KU Football: Peyton Bender and Carter Stanley Quarterback Grades

Last weekend KU Football tested some of their hopeful quarterback prospects with an exhibition spring game. During the game, Carter Stanley squared off against Peyton Bender in a head to head quarterback matchup.

Now that the Kansas Jayhawks are finally looking towards starting their next football season they have to make a few decisions. One of those decisions is to determine who will be at the helm for the Jayhawk offense. The candidates for this position are JUCO standout Peyton Bender and sophomore Carter Stanley.

With the starting position completely up in the air, both of these quarterbacks will need to show their worth. Last weekend, Team Jayhawks, led by Peyton Bender, and Team KU, led by Carter Stanley, faced off for a spring game matchup. So, who wins the quarterback matchup? What will David Beaty ultimately decide to do?

QB, Team Jayhawk. . Peyton Bender. B+. During the Jayhawks spring game, Bender completed 11 of 15 passes and 143 passing yards for the entire game. His accuracy seemed to be better than Stanley’s and he definitely has the experience to get the starting job. Bender’s team won the spring game with a score of 14-7. There were no interceptions made by Bender.

Peyton Bender, the new transfer from the JUCO leagues, is definitely impressing David Beaty. “He’s just got some zip, man” per KUSports.com’s Benton Smith. After the spring game, Bender had a few comments about his own performance as well.

"“I thought I did fine. I thought I did what I was supposed to do,” Bender said. “We kept the play-calling fairly simple, so we weren’t trying to get anything too complicated called in there.”-Peyton Bender, per Jesse Newell of The Kansas City Star"

Obviously, Bender recognizes the symbolism of a practice game, but he should also recognize that anytime he showcases his performance he is fighting for the starting spot. Right now, it looks as if Bender is leading.

C. Like most of his games last season, Carter Stanley shows flashes of greatness, but ultimately brings an average performance. Stanley completed 13 of 24 passes for 114 yards. With his stat line, Stanley had struggles throwing accurate passes on a consistent basis. His team lost the spring game to Bender’s led Jayhawks and Stanley seems to be slipping in the quarterback starting role competition.. QB, Team KU. . Carter Stanley

Carter Stanley performed well in the spring game, but he still has plenty of areas he needs to improve. Considering that Peyton Bender is currently a junior, it would be best for an upperclassman to lead the team.

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"“I think it was all right,” Stanley said. “I’ll have to watch the film just to see all the stuff. I know I missed some throws, maybe missed some reads, but there were some positives about it.”-Carter Stanley, per the Kansas City Star, Jesse Newell"

From what it sounds like, Stanley definitely feels like he had some issues in game. Last season, Carter Stanley had mind boggling interceptions where he would miss the receiver by a wide margin. He most likely needs a bit more work until he gets the starting job back.

Who Gets the Starting Job?

While the quarterback battles will definitely not be decided by a spring game, Bender is starting to carve a decent sized lead. With Stanley’s accuracy concerns, Bender can capitalize on his experience and great decision making. The good thing is that both quarterbacks benefit if Bender gets the starting job.

Stanley can then wait his turn while gaining more experience and training behind Bender as he waits to start his senior year.

It may not yet be decided since it is pretty early in the preseason, but Bender definitely leads the starting quarterback discussion. Hopefully the Jayhawks can bounce back from their seasons of obscurity and take to once again competing in the Big 12. It all starts with a leader.

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