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Moving on to the next position group, the quarterbacks. Liberty coach Danny Rocco expects to name a starter at quarterback next week because he doesn’t want his team to be playing the QB guessing game during West Virginia game week, which kicks off Aug. 31. Friday, I’ll talk to offensive line coach Blaine McCorkle to get his read on the hog mollies up front. Next week, we dive into defensive previews.

In case you missed the first group of previews, here are the links:

Running backs

Wide receivers

The stats:
QBs lost
Brock Smith (179-for-278, 2,620 yards, 19 TD, 6 INT, 161.79 efficiency rating)

QBs returning
Spencer Landis (11-for-17, 88 yards, 108.19 efficiency)
Mike Brown (2-for-4, 25 yards, 102.5 efficiency)

The two frontrunners for the QB1 job (thanks Friday Night Lights) are Mike Brown (6-0, 190, rSo.) and South Carolina transfer Tommy Beecher (6-2, 227, rSr.). First, here’s Streeter’s evaluation of Beecher:

“Tommy’s doing very well as far as understanding the system goes, in the limited amount of time he’s had, which is something we knew was going to happen because of the offenses he’s worked in already. He knows football. He’s got that football sense, that football IQ. So he’s been able to pick it up a ton rather quickly here in the last couple of months. I think each day, he’s getting better. Obviously, the more and more reps he gets, the more comfortable he gets with the offense, and the more comfortable he gets with his confidence and making decisions.“

Streeter on Beecher’s biggest strengths:

“I think he brings a presence to the team. He’s a calming presence. I think he’s got leadership qualities. And he really has good feet. He does some things well with his feet so that he can make things happen outside of the pocket. That’s something that’s impressive to us. Overall, he’s made some good decisions. That’s obviously what we’re looking for.“

Streeter on the identifiable weaknesses in Beecher’s game:

“Some timing and footwork, and that’s going to be tough to change at this stage of his career. But overall, he’s been pretty good.“

Brown has shuttled back and forth between quarterback and receiver during the preseason, something that will likely continue throughout the year. He’s handled it well, Streeter said.

“He’s one of the big leaders on our team, and I think he’s taken to this role very well, as the guy who can play quarterback or receiver. He’s that talented, and he’s that smart. He’s been thrust into a situation where he could play a couple of different positions. He’s just that valuable to our team. He’s our vocal leader on offense. He just does a lot of things very well.“

Streeter on the improvement in Brown’s passing game:

“I think it’s just understanding the system. When he started understanding the system, he just got more and more confident with his reps. And the more and more reps he gets, the better he gets. I think I was most impressed, as an athletic guy and a shorter guy, he’s got a lot of poise in the pocket. That really said a lot to us as coaches. We’re not limited with either of them. We can run all of our stuff with both guys. Each one is going to have his strengths that we can play to. But both of them do a lot of things well.“

Last season, when Brown came into the game, it was usually to run one play: a direct snap run play over tackle in a sort of Wildcat formation. That will change this year.

“No doubt about it,“ Streeter said. “He’s been able to be an all-around quarterback, and on top of that, be very explosive running the football at the quarterback position.“

Spencer Landis (6-2, 185, Sr.) has been Brock Smith’s main backup for the last few seasons, but he’s been plagued by a sore elbow since the spring, limiting his availability and his ability to throw the football with any consistency.

“We’re kind of going through that now with the doctors and just kind of waiting to see the prognosis,“ Streeter said. “We just kind of play it day-by-day. He’s a guy that gives us a lot of leadership. He’s got a lot of knowledge of the offense. He’s had a good camp for us when he’s been out there. It’s just a matter of getting that thing healthy.“

With Landis limited, Tyler Brennan (6-3, 205, rFr.) has gotten an extended look during camp as the No. 3 quarterback. Streeter’s impressions of the youngster from South Carolina:

“He’s done well. We knew that Tyler had tools. He had the body. He had the size, the arm strength. He was just lacking reps in the last year. We knew that whenever he would get reps, the more reps he got, the better off he was going to be. He’s proven to us that’s the case. He’s been able to take each day and get better. I’ve been getting more and more confident in Tyler as far as making decisions, and knowing where to go with the football. It’s just experience, and me trusting him. We’re starting to get to that point now.“

With Landis and Beecher being seniors, Brennan will have a chance to make an impact in 2010. What does he have to do to prepare himself for that?

“I would think that he just needs to continue to build trust,“ Streeter said. “I need to trust that he’s going to make the right decisions and be smart with the football. He needs to keep building on understanding the big picture, not only offensively, but defensively—what their roles on defense are going to be so he can anticipate throws.“

There’s a good chance that Brian Hudson (6-4, 200, Fr.) will redshirt, considering the depth in front of him at QB. That will give Hudson a chance to work with the scout team, helping out with valuable game preparations.

“He’s done a good job this preseason,“ Streeter said. “Obviously, he’s limited rep-wise, because we have four in front of him right now. He’s definitely got a lot of potential. We definitely liked him out of high school, and he’s going to bring another deal to the picture, where you’ve got a big body that can move well. It’s just a matter of him gaining confidence in our system.“