Vick and Sprague are duking it out for the starting QB job.
Entering the 2014 season, Ohio was fresh off of graduating a three-year starter under center in Tyler Tettleton and was looking primarily at two guys — redshirt junior Derrius Vick and redshirt sophomore J.D. Sprague — to fill the role and provide the next stable presence for the Bobcats.
A year later, that decision doesn’t appear to be much closer to being made.
It will once again be Vick, now a redshirt senior, and Sprague, now a redshirt junior, vying for the No.1 spot on the depth chart at quarterback in 2015. It is one of just three top spots on Ohio depth charts still up in the air, just weeks before the Sept. 3 opener at Idaho.
“We are a little slow in saying, ‘This guy’s the guy,’” coach Frank Solich said. “As coaches, we need to be able to stand behind our decision, and we can only do that after we’ve seen both guys operate in scrimmages and throughout camp. They need to be able to feel like they’ve had a real opportunity to compete for the job.”
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Whoever takes the reins for the Bobcats to begin the season will do so with fans hoping a year of experience will help improve an offense that ranked 10th out of 13 Mid-American Conference teams in total offense in 2014, and 11th in scoring.
Vick, despite steadfast neutrality from the coaching staff, appeared to be the consensus favorite for the job entering last season,making seven starts in a total of eight games. In that time, Vick completed 94 of 160 passes for 1,156 yards and eight touchdowns, while also rushing for 390 yards on 82 carries. Vick was awarded MAC Player of the Week by Athlon Sports for his opening week win over Kent State, during which he threw for 262 yards and ran for 35 more.
“I don’t see (the position battle) as a competition so much as just a way to get better,” Vick said. “My goal is to improve each and every day, just like it is for every other player out there, so I’m just worried about myself and what I can control.”
Sprague, meanwhile, was only a slightly less consistent presence in the offense, appearing in 10 games while starting five. He completed 98 of 202 passes for 1,236 yards and three TDs, while gaining 264 yards on the ground on 65 rushes.
Offensive coordinator Tim Albin said he “would not be surprised at all” if both quarterbacks received playing time at Idaho.
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On the defensive side of the ball, Ohio appears to be completely set up everywhere except for the line, where redshirt senior Brandon Purdum is battling for positions with junior Casey Sayles at defensive tackle and redshirt senior Watson Tautuiaki at nose tackle.
The cornerback position features possibly the most surprising shakeup of the entire roster, as senior Brett Layton has taken over the starting job from redshirt senior Devin Bass, a former second-team All-MAC defensive back, who has totaled 126 tackles and four interceptions in his time at Ohio.
Layton finished the season in 2014 ahead of Bass because of the latter’s injury troubles, with Bass still being featured heavily in dime and nickel defenses, especially against Miami (OH). Defensive coordinator Jimmy Burrow says he views both Layton and Bass as starters alongside redshirt senior Ian Wells entering 2015.
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