BOULDER — Colorado is in the midst of a quarterback competition for the second-consecutive season.
This time around, freshman Brendon Lewis has a 50-50 chance to win the job. That wasn’t the case in 2020, when he was relegated to third-team reps while Colorado’s more-experience signal-callers dueled it out.
“It was hard,” Lewis said Saturday, the first day that the quarterbacks spoke with reporters during fall camp. “I would say it was hard but I’d say the biggest thing I got out of that was watching Sam (Noyer) and Tyler (Lytle) in there and getting mental reps. That’s the biggest thing is getting mental reps so that when you go in there you’re not confused and don’t know what to do.”
So far in camp, it doesn’t sound like Lewis is confused. While media isn’t permitted to watch the practices, head coach Karl Dorrell has made positive remarks about his quarterbacks’ decision-making every time he has taken the podium so far in camp.
Quarterbacks coach Danny Langsdorf has liked what he’s seen from both quarterbacks, too, but for Lewis, the key to winning the starting job will be continuing to hone in his accuracy.
“I think you’ve seen improved accuracy,” Langsdorf said Saturday. “I would say this right to his face: there’s some balls he’s got to make that are easier throws that we’ve missed at times.”
Still, the overall reports on Lewis are positive, and Lewis also feels he’s taken a step forward.
“I’ve grown since I came here in 2019. I’ve grown tremendously,” Lewis said. “Relationships, skill of the game, all of that, knowledge of the game, getting the speed of the game, just growing tremendously. Every time I step on the field I feel like I’ve grown.”
The most notable time Lewis has taken a step on the field—and the one time he’s seen real, in-game action at the college level—was in Colorado’s Alamo Bowl loss against Texas. Lewis entered the game facing a 14-point deficit and immediately led his offense down the field for a touchdown. Colorado lost 55-23 but coaches have said Lewis graded out well, putting up six completions on 10 attempts for 95 yards and 73 yards and a touchdown on nine carries in the running game.
“Playing against Texas, getting the speed of the game and knowing I can make plays against them, that helped me tremendously,” Lewis said. “I feel like I can do it against anybody and it just made me more confident going out here for practice.”
On Friday, Dorrell told reporters that this year’s playbook will be two or three times the size of the playbook that Colorado used last year. Of course, that means it will be even tougher for the team to digest.
So far, the learning process has gone well for Lewis.
“It’s not too hard, not too difficult,” Lewis said. “You’ve just gotta study more and spend more time in the playbook. The more they throw at you, you’ve just gotta study more at home.”
For the most part, Lewis has been studying his playbook solo. He does meet up with receivers or offensive linemen to watch film.
“When we have free time we’ll go up and watch film on games or certain plays that we feel like we need to work on,” Lewis said.
He said he’s watched film with Shrout, the other candidate for starting quarterback, too. While competing for a job with somebody you spend every day with sounds like it could be a toxic combination, Lewis isn’t concerned.
“We’ve all been there before, competing for jobs,” Lewis said. “It’s just part of the game.”
For more on the format of Colorado’s quarterback competition, check out today’s Camp Notes.
