Earlier this week, I mentioned Florida International's two-quarterback rotation. In each game, FIU has used two quarterbacks - freshman Alex McGough and junior E.J. Hilliard.
While head coach Ron Turner has said both will play earlier, McGough will apparently get the nod first and, according to the Miami Herald, will be the starter. Turner also reaffirmed his commitment to play both, according to the paper. Hilliard entered the season as the starter but that didn't last long.
Neither is all that mobile (they have a combined eight sacks against them) and both have showed reasons they could be the starter. Hilliard has been far more accurate, completing 77% of his passes to McGough's 49%. But Hilliard has yet to throw for a touchdown while McGough has three. One interesting thing is that neither have thrown an interception yet.
The other factor, of course, is that McGough is a true freshman and will get his first taste of the FBS. FIU's first two games have come against FCS teams, so the step up in competition is something he'll see immediately as the starter.
In the end, I'm not sure how much this matters to Pitt. Truthfully, I think letting McGough get into the flow of the game from the sidelines would have been a better option. But the game's at home and he's played so much already anyway that it's likely not all that much of a difference maker.
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