Major Applewhite knows a thing or two about a quarterback controversy.

At the University of Texas, Applewhite started and excelled for his first two seasons on the Longhorns football team. He won game after game and was Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year his sophomore season. By the end of his junior season, Applewhite held the Longhorns record for passing yards.

When he partially tore the posterior cruciate ligament of his right knee against Texas Tech on Nov. 4, 2000, Applewhite was replaced by Chris Simms, a hot-shot quarterback two years his junior.

Simms guided the Longhorns the rest of the year, and by the time Applewhite recovered from the injury the following season, he found himself holding a clipboard and observing his senior season from the bench.

It’s safe to say Applewhite, now the Syracuse quarterbacks coach, can relate with the battles Syracuse’s quarterbacks, Joe Fields and Perry Patterson, have endured the past year.

‘You’ve got to be ready to go,’ Applewhite said after SU’s first practice Monday. ‘Our guys are mature and smart enough to know that people care about quarterbacks and they don’t care about right guards. They just don’t. It doesn’t make headlines.’

As a true freshman, Fields won the starting job at the onset of last season, only to have the sophomore Patterson replace him four games in. Fields never started again and played sparingly the rest of the season.

Now Applewhite is guiding three young quarterbacks – Patterson, Fields and redshirt freshman Matt Hale through an all-too-familiar process.

Fields and Patterson have been smitten with Applewhite, praising the first-year coach for teaching them new concepts. Applewhite, 26 and only four years removed from his playing days, relates well with the SU quarterbacks.

‘He’s teaching us so much because he’s played the position before,’ Fields said after one practice with Applewhite. ‘He’s teaching us little things. Not necessarily things to cheat on, but little things to help you play quarterback.’

Offensive coordinator Brian Pariani and Applewhite have been busy installing a West Coast-style offensive attack. Applewhite said he wants not only a quarterback who can lead and motivate his teammates, but also a player who is decisive and takes care of the ball.

The offense that Pariani and offensive line coach Bob Wylie have brought with them from the NFL is a hodgepodge of setups. Pariani spent the past 10 seasons as tight ends coach for the Denver Broncos, and Syracuse’s new attack borrows concepts from the Broncos.

Even though Applewhite never played in the NFL, he’s familiar with the West Coast offense. For the past seven seasons, Greg Davis has served as UT’s offensive coordinator, and he taught Applewhite the system.

After Applewhite graduated from Texas, he signed a free-agent contract with the New England Patriots. He left the Patriots, though, to finish his sports management degree at Texas and pursue a career in coaching.

Applewhite served as a graduate assistant for two years at Texas, learning even more from Davis. In effect, the offensive setups that Davis, Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak and Pariani utilize all borrow similar concepts from each other.

‘I’ve played in that system,’ Applewhite said. ‘Greg (Davis) would always visit Gary Kubiak.’

Applewhite was calm Monday during his second appearance with the press since being hired. He answered questions about Fields, Patterson and Hale with ease and intelligence.

Applewhite wore an orange SU baseball cap, which on the inside of the brim still had the NCAA authenticity sticker. Applewhite has been at Syracuse for less than three months, and he watched the quarterbacks for only two and a half hours Monday. But he still understands the important role he has in guiding them.

Applewhite’s stressed to the quarterbacks that a team needs two sound options at the position.

‘It’s important for them to keep that in perspective – there’s another 10 guys on the field,’ Applewhite said. ‘They never know when they’re going to be called upon.’

Applewhite can relate.

After Simms struggled in the last two games against Oklahoma and Colorado, Texas coach Mack Brown chose Applewhite to start Texas’ next game against Washington.

Applewhite led Texas on a legendary game-winning touchdown drive in the final 1:11, ending his career with a stunning victory over the Huskies. All season, he took his backup role graciously. And even if there was some resentment from being benched, Applewhite never showed it.

Now Patterson and Fields can learn how to handle themselves in an ongoing quarterback competition.

‘I’ve been kind of reliving my life story with them and telling them you’ve got to get ready,’ Applewhite said. ‘You never know when you’ve got to be ready.’

Published on March 29, 2005 at 12:00 pm