Who Should Start at QB at BYU?

Gunner Kiel may very well be the most talented QB the University of Cincinnati has ever seen.  Before the season began there was absolutely zero question he would be the starter.  It seems however, he appears to be more fragile than a potato chip and has barely finished half the games he has started in his career.  That’s not to say his absences are unwarranted because he has taken some pretty vicious hits in his career (Exhibit A and Exhibit B) but the facts are the facts.

With that said, can anybody reading this honestly say they expected Hayden Moore to create a QB controversy at any point in Gunner’s career?  Does anybody think this is a bad thing?  I certainly don’t.  So the question is not necessarily who will start against BYU Friday night but who should start against the Cougars?  Is the answer to both questions the same?  Only Tommy Tuberville and Eddie Gran know the answer at this point.

Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

From a purely statistical standpoint both players are remarkably even thus far.  Moore has 114 pass attempts to Kiel’s 111 with Kiel completing 63.1% to Moore’s 59.6%.  Both players have thrown five interceptions but Moore has seven touchdown passes compared to Kiel’s five.  Rushing statistics favor Kiel as well and Gunner seems more willing to keep the ball on read option plays, which is part of the reason he continues to get injured.  Because Moore does not get the ball out as quickly defenses are more willing to blitz and apply pressure in an attempt to force him into mistakes and at times the offense has stalled when faced with the added pressure.

The numbers lean slightly toward Kiel but its also necessary to point out that Hayden Moore has not played a meaningful snap this season with Mike Boone on the field.  He was without Chris Moore and Johnny Holton against Miami (FL) but led the Bearcats to victory regardless.  He seems to have a great chemistry with Max Morrison and plays with remarkable poise for a redshirt freshman with only one career start.  Oh, and this happened.

I don’t dispute that Gunner is the leader of this football team but it is impossible to ignore what Moore has accomplished this season and its logical to assume that has translated to a huge amount of respect and trust earned from his teammates and his coaching staff.

Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

After all this I ask the same two questions…  Who should start and who will start against BYU?

I believe Hayden Moore should start against BYU.  Although Kiel is cleared to play Friday I don’t see the harm in allowing him to continue to rest after his neck injury.  Moore has earned the right to start this game, especially now that he has a full compliment of skill players at his disposal.  The bye week and more reps with the first string will only help in his preparation for this game.

I believe that Gunner Kiel will start against BYU.  I think he has more of Tommy Tuberville’s trust and he has more game experience than Moore.  He has played longer with this group of receivers and his mere presence may alter BYU’s defensive gameplan to be more conservative (i.e. less blitzing more zone).

Either way this is a great problem to have.  It appears the Bearcats are set for four years at QB which is absolutely critical in this day and age.  Yet more reason to be optimistic for the future of this program.