Ron McBride today is like the small child who never ate carrots and is confident he won't like the taste.

But once he chews a little ...

"I've always been on the other end of the situation," McBride said. "I've always trained one guy to be the quarterback and another to back him up. I've never done it this way before."

He will now, and not out of necessity.

Utah's football team opens its season at home against Arizona on Saturday, opens with the idea of playing two quarterbacks this year, of offering seniors Darnell Arceneaux and T.D. Croshaw a similar opportunity at leading the offense.

	Utah coach Ron McBride will play two quarterbacks in the season opener against Arizona.

McBride had not named a starter as of Tuesday morning. It really doesn't matter. The styles of each player might differ -- Arceneaux is the better athlete, Croshaw the drop-back passer -- but the results don't.

Arceneaux in 1999: 83-of-165, 1,342 yards, 10 touchdowns, seven interceptions.

Croshaw in 1999: 83-of-146, 1,176 yards, 14 TDs, seven interceptions.

"I think whoever is playing at a specific time will come down to situations," McBride said. "Both know their roles. Both have won for us. We feel comfortable with either guy."

They better. It's a safe bet Arceneaux will visit the trainer's table sooner or later. He's a pulled hamstring waiting to happen. Last season, it was a sore lower back and lacerated hand and foot sprain and strep throat and concussion. In 1998, it was surgery on his shoulder and finger.

The kid would have been voted off Survivor before the rafts made land.

"Obviously," McBride said, "he has never gotten through an entire season."

How fortunate, then, to have Croshaw. He can't scramble like Arceneaux. He won't win a game on a broken play. But he can read a defense and make all the throws.

He is a former walk-on who waited two seasons for an opportunity, who turned Utah's season last year with four TDs against New Mexico, who led a victory against rival BYU, who got married on the eve of the Las Vegas Bowl and then started a 17-16 victory.

Giving way, eventually, to Arceneaux.

"I understand (the two-quarterback system) but I'm not a fan of it," Croshaw said. "I do think we can hurt teams because of our different styles. And if one of us happens to be struggling, the other can come in and pick up the team."

It's not so bad.

Carrots, remember, are good for you.

Quick hits
San Diego State opens against visiting Arizona State on Thursday night on ESPN2, but the most promising news might come against Illinois on Sept. 9. Starting running back Larry Ned has begun running again after arthroscopic knee surgery 10 days ago. Ned, one of the best backs on the West Coast and a preseason all-conference pick, vowed from the beginning not to miss more than one game. It appears he'll meet that self-imposed challenge ...

Ten years ago, the idea of Colorado taking seriously a game against Colorado State rivaled that of your favorite stand-up act. But things changed under CSU coach Sonny Lubick, and last year's 41-14 Rams victory in Mile High Stadium officially flipped the tables. The teams meet again Saturday. "We definitely have their attention now," Lubick said. "From what we hear, they spent a lot of their spring practice on us. I also heard they have circled two games in red they feel are must-wins for them, us and Nebraska. That makes me feel pretty good, but I also know (CU) is going to be an angry team, so I'm not sure how good it is." ...

No matter which Utah quarterback drops back, it's a good bet his intended receiver will know what to do after the catch. The Utes scored nine touchdowns last year of 40 yards or more ...

Talk about a loss that hurts. Florida State not only beat BYU 29-3 last Saturday, but a Seminoles player took out Cougars head coach LaVell Edwards and assistant Roger French. The former survived unscathed, but French injured a knee while tumbling to the turf. "We didn't see (FSU) score a touchdown after getting knocked down," Edwards said. "I guess that's not so bad." ...

Al Rich is a senior at Wyoming and two-time all-conference pick at safety. So where will he open the season against Auburn on Thursday? In the backfield. He's now the starting tailback. "We needed to develop a new mentality on offense," said first-year head coach Vic Koenning. "Our running back spot was not solid. We were lacking a toughness and intensity. Al gives us all of that." ...

Matt Ray, a sophomore quarterback who started for UNLV the final three games last season, has decided to transfer after losing the battle for No. 1 to sophomore Jason Thomas ...

Update from Salt Lake City: Ben Allison, the Utah tight end shot in the chest at a wedding last week, could return to school next week. "If his lungs stabilize and everything continues to improve, he should be released from the hospital in a few days," McBride said.

Who's hot
James Sunia: UNLV's school record for tackles is 289. This junior linebacker already has 234. A year from now, he'll be staring 500 in the face.

Mike Thiessen: Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry says his senior enjoyed the finest fall camp of any Academy quarterback in years. High praise, this, when you begin remembering names like Beau and Blane Morgan and Dee Dowis.

Who's not
BYU's offense: Used to be, the Cougars spent more time in the end zone than Martha Stewart does the garden. They made scoring touchdowns look easier than holding up six fingers. But the once potent attack has lost some of its zip. BYU in its last four games dating to the 1999 season has scored 40 points. In its last two, it has six points. Total. S-I-X. If Owen Pochman doesn't make that 42-yard field goal late in the third quarter against Florida State, the NCAA's consecutive scoring record ends at 312 games.

Jeremy Denson: New Mexico's junior quarterback had season-opening numbers (6-of-18, 52 yards, interception) against Texas Tech worth forgetting. That new multiple offense seems to have multiple leaks.

Quote of the week
BYU coach LaVell Edwards on Florida State's 28-year old quarterback, Chris Weinke: "He's old enough to play for us."

Yeah, but just barely. And it really wouldn't count because he's not an offensive lineman who holds every other snap.

Thought of the day
UNLV officials were stunned at the decision handed down from Canton, Ohio. It turns out quarterback Jason Thomas really will have to play at least one game before work can begin on his bust.

Ed Graney covers college football for the San Diego Union Tribune. He can be reached at Ed.Graney@uniontrib.com.