Collaros ready for starring role

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CINCINNATI -- Coaches always tell backup quarterbacks to prepare as if they're the starter, but Zach Collaros admits he might not have totally followed that plan last spring.

Collaros was moonlighting with the Cincinnati baseball team, and besides, everybody knew that Tony Pike was entrenched as the Bearcats No. 1 quarterback. This spring, though, is a much different story.

"Usually at night last year, I'd be thinking, 'I've got to go back up Tony tomorrow,'" Collaros said. "Now I'll sit there and read through my notes and try to be prepared for everything the next day so I can play fast and get the offense down."

New Cincinnati coach Butch Jones hasn't officially named Collaros his starter yet, and Chazz Anderson has won games under center for this team. But Jones would have to ignore all the on-field evidence from 2009 to keep Collaros on the bench.

Coming from seemingly nowhere, Collaros was thrust into action at South Florida when Pike injured his forearm. While people were still flipping through the bios to learn something about him, Collaros ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run that broke the game open.

He then proceeded to go 4-0 as a starter, completing 75 percent of his passes and compiling 14 touchdowns with his arm and his feet. Against Connecticut, he set a Big East record with 555 total yards, including 480 through the air. Two games later, he went back on the sidelines as Pike returned.

With Pike graduated, expectations are sky high for Collaros for his first full season as a starter.

"I'm looking forward to it," he says. "I've never been one to shy away from expectations. We have a great offense, and as long as I get the ball in the receivers' hands, things are going to happen."

It's not just his passing ability that excites people, though. Collaros is a quick, elusive runner who opens up all kinds of options in the offense. His talents should fit in perfectly with Jones' offensive system.

At Central Michigan, Jones coached another dual-threat quarterback in Dan LeFevour, who ended his career as the NCAA's all-time leader in touchdowns, throwing for over 12,000 yards and running for more than 2,500 yards. Collaros said he's watched lots of film of LeFevour and hopes to follow in his footsteps.

Jones calls Collaros a confident player and a quick learner. But he says the junior quarterback is not a finished product.

"Some of Zach's strengths are his ability to make a play when the pocket collapses, and when you're not in a live situation, at times you really can't see that," Jones said. "I think what he needs to do is learn how to manage a game and make correct decisions and not just be a gunslinger who runs around and throws the football up."

There's no doubting Collaros's competitiveness. He is 34-0 as a starter in high school and college. And with a full offseason of a starter's preparation, he might just be the best quarterback in the Big East in 2010.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post...g-and-starring

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Collaros took over for the injured Pike and with the Bearcats clinging to a 17-10 lead midway through the third quarter they had a third and long from their own 25. Collaros took the snap and ran a quarterback option 75 yards to the house. The Bearcats haven't looked back since.

Collaros led Cincinnati to a 34-17 victory over the Bulls in Tampa and allowed fans and players to breathe a little easier, despite the fact that their star quarterback was going to be out for over a month.

Collaros stepped into the starting role the next week against Louisville and Cincinnati didn't miss a beat, winning 41-10. Collaros finished 15-for-17 for 253 yards and three touchdowns.

After leading the Bearcats to a 28-7 victory over Syracuse, Collaros had the best game of any player in the history of Cincinnati football during the Bearcats 47-45 dramatic victory over Connecticut.

The redshirt sophomore was 29-for-37 with 480 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 75 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns. On that unseasonably warm November night in Cincinnati, a star was born.

Collaros, with the help of Pike, then led Cincinnati to a 24-21 victory over No. 25 West Virginia, before relinquishing his starting role to Pike for the final two games of the regular season.

Over that span of four plus games Collaros threw for 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns to go along with only two interceptions. He also rushed for 344 yards and four touchdowns.

Upon giving the job back to the senior Pike, Collaros didn't complain once. He knew 2010 was his chance to step into the starting lineup and lead the Bearcats.

Well, 2010 is here and Collaros has been bred to be a college quarterback, dating back to his high school years in the Valley.

Collaros hails from Steubenville, Ohio. For those who have never heard of Steubenville, it is a small town of about 20,000 people located on the Ohio River.

For how small of a town it is, Steubenville has produced it share of stars, including Jimmy the Greek, actor Dean Martin, and Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers.

The city is located on the Ohio-West Virginia border and football comes first in Steubenville.

Collaros played his high school days for the Steubenville Big Red and in his last two seasons led the Big Red to back-to-back state championships and a combined 30-0 record.

He was the Ohio Division III high school player of the year in 2006 and also starred in baseball.

It didn't take new head coach Butch Jones long to convince Collaros that football was his future and the two-sport star has put his collegiate baseball days behind him.

As the spring game fast approaches and spring practices are winding down, Jones had singled out Collaros along with J.K. Schaffer and Isaiah Pead as team leaders.

Collaros will have no problem accepting that role, that is what he has been bred to do. He is a born winner and has succeeded at every level he has played on. He has a will to win that allowed him to go 30-0 as a high school quarterback.

With the amount of talent the Bearcats have surrounded Collaros with, it is hard to imagine him not being successful.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3...arcats-in-2010

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How is Collaros doing this spring?