Normally talkative and confident, CMU QB Alex Niznak quiet after losing starting job
Alex Niznak couldn't stop talking last week.
About the Michigan game, about finally getting his opportunity to lead the football team at quarterback, about the home opener against New Hampshire.
A week later, things have changed. Niznak, relegated to the backup spot for a second time this season after a poor showing in the first half of CMU's 24-21 win over UNH on Saturday, has gone quiet. Requests this week for interviews with him were declined twice by CMU media relations officials.
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Instead, Niznak took to Twitter to let out his frustration.
"Growing up all (yo)u ever want is your parents to get off your back, but when (yo)u get older, you f(i)nd out they are the only ones who have your back," he wrote on Monday afternoon.
"I think Alex is fine," said head coach Dan Enos after Tuesday's practice. "This is a very humbling game, as we all know. As a player, as a coach – no matter what you have to do with it – it's humbling. Just when you think you've got things figured out, you've got to get a dose of reality every once in a while."
Reality for Niznak came midway through the second quarter Saturday when he was benched in favor of redshirt freshman Cooper Rush. CMU had fallen behind 13-0 and were flat offensively, failing to convert a first down on its first three drives of the game. On the fourth, Niznak's pass – errant and under thrown – was picked off in the center of the field.
It was clear he wasn't the same quarterback who played at Michigan Stadium a week earlier, showing glimpses of mobility and management capabilities. Rush more than took advantage of his opportunity, leading the Chippewas to a win on 19-of-32 passing for 326 yards and three touchdowns.
Enos this week reiterated the same observation he made on Saturday, that Niznak "started to play a little tentative," but also defended his quarterback, one of his first major recruits after being named CMU head coach in 2010.
"It wasn't all him," Enos said. "It was a little bit of protection issues, (we) couldn't run the ball – we were a little snakebit – and we were out of sync."
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Niznak rebounded this week at practice, Enos said, describing him as upbeat on Sunday, good in practice on Monday and "very good" on Tuesday. Enos declined to say if Niznak will play Saturday at UNLV.
He remains No. 2 on the depth chart, ahead of true freshman Darrien Boone (6-foot-2, 190 pounds).
"He's just got to continue to get better," Enos said. "He's a very hard worker, he's a strong-willed young man, he's got a great support system and I know he'll bounce back. I told him that we haven't lost confidence in him and next time he gets his opportunity, he's got to make the most of it."
Contact Aaron McMann: aaron.mcmann@gmail.com.com. Follow him on Twitter @AaronMcMann.
