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By Mark Wright
RM Marc Dunn Looking to Start at Kansas State, But Supports Rival
MANHATTAN, KANSAS -- The BYU football team is almost as well known for
quarterback controversies as it is for producing stand-out quarterbacks.
Now, one of the quarterbacks that BYU didn't land is in the middle of a
little quarterback controversy at another college. Marc Dunn, returned
missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who served in
Santiago, Chile, transferred to Kansas State University from Ricks College
after completing his sophomore year and is presently battling last year's
starter, Ell Roberson for playing time. As the projected starter entering
spring drills, Roberson patiently endured a redshirt season in 1999 and a
backup role last year, all in preparation for his chance to take the helm in
2001. Now, with Dunn on the scene, Roberson knows he has some serious
competition for the coveted number one spot on the depth chart.
In his sophomore year at Ricks, Dunn threw for an impressive 4,351 yards and
42 touchdowns and was chosen national junior-college offensive player of the
year. After his career at Ricks ended, Dunn was recruited by Arizona State
and BYU, among others. Roberson, no slouch himself, played in six games for
K-State last year and completed 10 of 23 passes for 119 yards and two
touchdowns. While Roberson is currently listed at number one, Offensive
coordinator Ron Hudson is still sizing both quarterbacks up during practice
and won't name a starter for the opener for a while yet. He likes what he
sees in both players and notes some differences in their throwing ability.
"Ell probably has the stronger arm. Marc probably has a more accurate arm,"
he said.
While the competition between the two quarterbacks presents a potentially
volatile situation, Dunn and Roberson have chosen the high ground and are
very supportive of each other. The friendly pair of teammates got together
when Dunn first arrived on campus and decided to help each other rather than
get caught up in a public battle that would just tear the other down. "When
he got here, he came over and we just sat down and watched a little TV and
talked about how people are going to talk," Roberson recalled, referring to
fan and media debates over who should be the man. "I told him to block it
all out and work hard, and it would be just between me and him. We had that
discussion: 'No matter what happens, I'll be there for you,' and he said
he'd be there for me."
Dunn, apparently in agreement with Roberson, echoes a similar sentiment
regarding the relationship. "We have a great relationship, and I think the
guys on the team respect both of us and are ready to support both of us,"
Dunn said. "I think we're taking a mature approach to the whole situation.
This is not an uncommon situation at Kansas State, and I think we've handled
it very well." No matter which one ends up taking the snaps as the starter,
both players recognize that they need to support each other as teammates and
cheer for the home team. "Whichever one steps on the field for this program,
we're going to support the other, we talked about that," Dunn said. "That's
one of the reasons we got together, to make sure there was no ice between
us, which there's not. Everything's been great between us from that day on.
Sources:
K-State quarterback battle's nothing personal
Kansas City KS Star 11Aug01 S2
By Jonathan Rand: The Kansas City Star
Football secondary to what Dunn learned about life
Kansas City KS Star 11Apr01 S2
By Kent Pulliam: The Kansas City Star
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