ISU students say: ‘Stop the carousel’ and choose a quarterback

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POCATELLO — The Bengals had UNLV on the ropes. Down 21–17, quarterback Jordan Cooke had just marched Idaho State to the 3-yard line. Momentum was theirs.

Then Cooke left the game.

In came back-up Jackson Sharman. One play later, the ball was going the other way — an interception that crushed the drive and swung the game. ISU would lose 38–31.

For fans, it was déjà vu.

“I’m not sure why they insist on taking out the hot hand and putting a new QB in the game to kill momentum,” said ISU fan Easton Colvin.

Head coach Cody Hawkins has made a habit of rotating quarterbacks mid-drive. After the UNLV loss, he only added to the confusion, leaving fans to wonder why a “running” QB was brought in to throw when Cooke had already led the team within striking distance.

“Jackson is a little bit more of a runner, but he can throw it as good as anybody I’ve been around,” Hawkins said. The words puzzled fans who have seen Sharman struggle in passing situations.

The uncertainty deepened against Southern Utah. Days before the game, EastIdahoSports.com reported Cooke would miss time with an undisclosed injury and Sharman would start. But on game day, Cooke surprisingly played the entire game, resulting in another loss. Days later, Cooke was ruled out indefinitely.

“I didn’t like it,” said ISU student Eddie Obray. “I thought that process interrupted the game and the energy of the team.”

History shows two-QB systems can work, but only when the roles are clear. In 2012, Northwestern paired runner Kain Colter with passer Trevor Siemian, winning games by mixing styles. Florida did the same in 2006, using Chris Leak and freshman Tim Tebow in specialized packages en route to a national championship. Both relied heavily on running plays rather than passing to make it work.

Idaho State’s system does not look like that. Instead of complementing each other, the Bengals’ quarterbacks often look out of sync.

As NFL legend John Madden once said: “If you have two quarterbacks, you really don’t have any.”

One student, who asked not to be named, put it more bluntly: “We just need one guy. Stop the carousel.”

That one guy could be Davis Harsin. Against New Mexico, the sophomore showed flashes of steadiness, going 17-for-26 with 181 yards and a touchdown. It was not perfect — he threw one pick — but it looked like a very good start.

After the game, students and fans asked broadly how Harsin’s performance felt and how they would feel if he were named the starter. The answer was nearly unanimous. Students agreed that committing to one quarterback would help the team build an identity they could root for and rely on.

“I just want to see us stick with a leader and give him a chance to run this team,” one student said.

Hawkins and the Bengals again used multiple quarterback in Saturday’s Bengal victory at the University of Northern Colorado. Cooke started and played the majority of the game, completing 12-of-33 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown, but he split time with Harsin, who went 2-of-7 for 41 yards while also rushing for 55 yards.