Jake Bentley might want to invest in a cot or air mattress for this season.
He’s a student of the game, trying to spend as much time as he can studying film and learning as much as he can about his opponent.
The sophomore signal caller spends so much time in the film room that there’s some nights he’s left the complex at 10:30 or 11 p.m. after late classes. He’s even gotten some shuteye at the stadium after a long night breaking down defenses.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve slept there before,” he said, smiling. “It’s just getting in what we need to get in. You don’t want to leave the facility one night when there’s something else that we could have watched or prepared for.”
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Bentley said he spends roughly three hours a day studying film and it’s something that starts after Saturday’s game and continues all the way to Friday, the day before the game.
When he’s not studying film late into the night, he’s looking at his playbook and making sure he knows where everybody needs to be on the field at one time.
“(I) Usually start on Sunday breaking it down, kind of categorizing the defense is what we call it and I go through Friday,” Bentley said. “On Friday I try to watch a previous game, just try to buzz through it. It’s nothing too strenuous on Friday because we have a lot of meetings anyways.”
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Bentley spent the summer learning from one of the best students of the game, Peyton Manning, at the Manning Passing Academy in Louisiana.
It was a great experience, he said, learning from one of the best quarterbacks ever. Now, he gets to turn that attention to studying film and learning the game.
The film Bentley and the rest of the quarterbacks watch is complied by offensive coordinator Kurt Roper, who puts together different packages for them to watch.
On one day Bentley might break down red zone offense and the next day, they analyze third down plays and concepts. It depends on what the coaches want, but Bentley will watch all of it.
After given his list, it’s up to Bentley to watch every clip, which he said takes three hours usually but could be longer.
“Just try to get in about a couple hours a day,” he said. “We have a list of what we need to watch every day and it usually takes me two or three hours a day.”
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Last season, Bentley primarily watched film with Perry Orth while studying and preparing for game day.
Now, with Bentley as the returning starter, it’s his job to get the backups into the film room to watch as a cohesive staff. He said he and No. 2 passer Michael Scarnecchia will be watching together.
There’s still a long way to go in the season, with all 13 games still on the docket, but Bentley and Scarnecchia could be spending some nights together studying more than just classwork.
“As much as we can, we’re going to be together,” Bentley said. “He knows he’s one play away from going in and I want him to be on the sidelines seeing everything he can to help out on the field. Scar’s dedicated to doing his role.”