The quarterback conversation in football is never-ending. 蜜柚直播 is no exception.
Since Saturday, everybody who cares about the 蜜柚直播 Wildcats has been talking about Brandon Dawkins. Most of the discourse hasn鈥檛 been complimentary.
If the fans had their way, Dawkins no longer would be 蜜柚直播鈥檚 starting QB. In a Twitter poll asking who should start at UTEP on Friday, backup Khalil Tate garnered nearly 60 percent of the 700-plus votes. When the starter isn鈥檛 performing, the No. 2 guy is always the most popular man in town.
About 13 percent of the voters picked Dawkins 鈥 roughly the same as who picked untested freshmen Rhett Rodriguez and Donavan Tate.
UA coach Rich Rodriguez doesn鈥檛 see it the same way. He is sticking with Dawkins for at least one more week. Rodriguez believes Dawkins has greatness in him, even if the masses don鈥檛.
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Asked about Dawkins鈥 hot streak against Houston in the third quarter, when he completed 6 of 7 passes for 75 yards, Rodriguez said: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what鈥檚 expected. We鈥檝e seen it in practice. We see it all the time.鈥
The problem is, no one remembers Dawkins directing the Wildcats from their 14-yard line to the Cougars鈥 4. They remember his back-to-back fumbles on the two offensive plays preceding that drive 鈥 and his third-and-goal overthrow of Tony Ellison in the end zone that punctuated it with an audible groan.
The fans at 蜜柚直播 Stadium let their feelings be known then and late in the fourth quarter, when Rodriguez reinserted Dawkins after lifting him for Khalil Tate for two series. 蜜柚直播 failed to get a first down and lost 19-16.
The booing was nothing Frank Dawkins hadn鈥檛 heard before.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been doing this QB thing since he was 8 years old,鈥 Dawkins鈥 father said by phone this week. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nothing new. It鈥檚 a difficult job for a parent and a kid.鈥
Frank Dawkins spoke from his home in Oxnard, California. He was in attendance for the Houston game and plans to be in El Paso to support his son. He understands why the fans are frustrated.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e into the game,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey want to see the team win.鈥
What they don鈥檛 always appreciate is that Brandon Dawkins desperately wants the same thing 鈥 at times to his own detriment.
Dawkins injured his throwing hand in the first quarter of the Houston game; it was swollen and wrapped in ice afterward. Dawkins also had ice on his shin and back, the latter after taking a hard hit from Cougars linebacker Matthew Adams on the play before the overthrow of Ellison.
Dawkins said he thought about tapping out, but the competitor in him told him to keep playing.
鈥淗e thought he could still go,鈥 Frank Dawkins said. 鈥淗e thought he could still function.鈥
Brandon Dawkins鈥 belief in himself hasn鈥檛 wavered, his father said. Asked if it seemed as if Brandon was pressing at times against Houston, Frank said: 鈥淗e wants to make the play every time.鈥
Again, that sometimes works against him. On 蜜柚直播鈥檚 final offensive play, a fourth-and-13, Dawkins tried to run for the first down. He got tackled 7 yards short.
During that drive, ESPN commentator Kirk Morrison asserted that Dawkins had lost confidence 鈥 and that the offense had lost confidence in him.
No Wildcat has expressed that sentiment publicly. Nor has Rodriguez. He cited Dawkins being 鈥渁 little nicked up鈥 as the main reason for pulling him in the fourth quarter.
Khalil Tate also was banged up, having hurt his throwing shoulder the previous week. (Just 蜜柚直播鈥檚 luck, right?) Tate shook his arm, as if trying to loosen it, between plays against Houston.
If Tate were fully healthy 鈥 and had led the Wildcats to a comeback victory 鈥 would Rodriguez have made a permanent change? It鈥檚 impossible to say.
Dawkins and Tate competed for the starting job throughout the offseason. Dawkins had the advantage in experience. He started nine games last season and led 蜜柚直播 with 944 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. His passing performance deteriorated after a strong start. Injuries, including bruised ribs and a concussion, again were an issue.
Tate began last season as a 17-year-old freshman. He wasn鈥檛 expected to play, but Rodriguez had no choice when Dawkins and veteran Anu Solomon both got hurt.
The degree to which Tate closed the gap on Dawkins in the offseason is unclear. But when it came time to select a starter, Rodriguez chose Dawkins.
Frank Dawkins views that decision as validation. If his son is incapable of throwing the ball consistently well, as many have concluded, why would Rodriguez pick him?
鈥淭o say he can鈥檛 pass 鈥 it is ridiculous,鈥 Frank said of Brandon. 鈥淩ichRod sees it every day in practice.鈥
Consider, too, that Rodriguez might be coaching for his job.
鈥淩ichRod wants to win,鈥 Frank Dawkins said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 going to go with the guy that gives him the best chance to win. If he thought that wasn鈥檛 Brandon, Brandon wouldn鈥檛 be playing.鈥
Although it may not be evident from his sideline behavior, Rodriguez has more patience than the fan base. But everything has its limits.
Rodriguez described the development of the quarterbacks as 鈥渁n ongoing process.鈥 That鈥檚 quarterbacks, plural.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to stay on them,鈥 Rodriguez said. 鈥淥ur expectation for our guys, all the quarterbacks, is for them to be not good but great. They have the talent to do that, so we鈥檒l keep working.鈥
That鈥檚 precisely Brandon Dawkins鈥 approach. Healed enough to practice Sunday, he focused on fundamentals, a process he depicted as 鈥渂ack to square one, building it from the ground up, feeling really good about everything.鈥
鈥淚鈥檓 far from a finished product,鈥 the fourth-year quarterback said. 鈥淚 just gotta put (my) nose back down to the grind and just get back to work.鈥
