QBs Driskel, Higgins end spring in tight race

RUSTON – Louisiana Tech quarterbacks Jeff Driskel and Ryan Higgins ended the spring the same way it began — in a tight battle for the starting job.

For 15 practices, Higgins battled with Florida transfer Jeff Driskel, who most assumed to be a shoo-in as the next starter, to end spring ball with no clear-cut winner.

Tech coach Skip Holtz said two weeks ago he had no immediate plans to name his starter, a decision that will likely come in August when fall camp opens.

In the meantime, Higgins did enough during spring practice to keep the heat on Driskel, who is still learning and digesting the offense.

"I think Ryan Higgins has had a great spring. We've talked about that," Holtz said after Saturday's spring game. "Jeff has done a really nice job of coming in and picking it up. (Redshirt freshman) Price (Wilson) gets better day and keeps maturing and growing. I feel really good about all three. I think they're going to be really good quarterbacks and they're all going to have their day out there in that stadium."

Driskel's day as the starter could come as early as Sept. 5 against Southern, but it won't be gift-wrapped.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound senior made strides throughout the spring, although it ended with a few miscues Saturday when he threw for 269 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.

"The coaches have done an awesome job of really teaching. Spring was pretty long so we had a chance to get a lot of meetings in and watch the tape and really analyze every play," Driskel said. "I just gotta go back and watch every play of spring in the summer and see what I can learn and retain everything going into fall camp."

Higgins, meanwhile, led his team to three scoring drives in the first half and one in the second half without any turnovers.

The former 2013 starter finished 18-of-26 for 214 yards and a touchdown.

"I improved little by little every time," Higgins said of the entire spring. "This past offseason was big, like I said before, with my football IQ and really studying film."

Holtz said he was impressed with zero turnovers from Higgins, especially after his 6-to-13 turnover-to-interception ratio in 2013, but was quick to point out he'll take into consideration the entire spring.

"He did a nice job of not turning it over. It's definitely something you gotta look at," Holtz said. "We'll evaluate all of it, just watching the film and grading it."

"I used that analogy earlier, you got a bunch of quizzes and you have a final exam. The final exam is important but you gotta look at the whole body of workout throughout the course of the spring."

Using that thought process, it's hard to judge who had the upper hand since March when spring practice started.

Higgins arguably won the spring game due to his ability to consistently move the ball down the field without making any large mistakes, and his teammates have been impressed with his strides.

"His progression has been tremendous, for sure," Tech wide receiver Trent Taylor said. "I've just seen a difference in him from the start of spring until now. Going into the spring game with him I had complete confidence having him on my side."

However, Driskel also showed flashes, like when he hit Marlon Watts down the sideline for a 40-yard catch on fourth-and-1.

Overall, Driskel might have earned a slight advantage on Higgins when taking into account the entire spring, especially the strong arm he displayed.

Plus, Driskel hardly had a chance to unleash his running ability. He showed glimpses of it in Tech's first scrimmage when he jolted 35 yards on a quarterback keeper, but the quarterbacks weren't live for the spring game.

One thing worth noting is how Tech handled the quarterback race last year with Higgins and Cody Sokol.

Back then, it was widely assumed Sokol would earn the starting job, but the Iowa transfer took longer to hit his stride. By the time mid August rolled around, Holtz had seen enough to give Sokol the nod.

The same can be said about Driskel. Tech's coaches have stressed he needs time to fully grasp what they're throwing at him before Holtz can go all in with a decision.

"I don't think we wasted a rep," Driskel said. "We came out and practiced with a purpose every day and hopefully we can take the momentum into the summer."

Regardless, Tech is in a much better situation than a year ago when Higgins and Scotty Young were the only quarterbacks on the roster in April.

Young later quit the team before Sokol came in and saved the season by being named Conference USA Newcomer of the Year.

"It was a real exciting game, a lot more exciting than last year," Higgins said.

Connect with Sean Isabella on Twitter at ST_IsabellaTNS