Practice Report - 8/25

Jon Drach or Chad Munson? The question of who will be the Broncos' starting quarterback for Thursday's CommUniverCity Night opener against Indiana State remained unanswered during Sunday's afternoon practice at the Davis Street fields.

But one thing is for sure - both quarterbacks will see playing time against the Sycamores, according to head coach Gary Darnell. Drach and Munson took an equal amount of snaps Sunday, with Drach being limited to intermediate passes as a precaution, after developing some soreness in his throwing elbow last Thursday. The junior had plenty of zip on his throws during the two-hour practice, however, and the only evidence of a problem was the white sleeve wrapped around his elbow.

Munson hasn't made the coaching staff's choice an easy one, particularly with his performance in practice over the last week.

"There were a few days at the beginning of camp where (Munson) was probably saying to himself, "Man, how am I going to play quarterback here," Darnell said. "He was just a little overwhelmed with everything. But he's really started to get things rolling over the last 10 days or so, and he's showing a lot more confidence."

Darnell said the final decision on a starter might come during today's weekly press conference held downtown at Webster's - but then again, maybe it won't.

"We'll get together and see where we are with that, but we don't really need to name someone until warm-ups on Thursday," Darnell said. "(Steve) Spurrier used to answer that by saying, "Don't worry, we'll have a guy out there to pitch it around."

Darnell expects both signal-callers to get game experience Thursday, but how much will depend on the nature of the contest. Indiana State has a history of great athletes in its athletic programs, with Darnell mentioning Larry Bird as an example, and the coach added that the Sycamore's starting 22 will be very comparable to the Broncos' starters.

"You can go check, but I know for a fact that they had more players sign pro contracts then we did last year," Darnell said. "They'll have some good athletes."

WMU's advantage, according to the coach, will be on the sidelines, with the Broncos carrying more depth at each position.

"That's why it will be important for us to get out on them early," Darnell said.