With his competition Adam Froman sidelined for over a week with a pulled muscle, the only question remaining was how soon University of Louisville football coach Steve Kragthorpe would proclaim Justin Burke the survivor.
The word finally came Tuesday evening that Burke, a product of Lexington Catholic High, will be the starting quarterback when U of L opens the season against Indiana State.
Of Burke, Kragthorpe had this to say to ESPN’s Brian Bennett:
“He’s a very intelligent player. He’s a guy who has a good grasp of what we’re trying to do offensively, a guy who has a good grasp of what the defense is trying to do. He’s a guy works extremely hard, he’s very diligent in preparing himself both physically and mentally.
“He’s always in the meeting room early watching a lot of tape. He’s his own worst critic. I think one of the things I’ll have to do to make sure he plays well for us is make sure he stays positive when he makes a mistake.”
Having watched both quarterbacks extensively in practice, the observer believes the question of who will start the following game two weeks later is yet to be answered.
Too bad Froman wasn’t able to go. Watched him in HS and JC here in norcal, and you have a leader, the kind of QB who can pick up a team, put them on his back, and carry them to a win. You all are going to love him.
Good decision based on the options. Kragthorpe is going to exceed expectations this year.
I agree all should see some time against ISU, but Burke needs to get his timing and as much experience as he can in real game situations if we are going to have a chance against UK. I promise if we have to shuffle QB’s against the Cats, the game won’t be in our favor. Give Burke a few weeks to prove himself, and if he can’t handle it then give Froman a shot when he is healthy, not before though. Getting this team ready for the UK game is huge, if UofL could somehow pull out that upset, I think they could maybe get to 6-6. Here’s to hoping Burke can play with confidence and be the QB he has the potential to be.
If he can’t gain confidence against ISU..he never will. Quarterback a quarter, that’s what I want. Start it with Burke, Froman in the 2nd quarter, Stoudt starts the second half and Stein finishes.
Why not? If Froman can’t go…move up the order and let Castro finish. It may be the only fun game we have all year long. Let them all take part in the party.
Having watched him play several times, I can tell you Justin was an exceptional quarterback at Lexington Catholic. Hopefully the opening game experience will give him the boost in confidence he needs to become a good college quarterback.
Darn shame both of them weren’t at full strength because it leaves the question unanswered about who is the better quarterback in Kragthorpe’s opinion. The good news is that both of them will have to work harder to prove themselves. Here’s to an injury-free week ahead for the rest of the team.