When he was named the starting quarterback after Ben Olson went
down with a knee injury against Arizona, Pat Cowan was sure to
point out to anyone and everyone that the preparation for starting
wouldn’t be that different from the preparation he went
through every week before. That he would not be affected by the
pressure of starting.
One month and four losses after being named the starting
quarterback, Cowan has one thing to say about starting: It’s
a lot different from backing up.
“I’m tremendously more comfortable (after having a
few games as a starter),” Cowan said. “It’s great
to have some game experience.”
That game experience has come at a price. The Bruins have lost
each of the four games Cowan has started. Although the Bruins have
faced difficult competition, playing Oregon, Notre Dame, Washington
State and Cal, they have been truly competitive in just one of
those games, when they led by four against Notre Dame with two
minutes to play. Otherwise, it has been a long string of dismal
defeats.
According to offensive coordinator Jim Svoboda, however, the
blame cannot fall entirely on Cowan.
“It’s always a combination of things (as to why
we’ve lost),” Svoboda said. “Experience is a
valuable thing, especially for quarterbacks, but it hasn’t
always been that. We’re kind of taking turns, whether it be a
penalty, a missed read or a missed block.”
Still, Cowan has not exactly been putting the Bruins in a
position for success. Cowan has completed just 53 percent of his
passes and has thrown six interceptions to just five touchdowns.
Olson also had trouble with interceptions during his five starts,
throwing five of them, but he completed 63 percent of his passes.
Cowan’s completion percentage makes offensive movement very
tough in a system designed around short, accurate pass plays.
Finally, last week against Cal, Cowan appeared to break out of
his funk as a starter. Although he still completed just over 50
percent of his passes, he managed some big plays that contributed
to him finishing with 329 yards. In the game, it appeared that the
Bruin coaching staff was making sure to roll Cowan out of the
pocket and have him throw on the move, which is one of
Cowan’s true strengths as a quarterback. In the games where
Cowan has had substantial difficulty, for the most part he’s
been limited to staying in the pocket.
“You know, it really varies from week to week whether we
can have that part of our game,” Svoboda said. “Against
Arizona (when Cowan took over for Olson and completed 20 of 29
passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns) it was a big part of our
game plan because they really tried to defend against the run.
“Oregon tried to take that away from us. I think when they
take something away, it takes it away from the overall scheme.
(Throwing on the move is) one of his strengths, and we’ll
always try to have some type of movement plays in there for
him.”
This week might be Cowan’s last start this year, as Olson
is finally practicing again after a month off to recover from his
MCL tear. This might be his last opportunity for at least this year
to notch a win as the starting quarterback, but Cowan says he is
not feeling the pressure.
“I’m looking at this game like any other
game,” Cowan said. “Whatever happens afterward happens.
I’ll still be preparing no matter what to be
playing.”
And if he does return to his role as backup, Cowan will have
gained a valuable commodity for all quarterbacks: experience. And
he will have also earned the respect and trust of his coaches.
“I’ve really been encouraged by the way he’s
played,” Svoboda said. “Pat really understands
what’s going on with the defense. Sometimes he maybe gets a
little too excited about that. He needs to be just “OK, I got
it,” and let the play develop. You saw that a little bit on
Saturday. But golly, he did a lot of nice things.”
And if those flashes of brilliance come earlier and more often
against Oregon State on Saturday, he might delay the return of
Olson for at least another week.