Colorado State University Athletics
CSU names Farris starting quarterback
8/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 11, 2008
By Zak Gilbert
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – There will be no quarterback controversy at Colorado State. Less than a week into fall camp, first-year Head Coach Steve Fairchild on Monday named Billy Farris the starter for the Rams’ Aug. 31 opener against Colorado.
“I really liked the leadership and demeanor Billy showed in the spring,” said Fairchild, himself a former Rams starting quarterback. “But he didn’t take anything for granted at that point. He really took charge over the summer, during our conditioning program and the players’ workouts. That was where he earned the respect and confidence of his teammates.
“Now, it’s clear at this point in camp that he has the trust of his coaches, in addition to his head coach. We’ll move forward with Billy as one of our leaders.”
Farris, a 6-foot-3, 223-pound senior from Baton Rouge, La., will make his first career start in the game, the Qwest Rocky Mountain Showdown, a nationally televised contest on FSN. CSU will renew one of the country’s most closely contested series, at Denver’s Invesco Field at Mile High against its oldest rival, the Buffaloes. No other game in the nation, college or NFL, will be played on that Sunday evening.
While Farris has played in just nine games and thrown only 39 passes, the Rams will surrounded him with one of the deepest backfields in the nation, led by seniors Gartrell Johnson and Kyle Bell, and one of the conference’s most experienced lines. Farris also has a dangerous target in tight end Kory Sperry, who recently joined the John Mackey Award watch list. Sperry caught three TDs against CU last season.
Farris replaces Caleb Hanie, who led the Mountain West Conference in passing efficiency last year before signing with the Chicago Bears, where he’s competing for a roster spot this fall.
The Rams have five quarterbacks on their roster, including junior Grant Stucker, redshirt freshmen T.J. Borcky and Klay Kubiak, and true freshman Alex Kelly. Since March, the coaching staff had considered all five for the starting role, until Monday.
Despite four consecutive non-winning seasons and a new coaching staff, the Rams in no way are conceding 2008 as a rebuilding year. They want to win and win this year, with a talented senior class that includes Farris, and those coaches believe Farris gives the team its best opportunity.
