re: Your gut feeling...who will start at QB?

Bateman did look "scared" against OM. But again, it was his first start as a sophomore against a top 10 defense. Even playing scared he completed 11/14 passes for around 90 yards and his only pick was a miscommunication where he threw one route and Stewart ran another. If that's a "bad" game against a top 10 defense...what's his ceiling once he really knows the offense? People forget we got down big in the first half, not because Bateman wasn't moving the offense--he was--we went down big because our kick returners decided OM should get the ball in our redzone a few times in the first half.

As far as our past QB's not ever looking scared, you guys have short memories. Sims and Coker both looked completely lost at times in scrimmages and in garbage time before their senior years. GMac looked terrible and terrified for a stretch during 2009, so much so that we put Ingram at Wildcat almost the entire second half against USCe. He rebounded and we won a title. Kiffin will have Bateman ready. If he can't get him there, one of the other guys will be ready. What we can't have with a good defense and special teams is a young QB that gives the opponent easy turnovers/points, which is what I'm afraid we'd get with the others.

BB8 has a lot of hype surrounding him, but I didn't see much to get giddy over in the scrimmage. Dude has a good arm, but is way too skinny for a 6'5 guy, isn't nearly as athletic as advertised, and has one of the worst throwing/side-arm motions I've seen not to mention the propensity to throw the ball to the wrong team. To me, Barnett has way more growing to do than Bateman to be ready to win and win big in the SEC. If we are going to go with a really young QB, Hurts looked head and shoulders more impressive.