THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TALLAHASSEE, - Another quarterback controversy is brewing at Florida State.
Christian Ponder will start at quarterback for Florida State on Saturday when the Seminoles meet unbeaten Colorado in Jacksonville while backup D'Vontrey Richardson remains the backup.
Although neither sophomore was effective in Saturday's 12-3 loss to 16th-ranked Wake Forest, Florida State coaches didn't turn to the far more experienced Drew Weatherford, who is languishing on the bench despite 33 career starts.
"It wouldn't do any good except to cause more confusion," coach Bobby Bowden said Monday.
Ponder and Richardson combined for just 118 yards passing and threw five interceptions in Saturday's loss.
"Bing, bam, boom, we never could get any rhythm," offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said Monday. "We'll get better."
Fisher said he was sticking to his decision to rotate the sophomores at quarterback, who both looked good in wins over lower-division Chattanooga and Western Carolina to open the season.
Ponder conceded Monday that he was unnerved after throwing an interception on his first play of the game against Wake Forest.
"Everything that could go wrong, went wrong," Ponder said. "The next game is going to be the most important game we have, showing that we can come back."
Weatherford spent three seasons looking over his shoulder at Xavier Lee, who left school a year early in hopes of a professional career.
Before that Florida State rotated Chris Rix and Adrian McPherson, who was kicked off the team under suspicion of gambling, and then Rix and Wyatt Sexton, who gave up his final season because of illness.
And while he isn't playing, Weatherford has mentored the youngsters as Ponder and Richardson battle for playing time.
"He's a guy I can really learn a lot from," Ponder said. "He's a guy who's been through a lot."
Florida State (2-1) has won just one of its last five games against Bowl Subdivision opponents, heading into Saturday's game against Colorado (3-0).
