Alejandro Bennifield is taking most of the snaps for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga this spring, so not a whole lot looks different as far as practices have been concerned.
But offensive coordinator Jeff Durden’s job has changed quite a bit this spring, because instead of preparing Bennifield to be the backup quarterback to three-time Southern Conference offensive player of the year Jacob Huesman, he’s now getting Tyler Roberson ready.
Durden has been working a lot with the 6-foot-4, 210-pound junior, coaching him hard as he prepares Roberson to be prepared in the event that something happens to Bennifield, the presumed starter heading into the 2016 season.
Bennifield played in 12 games last season while Roberson appeared in 13, but most of the latter’s role was as a special teams player. Bennifield was able to get a lot of time as a versatile threat on offense, with over 100 yards passing and rushing while adding 41 yards on four receptions. He gained confidence with the added time as a backup, and now it’s Durden’s job to give Roberson that same confidence as a top reserve while still bringing Bennifield along as a first-time starter at the college level.
Head coach Russ Huesman says the quarterbacks are coming along well, especially Bennifield.
“Both have got enough ability to be really good players. There’s no question about that,” Coach Huesman said. “Dro (Bennifield) is obviously ahead of him, and the sky’s the limit for Dro. He’s made some great throws, some mistakes, but he doesn’t make excuses. If there’s one kid in the last three years that’s come along further than anybody, it’s Alejandro.
“I’ll go to war with him all day, every day.”
While Bennifield is more of a passer who happens to have elite athletic ability, Roberson is a natural runner who throws the ball well on the run. He has gone from getting “20 percent of the reps to now over 40,” according to Durden, but it’s a necessity with the quarterback’s need to run the ball in Durden’s offense.
Durden used “inconsistent” as the word to describe Roberson’s play since moving into the No. 2 slot.
“One day he can come out and play well, but when you speed the game up, his accuracy goes down,” Durden said. “I have to coach him better, put him in high-stress situations and see if he can calm down.”
He said Roberson does well as far as the running game but is still a work in progress in the college passing game.
“He’s like a Labrador retriever. They get up in the back of the truck, and they might jump out while you’re driving down the road,” Durden said. “We have to make sure we’re going slow so they don’t get hurt when they jump out.
“In our offense, you’re a play away. I’m doing (Roberson) a disservice if I don’t turn it up on him and make it tougher.”
Durden has been equally tough on Bennifield in practices, continually drilling the junior left-hander on making all of the right reads. It’s been a slight change for Bennifield this season as he’s no longer behind Huesman, but the hard coaching has helped him as he prepares for his initial season as the Mocs’ leader.
“Coach Durden wants me to learn the offense completely, so he’s been putting me in different situations to see if I can handle it,” Bennifield said. “In the past, he wasn’t as demanding because he was prepping Jake for the season, so I didn’t get as much time, but he’s been hard on me trying to get me ready for the season.
“I feel like I’m coming on pretty well. I know the offense and I’m getting better at the situational stuff, so I think I’m doing pretty well.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.