Utah State’s quarterback competition hasn’t been settled just yet

Utah State football coach Blake Anderson isn’t ready to name his starting quarterback just yet.

With the Aggies’ season-opener against Washington State just days away, juniors Logan Bonner and Andrew Peasley are still locked in a battle for the starting job, Anderson said this week.

“We’re still in a quarterback competition,” the coach told reporters. “We’re trying to be as far and as transparent and as deliberate as we can be. We’ve had great conversations with both young men. They’ve both done phenomenal jobs.”

Bonner followed Anderson to Logan from Arkansas State, where he had started 11 games, threw 18 touchdowns, and earned an All-Sun Belt Conference honorable mention in 2020. But Bonner broke a bone in his foot during spring and, while healthy now, is still acclimating to a new team in Logan.

“We want him … to catch up on the reps that he missed,” Anderson said.

Peasley appeared in five games and started twice last season. He completed 37 of 69 attempts for 391 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

“Peasley, who had a phenomenal spring, has had maybe as good a summer of any player, not just quarterback, that I’ve been around,” Anderson said.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior could provide the Aggies a running threat at quarterback. He rushed for 195 yards and one score on 22 carries last season.

“They’re both some dogs. I think they both have different strengths,” Utah State wide receiver Deven Thompkins said. “Peasley, for example, can use his legs really well. He’s fast and can get down the field and make those big plays with his legs. … Logan is more of a pocket passer, but he’s accurate with his pocket passing.

“They both bring something different to the table. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter to me who’s back there. We catch balls from both of them every single day.”

The decision, however, matters plenty to Anderson.

“There’s no bigger decision than who the quarterback is going to be,” the coach said.

Anderson said he has had to use dual-quarterback systems and rotations in the past, but would prefer to settle on one starter.

“We just want to make the right choice as to who that’s going to be in the long term,” he said. “There’s a chance that we name a guy before Saturday. There’s a very real cache that both play and we let live football kind of dictate where we head from there. We feel like this is bigger than one game … or one person. We want to make sure we’ve got the right guy leading the program for the future. We’re not going to rush it.”