Dual-QB sets at UK?

Lorenzen, Boyd could be on field at same time

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky football coach Rich Brooks knows he'll need his best players on the field if the Wildcats are to be competitive in the rugged Southeastern Conference. If two of those players are quarterbacks, then so be it.

Brooks and offensive coordinator Ron Hudson tinkered during spring practice with the idea of simultaneously using returning starter Jared Lorenzen and backup quarterback Shane Boyd, who is considered to be one of the Wildcats' best athletes.

Brooks said Friday during Kentucky's Media Day that fans will see a lot of Lorenzen and Boyd on the field together during the upcoming season.

"It will happen this year, and it will happen some in virtually every game, if they're both healthy," Brooks said. "Whichever one is in the game at quarterback, I feel like we're capable of winning football games. I'm excited about that position, and that's why I've said it was the strongest position on the team, probably."

Brooks, Kentucky's third head coach in four seasons, took the job in December knowing the Wildcats continue to feel the effects of NCAA probation.

He estimates that there are only a handful of players on his roster that could start for most other SEC teams, and he wants those players on the field as much as possible -- even if two of them are quarterbacks. It's a necessity if the Wildcats are to build on the success of last year's 7-5 finish and compete for a bowl bid, he said.

"I'm worried about winning football games," Brooks said. "I'm sure if somebody gets hurt, and I go to [the third-string quarterback], I'll hear a lot about it. But those are the chances you take as a coach when you try to put your best players on the field to give you an opportunity to win football games."

Lorenzen, a senior from Fort Thomas, has 29 games as a starter under his belt and is thought highly enough of that he's on the preseason watch list for the Davey O'Brien Award, presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback.

He passed for 2,267 yards and 24 touchdowns with only five interceptions last season, but more people are focused on another number -- his weight. The Kentucky media guide lists the 6-4 Lorenzen as weighing 260 pounds, but he appeared to be somewhat heavier on Friday. He wouldn't say what his current weight is, only that he's trying to get it down to a number agreeable to Brooks.

Lorenzen was more talkative about the two-quarterback system and said the possibilities are limited only by Hudson's imagination.

"We can absolutely do anything," Lorenzen said. "Absolutely anything. I'll do anything. As long as we win, as long as we play well, I don't care what I'm doing. There are just so many things we can do with it, so I'm excited about it."

Boyd, a 6-2, 200-pound junior out of Lexington Henry Clay, could line up as a tailback or receiver if not at quarterback. Lorenzen might also line up at everything from running back to tight end. Both could line up in the backfield simultaneously, which would give opposing defenses another wrinkle to consider, Brooks said.

If Lorenzen catches a pass in the open field, "he'd be a load to take down," Boyd quipped.

At Kansas State, where he spent the past six seasons as offensive coordinator, Hudson groomed standout pass-run quarterbacks including Michael Bishop and Ell Roberson. Boyd would seem to be a perfect fit for that style of offense. He has said that quarterback is his preferred position, but he doesn't mind trying his hand at other positions for the time being.

"I'm just looking forward to getting on the field, as either a quarterback, a receiver or a running back," Boyd said. "Anybody would, to be on the field and to play a major role in the offense.

"There are no negatives about it. I'm blessed to be able to play those other positions, but my heart is at quarterback, and that's what I want to be, and that's eventually what I see my future as. But if I can contribute to the team in any way possible now, then I'm going to do it."