Freedom Bowl Notebook : BYU Coach Delays Picking Quarterback

Placing himself in charge of pregame entertainment for the Freedom Bowl, Brigham Young University Coach LaVell Edwards has devised a game for those reporters covering Thursday night’s game, just to keep them interested until kickoff.

It’s called Name That Quarterback.

Two days before his team will face Colorado in Freedom Bowl V, Edwards announced at a media luncheon Tuesday that he still hasn’t announced who his starting quarterback will be--junior Sean Covey or freshman Ty Detmer.

“We’ve got two of ‘em, and I’m not really sure who will start,” Edwards said. “It probably doesn’t matter too much. Both will probably play in the game.”

Covey started 11 of BYU’s 12 regular-season games, missing only the New Mexico game because of a knee injury. He finished the season with 2,607 passing yards, 13 scoring passes and a 54.5% completion rate--highly respectable numbers.

But a mini-controversy developed in Provo when Detmer threw for 333 yards and 5 touchdowns in the New Mexico game before coming off the bench to spell Covey in the Cougars’ final 2 games, lopsided losses to Utah (57-28) and Miami (41-17).

Detmer’s passing statistics for the season: 1,252 yards, 13 touchdowns, 54.2% completion rate.

“We have made changes at quarterback our last 2 games,” Edwards said. “That’s a little bit of a departure for us. I prefer going with just one quarterback.”

So why not put the issue to rest?

“Just to keep people interested,” Edwards said with a grin. “It seems to be a key issue for a lot of people, so I might as well keep the suspense going.”

Orange County Connection: Thursday’s Freedom Bowl will feature four starters who played high school or community college football in Orange County.

The roll call:

--Joe Garten (Valencia High), Colorado offensive guard. A 2-year starter, the 6-3, 280-pound Garten is responsible for opening many of the holes All-Big Eight tailback Eric Bieniemy has run through this season.

--Phil Nauahi (Fullerton College), BYU center. A 6-4, 265-pound senior, Nauahi was an All-Western Athletic Conference honorable mention selection this fall.

--Keith Pontiflet (Esperanza High), Colorado cornerback. Pontiflet started 8 games for the Buffaloes as a junior, making 43 tackles, 33 unassisted.

--Fred Whittingham (El Modena High), BYU fullback. The son of Rams assistant coach Fred Whittingham Sr., Whittingham led the Cougars in rushing in 1988 with 513 yards in 88 attempts, a 5.8 average. He also caught 27 passes for 220 yards and scored 4 touchdowns.

Ticket sales reached the 45,000 mark Tuesday, according to Freedom Bowl director Tom Starr, who expects a turnout of between 46,000 and 47,000 for the 5 p.m. game.

That would represent the second-largest crowd to attend a Freedom Bowl. The UCLA-BYU matchup in 1986 attracted a crowd of 51,422, the only Freedom Bowl to eclipse the 50,000 mark in attendance.