Iowa State and Purdue name starting quarterbacks

Sam Richardson will be Iowa State's starting quarterback and Danny Etling will be Purdue's. Both schools made the decisions public on Monday.

Richardson started eight games for 3-9 Iowa State in 2013 but was injured towards the end of the season and Grant Rohach took over as the Cyclones' starting quarterback. The battle to start throughout the spring was between the two, and Richardson will start the season again as Iowa State's QB.

"Sam has displayed great leadership and that certainly includes poise in the pocket where he has been very much in control of our offense and of himself," Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads said via CycloneReport.com. "His understanding of the scheme and his decision making has really grown in the last two weeks, and maybe as much as anything, he is throwing a great ball, an accurate ball, a tight ball and a catchable ball."

Richardson was 121-219 for 1,397 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2013.

Etling started seven games for Purdue, 1-11, last season and was 149-267 for 1,690 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. But he wasn't guaranteed the starting job at the beginning of the season and was in a competition with sophomore Austin Appleby, who attempted six passes last season. The other QB to get playing time last year for Purdue was Rob Henry, who was a senior and also switched to safety during the season.

"I think the biggest thing is coming out of the spring, [Etling] was a little bit ahead," Purdue coach Darrell Hazell said via GoldandBlack.com.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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