parr in a preseason battle for the starting job. But in the season’s fifth game, former coach Charlie Partridge began to give Parr snaps.
The Owls coaching staff decided to give Parr the third series of each game, regardless of circumstances. The idea was to get Parr game experience, Partridge said at the time, but sometimes the switch from Driskel to Parr and back appeared to disrupt the offense’s rhythm.
Driskel ended up starting 11 games. Parr started one. The pair combined for 13 interceptions and nine touchdowns.
mdefranks@sun-sentinel .com, Twitter @MDeFranks