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http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/print_story.php?story_id=128336270700767000

Portland State coach Nigel Burton said Wednesday that he hasn't decided who will start at quarterback in Saturday night's season opener at Arizona State.
Connor Kavanaugh, a junior from Lincoln High, has been taking most of the snaps with the first string in practice, and there are rumors that Burton has chosen him to be the No. 1 guy in Tempe, Az.

"I did? That would be news to me," Burton said. "We have not made a decision. I just talked to our offensive coordinator (Bruce Barnum). We are constantly evaluating, and we'll constantly be doing it throughout the season."

Burton noted that because this is his first year at Portland State and this is the first year with the Vikings using his  "Pistol" offense, "none of our guys have been in the system."

Kavanaugh's major competitors in camp have been seniors Drew Hubel and Tygue Howland. Both are coming off injuries, but Hubel played extensively in previous seasons under former coaches Jerry Glanville and Mouse Davis.

Burton did describe his general philosophy this way:

"If an older guy allows a younger guy to grade our or perform at a level close to him, then I think you play the younger guy, because I think you understand that eventually, with some experience and time, the (younger) guy would surpass the older guy. That's what I've told our older guys."

Burton also said that he could use multiple quarterbacks in a game.

"We'll go with whatever combination we need to win ballgames, so if that means one guy plays, or two, or three ... whoever starts the game may not finish the game," he said.

The Vikings announced that the players have selected Kavanaugh, Hubel and four other players to be co-captains this season.

Burton wanted to name four, but the voting was so close, he decided to go with six.

Others picked were defensive tackle Travis Beckley, a senior; middle linebacker Ryan Rau, a junior; cornerback DeShawn Shead, a junior; and center Adam Kleffner, a junior.

Beckley and Shead have started 22 consecutive games for the Vikings. Beckley has played the most career games (33) of anyone on the squad. Hubel has played in 24 games, while starting the most among the returning offensive players (20).