BOCA RATON, Fla. — Last week, as the Florida Atlantic Owls prepared for the spring game, coaches said to keep an eye on the two positions: the offensive line and the quarterback competition.
"Everybody wants to talk about Cam Fancher, and rightfully so, but Tyriq is going to have something to say about it," head coach Tom Herman said.
On Saturday, O-line gave up a few sacks, but the QB battle lived up to the hype between Fancher, the Marshall redshirt junior transfer, and redshirt junior Tyriq Starks.
Starks threw for three touchdowns and Fancher for one.
In the first quarter, Starks struck first.
No. 8 dropped, taking what the defense gave him, and found an open Milan Tucker, who used his shifty moves to find blockers and score the game's first touchdown.
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But this wouldn't be a QB battle if Fancher didn't swing back moments later. Fancher marched the red squad down the field, and like Starks, he stayed poised in the pocket and found a slanting Omari Hayes for the touchdown, which tied the game up.
"The defense was flying around today," Fancher said. "I feel like the offense and defense were battling throughout the whole day. It was good to see that."
To ice the game, Starks showed off his pretty touch for a deep-field bomb to Joesph Young to wrap things up with the Red team winning 25-18.
"I've always had touch and a nice, pretty arm that could deliver passes across the field," Starks said. "The confidence was always there; it was just the opportunities to show it."
With the spring workouts done, the team turns its attention to Aug. 31, when the Owls will take on Michigan State to start the season.
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With a tight quarterback battle, Starks and Fancher still support one another.
"As a room, we just work as one, so when we see one guy having success, we're having the same joy he's having," Fancher said.
"Cam is a great player. He motivates me, and hopefully, I motivate him," Starks said. "We both feed off each other and just get better. At the end of the day, we are all in one room."