BILLINGS – Three weeks into the college football season, opposing defenses are still guessing which quarterback they’ll face against Rocky Mountain College. And it looks like that’ll be the case for the foreseeable future.
Battlin’ Bears head coach Jason Petrino told MTN Sports on Labor Day that he’ll continue to rotate Jacob Bakken, Drew Korf and Nate Dick. All three have played in both games this early season, and all three accounted for scoring plays in Saturday’s 51-7 win at MSU-Northern.
Bakken is again proving himself as Rocky’s starter, but truth is, even Petrino isn’t sure when the other guys might see action.
“I think situations, of course, that’s going to dictate a lot — really, situations and what guys are seeing,” he said. “If you’re seeing something completely different than what your preparation is, it’s good to sit.”
It’s a strategy Petrino and the offense used last season with promising results.
“Like, Jake last year, we would sit him on the third series and just sit back and say, ‘Hey, just watch it from the sideline and kind of see what things you’re supposed to be seeing,'” said Petrino. “It really helped Jake as he came in and settled him down, for sure.”
The three-quarterback rotation also helps counter defensive surprises.
“Especially if it’s something that we’ve prepared for all week, and they (opposing defenses) come out with something completely different, then you want to step back and say, ‘Hey, see what they’re doing,’ and hopefully he can get comfortable,” Petrino said.
No. 20 Rocky (2-0) hosts No. 13 Dickinson (N.D.) State Saturday at 1 p.m. The Bears will be celebrating Hall of Fame Weekend.
The Blue Hawks (1-0), with head coach Pete Stanton entering his fifth year, cruised past Jamestown 51-0 in their season opener.
