Korn Could Receive "Critical Snaps"
Ed McGranahan
September 13, 2007
CLEMSON -- Freshman quarterback Willy Korn could earn playing time "in a more critical situation" this season, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said Wednesday, but starter Cullen Harper said he's doesn't see the need to gravitate to a two-quarterback system.
"That would surprise me honestly," Harper said when told of Bowden's remarks.
"I don't see it coming to that," he said. "If I just continue to go out and play well I think there won't be any dual-quarterback scenario."
Korn who graduated from Byrnes High School in December and enrolled at Clemson in January, entered Saturday's win over Louisiana-Monroe late in the third quarter, completed his first pass and, scored a touchdown to cap his first drive. He completed 6 of 8 passes for 49 yards.
Harper was named conference offensive back of the week after completing 20 of 26 passes for 270 yards and a school-record five touchdowns.
While Bowden concedes Harper "is doing pretty good," he sees a need to prepare Korn to be ready this season.
"If he continues to do what he's doing, there's an opportunity that I would play him in a more critical situation other than at the end of a game," Bowden said.
"That was a very good sign," he said. "A guy goes in there and goes 6-for-8 again, I don't care who you're going against that's pretty good."
Bowden drew a parallel to the situation at the University of Georgia a while back when Coach Mark Richt would bring D.J. Shockley off the bench periodically for starter David Green.
"Give him a series in the first quarter, a series in the second quarter, (a) series in the third, maybe something like that," Bowden said. "I haven't thought that far ahead yet."
Should Harper sustain an injury, "the son of a gun has had some snaps in critical situations."
Bowden said the line between first-team and second-team has not been blurred.
"Willy Korn's getting a lot better, but the other guy's pretty good," he said. "He's our first-team quarterback.
"I don't know any other way to explain it."
While Harper said he doesn't "see it coming to that," he said the discussion "is getting old."
Bowden said none of this is a result of dissatisfaction with Harper.
"He's performing," the coach said. "Hopefully he can keep doing that."
In eight previous seasons, Bowden has changed quarterbacks mid-season only once in 2002 when Charlie Whitehurst replaced Willie Simmons after a couple of cameos.
"I've never had this situation before," Bowden said. "I'm in uncharted waters."
He's eager, though, to see Korn repeat his performance against Monroe.
"I'm anxious to see how he does the next time he goes in," he said. "He puts that back to back to back then say, 'Hey we've got something that might need to get looked at pretty early.'"
Running back James Davis suggested this week that offensive coordinator Rob Spence find a way to get Korn on the field in a complementary role to Harper, but Bowden said that's not likely to happen. And Spence has said he prefers not like to prepare two quarterbacks for a game.
In a separate interview earlier this week, Harper said wondered if he'd ever become the Tigers' starter after sitting on the bench last season while the offense struggled while losing four of the final five games.
"You wonder, hey, if they're not playing me now are they going to play me next year," he said. "I guess they thought there were other problems than quarterback, and they felt like the fifth-year senior was the guy, so they stuck by their guy.
"Obviously I wanted to play, but I respected their decision."
All sorts of things have gone through his mind.
"I've always dreamed of playing here," he said. "Just the thought of not playing next year, I hate to say it but that's not what you practice for to come out here and be a backup again.
"I definitely didn't want to do that."
