Put Zach Collaros into a black and red uniform, and somehow he finds a way to lead his team to victory.
Collaros, who found himself thrust into the limelight when he replaced Cincinnati's injured starting quarterback Tony Pike last month, has been accustomed to winning dating back to his days as a quarterback for the ultra-successful Steubenville (Ohio) High School football program.
He holds every Big Red passing record as he led the team to a 30-0 record and back-to-back state titles in his last two years at the school in
the Ohio Valley just up a few miles up the river from where West Virginia University football coach Bill Stewart grew up in New Martinsville.
"I recruited him, but we already had Jarrett (Brown) here," Stewart said. "I thought the kid was going to go to Major League Baseball. He can stroke it and hit the ball. He has the whole gamut in baseball."
All the sophomore has done since replacing Pike has been to lead the Bearcats to three victories, earning Big East honor roll mentions twice, and he was named the conference's Offensive Player of the Week as he led his team past Connecticut 47-45.
In that game, he accounted for 555 yards of Cincinnati's 711 yards of total offense, throwing for 480 yards and running for another 75 yards and two touchdowns. Still, Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly refers to Collaros as the backup."If Tony is healthy, he's our starter," Kelly said. "That's not even a question about it. When he's 100 percent, he will be the starter for us.
It was a difficult decision (because) we have another guy who can help us win."
Stewart said he is glad he doesn't have to make the decision whether to sit Collaros, wondering do you go with the Heisman Trophy candidate in Pike or play the guy with the hot hand.
"Zach is playing lights out," Stewart said. "I think he's a tremendous story. It's exciting for him and the University of Cincinnati."
Stewart said he has always kept close tabs on the Ohio Valley players, even during his days as an assistant coach out west. He said the league is a special one, full of tough football players. Kelly said he is discovering the same thing, too.
"We recruited him for a reason," Kelly said. "We didn't recruit him to be on the scout team. We thought he had a chance. I think we have a pretty good eye for finding quarterbacks."
