College
Kelly: Pike will play, not yet ready to start
By Scott Priestle, CNATI.com Posted November 10, 2009 1:54 PM ET
The next step in Tony Pike's recovery from injury will be off the bench. The veteran quarterback is able to play but not yet ready to play an entire game, Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly said Tuesday, so Zach Collaros will start Friday against West Virginia.
It will be Collaros's fourth straight start since Pike suffered a broken left forearm. His performance in the previous three games virtually forced Kelly to change the timetable on Pike's return.
Tony Pike
The hope now is that Pike is ready to start Nov.27 against Illinois. UC is off next week, so Pike will have a chance to shake off some rust Friday in a relief role, then practice for two more weeks before being asked to again lead the offense.
"Clearly, when Zach has come in, he's played at a high level, so it has allowed us to set that bar higher for Tony, in the sense that now we don't have to put him back in there until he's 100 percent," Kelly said. "When Tony is back to that level, he's our starter. He's not there yet. He's making great progress, and he's getting closer to 100 percent."
Collaros was named Big East offensive player of the week after throwing for 480 yards and running for 75 against Connecticut last Saturday. Since replacing Pike in the second half at South Florida on Oct.15, he has completed 70 of 89 passes for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns and run for 281 yards and four touchdowns, without turning the ball over.
The sophomore does not have Pike's height or arm strength, and Kelly has said he does not have Pike's grasp of the offense, but he has enough talent and poise to make defenses sweat.
Receiver Mardy Gilyard calls Collaros "the Joystick."
"Everybody has played Atari, the joystick, you know what I mean?" Gilyard said. "He's got moves. Zach has moves."
Pike is not as agile, but he is at least six inches taller with a cannon arm. Kelly has said Pike's experience in the passing game allows them to have detailed conversations about the playbook that the coach can not yet have with Collaros.
Kelly wants to take advantage of those attributes by playing Pike against West Virginia, but Pike won't start until he is sharper in practice and the forearm is able to withstand the hits a quarterback will take over four quarters.
"I'd rather not discuss how we would play him, because I think that loses the tactical advantage that we would have, but clearly we want to utilize Tony against West Virginia," Kelly said.
Pike said it has been "killing me inside" to not be part of the recent wins, but he understands the danger to his health and the offense's chemistry if he tried to return too soon.
"Physically, I think I'm almost there," he said after practice Tuesday. "But the big thing is mentally. The game changes a lot from where you're here in practice to in games. That's where the game experience comes in handy. What coach Kelly is talking about doing -- mixing me in a little bit here and there -- I think it's a good idea just to not rush in there right away and ease back into it and then see what happens during the bye week."
Pike was among the national leaders in passing yards, touchdown passes and pass-efficiency rating when he was injured during the first half at South Florida. He suffered essentially a repeat of the broken arm he suffered last season; the plate that was inserted then for stability was dented during the South Florida game and had to be replaced.
He said the arm "feels great now," but he continues to wear a special cast and faces some risk of reinjury for the remainder of the season.
Categories: College, Featured Stories, Football, News, University of Cincinnati Bearcats
Tags: Brian Kelly, Mardy Gilyard, Tony Pike, UC Bearcats, UC football, Zach Collaros
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