Gray waiting in wings to be a 'playmaker'

At 6-4, 220 pounds, MarQueis Gray, a freshman quarterback for the Gophers, looks like the end result of "create-a-player" mode in a football video game.

He's bigger than some of Minnesota's linebackers and taller than any of the team's receivers. He's averaging 5.5 yards per carry, and Gophers coach Tim Brewster billed him before the season began as the team's "best playmaker."

During a rainy practice this week, Gray looked the part of a big-time quarterback as he casually zipped footballs around the Gophers practice field. But, shortly after practice started, Adam Weber worked with the first-team offense, as the Gophers prepared for Saturday's matchup at No. 18 Ohio State. Gray watched from the sideline, which is where he belongs, as far as Brewster is concerned.

Unlike his friend, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who started as a freshman last season, Gray is biding his time.

"Obviously, we have a really good quarterback in Adam Weber ... and we've got a very talented young quarterback in MarQueis Gray," Brewster said this week. "And I think that MarQueis, in time, is really going to be a special player. ... We're very fortunate to be in a situation where we think that we've got a guy that can help us win football games as MarQueis develops."

Gray, in limited playing time, has one pass attempt, a touchdown catch and 10 carries for 55 yards. The Gophers offense, meanwhile, is struggling. Weber has passed for only 175 yards in his past two starts combined, and will face an Ohio State team that boasts the Big Ten's No. 3 pass defense. The Gophers didn't score a point at Penn State in their last game.

But Brewster has no plans to insert Gray over Weber.

That's fine with Gray, especially after watching Pryor endure the harshest criticism of his career this week after a four-turnover outing in an upset loss at Purdue. Pryor has had a tough adjustment after losing seven offensive starters from last season's Big Ten championship team.

"Him being a freshman, coming out and starting for Ohio State as a quarterback, that's a lot of pressure on him," Gray said. "Me, I'm just coming in, getting my feet wet, waiting my time, so it was pretty much harder on him than it was me for right now."

Pryor has 11 turnovers through seven games, and ranks as the No. 9 passer in charge of the worst passing offense in the Big Ten. LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal have offered him advice. His high school coach told reporters this week that he'd be better off in Michigan's system. And some national pundits think Pryor belongs on the bench or at a new position.

Pryor isn't alone in his struggles. The stock of the dual-threat quarterback in the Big Ten has fallen all season. Illinois benched Juice Williams for his erratic play four games into the season. Former Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis is playing at Valdosta State this season, after an up-and-down 2008 that was filled with off-field issues. Penn State's Daryll Clark has thrown seven picks in seven games. Weber, who rushed for 850 yards in his first two seasons, has minus-27 yards this year.

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said his quarterback has struggled with decision- making at different points this season, but that he still trusts in Pryor's ability to help the Buckeyes win games.

"He had a whole different set of circumstances a year ago -- folks around him, all the rest, are different," Tressel said this week. "When the expectations are what they are, that's a reality that you deal with and you just keep working to grow."

Gray admits that playing the role of patient backup isn't that easy, either.

After missing last season because of academic issues, Gray said it's difficult not having the ball in his hands, but he tries to take in as much as he can while he waits for a chance that might not come until an anticipated spring practice competition with Weber.

"I'm just taking it back, just laying back and learning the playbook," Gray said. "And when my time comes, I'll be ready for it."