During his Kansas gameweek press conference on Monday, Mack Brown revealed that David Ash and Case McCoy have once again been splitting reps at quarterback barely a week after Ash took every snap against Oklahoma State.
On the depth chart, Ash and McCoy remain co-starters, with Ash's name listed first. Though Brown said last week that competition remained open, it was not clear if Ash was going to be the quarterback moving forward or if the team would return to the McAsh arrangement used after the Garrett Gilbert era crashed to a close against BYU.
It now appears that will be the case and the McAsh resurrection may provide some confirmation for rumors that he was benched against Oklahoma State for attitude issues including refusing to enter the game late against Oklahoma. If true, that situation now appears to be in the past as the team once again moves forward with two quarterbacks.
Brown indicated that the platoon system could continue for the rest of the season, but in the past he has always talked about wanting separation at every position -- if one quarterback plays well enough to earn the job, the coaches almost certainly see that as the best-case scenario.
And despite an outspoken desire to improve the vertical passing game, Brown said Monday that arm strength is one of the least important factors with the quarterbacks -- an area in which McCoy trails Ash significantly. Instead, footwork and mental acumen are higher on the list. McCoy's footwork has been notoriously shoddy, but his so-called moxie and his intangibles still rank as his greatest assets as a quarterback.
Mostly, though, it's going to be about turnovers going forward, as Ash has struggled in the last two games throwing interceptions, while McCoy was not strong with the football in the pocket against Oklahoma.
Ash certainly hasn't done enough on the field to earn the job, a primary complaint for McCoy supporters after Ash started against the Cowboys, but the overriding issue here continues to be that McCoy provides little or no long-term upside at the position. All the upside resides with the much more physically talented Ash.
At some point, Bryan Harsin and company need to determine if Ash can translate those physical skills to consistent production on the field. Whether or not Ash can consistently make good decisions with the football and reduce his interceptions. Whether or not he is the answer to the team's quarterback questions.
Splitting repetitions in practices and games will only slow Ash's development and keep those answers to the questions surrounding his ability to realize his potential unclear for a longer period of time. And while that's more fair to McCoy than giving the job to Ash based on the pure need to see what he can do, it's not clear how the McAsh arrangement helps the quarterback position get to where it needs to be.