This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • The momentary longing, the pain and the anguish in Jake Heaps' eyes told the real story on Saturday in Corvallis, Ore.
Walking past the interview room outside BYU's locker room near Reser Stadium after Riley Nelson had led the Cougars to a 38-28 win over Oregon State, Heaps stopped briefly and glanced through the doorway, where Nelson was describing the victory and his newfound role as the team's starting quarterback.
Head down and shoulders slumped, the highly recruited high school All-American, 15-game college starter and supposed next great BYU quarterback continued down the hallway, grabbed his box of chicken, and boarded the team bus, knowing full well that his efforts to regain his starting job had just gotten that much more difficult.
"I think Jake right now is facing a wall, and it is an opportunity for him to climb over," said BYU offensive coordinator Brandon Doman, the man who yanked Heaps in favor of Nelson three weeks ago against Utah State. "But he's got to get through it."
No one associated with BYU is ready to say Heaps is a bust and has no future in the program, but clearly the sophomore from Issaquah, Wash., has lost his starting job, something that seemed unimaginable a month ago.
It will stay that way until Nelson messes up, although that is not expected to happen Saturday against Idaho State at LaVell Edwards Stadium (1 p.m., BYUtv).
In describing what Nelson brings, teammates and coaches alike — whether they intend to or not — have shed light on Heaps' perceived shortcomings in toughness and leadership ability and have revealed why few in the program believe he deserves his starting job back.
"Riley is a fighter. … It is a great experience having him back there because you know he's going to fight, he's going to make something happen, that he's there. He's committed. When you know that guys are committed, you fight for them," said guard Houston Reynolds.
Ouch.
In other words, fight wasn't apparent when Heaps didn't make an effort to tackle Ole Miss defensive back Charles Sawyer during that pick-6 in the opener, or when Heaps slid in front of the first-down marker against Utah.
Heaps brushed off a question before the OSU game about whether a prolonged benching would cause him to consider a transfer, but his remarks suggested he didn't pick BYU over offers from dozens of other schools so he could ride the bench.
"It is a tough situation, because you look at it, and in your mind you should be the present [of the program, not the future]," Heaps said. "And if we [were] playing better as a football team [with him as the starter], we wouldn't be discussing whether I was the future or not. So that is a tough aspect to swallow."
As instrumental as anyone in getting Heaps to Provo, Doman says the thought that Heaps might leave has never entered his mind.
"I hope he sticks around and I hope that I get to coach him all the way to the finish," Doman said. "And I would suspect that that will be the case, that he will end up playing and doing great again. We just don't know when. … But that's something he will have to resolve in his mind if he hasn't resolved it, in order for him to be great."
Coach Bronco Mendenhall said he met individually with Heaps last week, and plans to do so from here on out, "talking about how he is doing, and from my perspective, where things stand ... just trying to expand our relationship and allow a dialogue to continue."
Obviously, every player who has been benched doesn't get that; coaches are clearly trying to keep Heaps happy, yet win ballgames.
"Certainly he is frustrated, certainly he wants to be the starting quarterback. He feels capable that he can lead this team. And so he expresses that, and I listen," Mendenhall said. "He also acknowledges that Riley is playing well and the team is responding. He's very mature about it."
What will happen next is anyone's guess, although Mendenhall has reiterated that Nelson will play the meaningful minutes as long as he produces, and Heaps has vowed, publicly, at least, to keep his head up, work harder and be ready.
"It is a tough process to go through, but I feel like I have handled it the best way that I can," Heaps said. "And I think my teammates respect the way I have handled it. Ultimately, this is about our football team, and whether or not we can get Ws on the board. And that's all I care about, is that we win football games. … So this is an opportunity for me to get better, and learn from this and grow as much as I possibly can."
Even if that means walking past the postgame interview room with the spotlight that used to be his shining brightly on the other guy.
Heaps in 2011
Opponent Cmp-Att-Int Yards TDs Tot. Off.
at Ole Miss 24-38-1 225 1 207
at Texas 22-38-2 192 1 183
Utah 27-50-1 305 1 276
UCF 16-34-1 133 0 123
Utah State 11-25-0 107 0 112
Totals 100-185-5 962 3 901 —
Idaho State at BYU
P Saturday, 1 p.m.
TV • BYUtv