Kiffin may use 2 QBs vs. Sooners

Three quarterbacks are still competing for starting job.

BOCA RATON — Lane Kiffin is aware he’ll need to break out every trick in his playbook for Florida Atlantic to upset No. 7 Oklahoma in Norman on Sept. 1.

Kiffin said Tuesday that he has not ruled out playing more than one quarterback against the Sooners, figuring it may take multiple signal-callers to record what would be the biggest win in program history.

Meanwhile, Chris Robison, De’Andre Johnson and Rafe Peavey continue to fight for the starting quarterback position.

“We’d like to have one,” Kiffin said. “We’d like to already have had it done. It’s not done. Could it be two (quarterbacks against the Sooners)? I don’t know that. We’ve got to always do what’s best for the team.”

The three quarterbacks have combined to throw seven passes at the FBS level, with Johnson going 1 of 3 in last year’s season-opening loss to Navy in relief of former Dwyer star Daniel Parr. Peavey, who transferred from SMU earlier this month, completed all four of his pass attempts for 116 yards and a touchdown while with the Mustangs.

Kiffin said on Sunday’s media day that he would try to avoid rushing a quarterback decision. Parr was named the starter over Johnson and Jason Driskel the night before the Owls lost 42-19 to Navy, but he was replaced by Driskel after three games. Parr did not throw a pass after the Owls’ 45-0 win over Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 16.

Florida Atlantic is without both of those quarterbacks this season. Parr transferred to Duquesne shortly before Christmas and Driskel — who led the Owls to 10 straight wins after losing his first start — retired in January to focus on obtaining his engineering degree.

“We’re always trying to evaluate as best we can,” Kiffin said. “It’s like we tell the players, too. When we make decisions on any position or we move a guy down on the depth chart, we don’t expect you to agree with us. Prove us wrong. We’re not stubborn or arrogant — maybe we were at one point — but we’re not going to try to prove something right.

“If we made the wrong decision and a guy starts practicing better or when he goes in the game and plays better,” Kiffin continued, “he’s going to play, just like what happened last year (with Driskel).”

Kiffin repeated those thoughts Tuesday.

“Eventually, you have to make a decision and sometimes they’re really close to where those decisions are made,” Kiffin said, “and then if it doesn’t go well, then it’s a quicker change during a game or early in the season . ... If it seems there’s a lot of separation, even if a guy’s struggling, you stay with him longer.”

Kiffin’s predecessor, Charlie Partridge, often went with a two-quarterback system in 2016. Driskel would start the first two or three drives before giving way to Parr, who would then lead a drive of his own. Parr completed only 13 of his 28 pass attempts in games where he briefly relieved Driskel.

The Owls didn’t quite use a two-quarterback system last year, instead utilizing a Wildcat formation led by wide receiver John Franklin III when the Owls began conference play. Franklin primarily took snaps late in games, though he took snaps at quarterback early in the Conference USA Championship Game and engineered a scoring drive in the Owls’ 41-17 win over North Texas.

Ideally, FAU would like to have an official starting quarterback when the Owls host Air Force on Sept. 8. “That would be the best,” Kiffin said.