A lot has changed for junior quarterback David Piland since the 2012 spring game.
The first team offense scored on four of five possessions during the annual spring game Friday at Carl Lewis field. | Catherine Lara/The Daily Cougar
He was the prohibitive favorite to replace former quarterback Case Keenum, a UH legend. He was given the keys to the Air Raid offense, Keenum’s blessing and was expected to produce at a high level. Many assumed he would fall in line with the legacy that Keenum and former quarterback Kevin Kolb set before him.
The season didn’t finish with the same promise, though.
He ended the year on the bench, losing his starting job to former quarterback Crawford Jones after battling injuries and inconsistent play.
Most importantly, the Cougars had a losing season with him on the field. They finished 4-6 in Piland’s starts, good for their worst season since 2010, when Keenum was injured and Piland stepped in as a freshman. Overall, the Cougars are 6-12 in games that Piland has started.
A year later, Piland looks and sounds more confident, but it might not be enough to save his starting job.
After 15 practices and a spring game, he said the biggest difference in himself this year is the way he deals with teammates in adverse situations.
“It’s a mindset of how I present myself when things don’t go right. Coach Levine helps with that,” Piland said. “He’s brought that to my attention because there are a lot of things that won’t go your way.”
Piland may have more adversity to deal with soon.
Head coach Tony Levine said he won’t make a decision on a starting quarterback until the summer during preseason camp, when John O’Korn, a highly touted recruit from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., junior-college transfer Billy Cosh and freshman Greg Ward all arrive at UH in June.
“I thought (Piland) had a really good spring. … That position got better from practice one to practice 15,” Levine said. “I was very encouraged by the progress, and that competition will go until probably the first couple of weeks of August.”
Piland is doing his part to vie for his job.
At Friday’s spring game, Piland threw four touchdown passes to different players. The Cougars’ first team offense scored touchdowns on four of their five possessions. He spread the ball around to several different players and displayed accuracy, connecting on 14-21 passes.
He wasn’t satisfied with the results, though.
“I really wanted to finish that fifth drive the right way, just to put that cap on it,” Piland said. “I thought we played decent.”
Piland will have to continue performing well if he wants to fend off challenges from incoming quarterbacks this summer, but it’s a challenge he’s comfortable with. Piland said he is used to competing for his spot in each practice, and the mentality makes him a better player.
“Every spring I’ve gone into it, you have to recompete whether or not you are the starter. When Case was here in the fall, they told me, ‘You’re going to compete to be the starter.’ They tell you that, and you’re like, ‘OK, there’s Case Keenum over there.’ I kind of understood that early.”
The mentality of competing every day has helped Piland build a rapport with sophomore receiver Deontay Greenberry. Greenberry caught five passes for 76 yards and a touchdown at Friday’s spring game.
But that wasn’t an accident.
They work together before and after practice to have a successful connection on the field, especially after Greenberry swapped places with Larry McDuffey and moved to the inside receiver position.
“(Piland has) worked extremely hard and has really energized us as a team so that we can play even better,” Greenberry said.
Piland is at peace with the competition because he’s going to do his best to win the job.
“If somebody beats me out, hey, they’re working pretty hard. That means that they’re doing things that are really exceptional. I would support them because we both compete every day and make each other better.”
If Piland continues to compete at the level that he has this spring, maybe the changes will stop coming as frequently.
