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Eye On The Y: Why are coaches turning to freshman Zach Wilson at quarterback? He’s a better athlete, for starters

Provo • After observing college football for more than 30 years and focusing especially hard on it the past 10 years in my assignment to cover BYU, I’ve become convinced that offenses need an athletic, dual-threat quarterback to reach their full potential.

You have to have a playmaker back there who can make plays with his arm and his feet. Unless they are protected by NFL-caliber offensive linemen, pure drop-back passers with little or no ability to escape pass rushes find it difficult to thrive.

That’s why I think freshman Zach Wilson will give the Cougars a better chance to beat 6-1 Hawaii on Saturday (8:15 p.