As the Carleton Ravens football team enters their final game of the regular season with a shot at the Ontario University Athletics playoffs, Jesse Mills and Nick Gorgichuk are competing for field time as starting quarterback.
After starting as quarterback for the first Ravens win since their resurrection last season, Mills was pulled in the first half of the second game against the McMaster Marauders in favour of Gorgichuk.
While the Ravens lost the game to the Marauders, Gorgichuk started the Panda Game and recorded his first win as a starting quarterback.
Since that time, the Ravens have started Gorgichuk every game, but Mills has entered the last two contests in the second half.
Ravens head coach Steve Sumarah said he believes they both deserve playing time.
“They’re both good . . . and we want to make sure that both have an opportunity to play,” he said.
Coming into the game in relief of Gorgichuk in a 44-24 loss to the University of Guelph Gryphons, Mills threw two touchdown passes, while completing six of nine passes for 69 yards.
In the 21-18 homecoming win against the University of Windsor Lancers, he logged 64 yards on four completions and an interception.
Sumarah said this one-two punch at quarterback is actually good for the two players as well as good for the team, contrary to what one might expect.
“They keep pushing each other to see who’s gonna be the guy, and if this leads to better team performances as well as better better individual players, then why not keep it going?” he said.
Standing at six-foot-four and weighing 225 lbs, Mills is bigger and physically stronger than Gorgichuk, as well as more experienced, having played with the Saint Mary’s Huskies before he came to quarterback for the Ravens in 2013.
Gorgichuk has gotten the majority of the playing time, throwing for over 1,000 yards over five starts, and winning three games over that stretch.
Sumarah said he thinks his team will continue rotating both Gorgichuk and Mills out at pivot for the remainder of the season.
“The system has been working so far, so we’ll just keep it going,” he said.
