There are plenty of intriguing stories to follow as the Sam Houston State football team gets ready for the upcoming season.

Head coach Todd Whitten said last week that he is most interested in seeing how the defense is going to improve under new coordinator Scott Stoker. He also pointed out that the Bearkats are going to put an emphasis on running the ball more. Whitten wants to make the most of a double-headed attack of senior James Aston and junior Chris Poullard.

But the one story that has fans buzzing is who is going to replace record-setting quarterback Rhett Bomar. Is it going to be last year’s backup Bryan Randolph or University of Houston transfer Blake Joseph?

“I think it is going to be a great competition,” Whitten said Friday afternoon. “They both bring something to the table. Blake looks like a really good athlete and has a really strong arm, but he has only been practicing for a few days.

“Bryan has been with us a full year. He has that advantage of being comfortable with the offense. But I think it is going to prove to be an interesting battle.”

Randolph and Joseph have been in this situation before, so it is nothing new to them.

Randolph went head to head with sophomore Jeff Welch for the starting job in spring workouts. Despite Welch suffering a season-ending knee injury, Randolph had a very productive spring and set an Orange and White game record by passing for 418 yards and three touchdowns.

The advantage the junior has is, like Whitten said, Randolph has been running the offense for a year. He saw limited action as Bomar’s backup last season, completing only 3-of-9 passes for 17 yards. But he is going through his second fall camp at SHSU and got the majority of the snaps in the spring.

“I think I have a real good handle on this offense, but I’m still learning. You learn a new thing every day,” Randolph said. “I’m just trying to get these guys up to date. Obviously there are four new quarterbacks and me, so I’m doing what I can to help them out.

“Blake transferred in late, but coming from a (Football Bowl Subdivision) like Houston, he obviously has some talent. All I can say is it is going to be a good battle, but we are both talented so whoever wins the job is going to do fine.”

Joseph battled with freshman Case Keenum for the quarterback job at Houston two years ago. He started five games in 2007, throwing for 1,324 yards and nine touchdowns. Keenum won the job in 2008 under new head coach Kevin Sumlin, and threw for more than 5,000 yards.

With a year of eligibility left, Joseph wanted to have a chance at being a starter again and knew his only chance was to transfer. He showed up to several of the Bearkats’ workouts in the spring, and after being accepted to graduate school, officially joined Sam Houston State when the players reported for fall camp last Wednesday.

The Bearkat coaching staff obviously thinks Joseph has the tools to be the starter or they wouldn’t have brought him in with only one year to play. But his biggest obstacle is learning the offense and the terminology, which is a lot different than the wide-open Texas Tech style the Cougars run.

Joseph also only has a few weeks to get it down before SHSU opens the season at home against Western Illinois on Sept. 3.

“This is nothing new to me. I’ve been competing with Case down there for the past couple of years,” Joseph said. “Coming here I have to learn the offense. It is a lot different than what I’m used to. They have similar aspects, but everybody has different calls, so I have to get used to that and hopefully get rolling.

“I like the offense here, but I just have to get everything down.”

Joseph did get a little bit of a head start over the summer. He came to Huntsville and participated in 7-on-7 workouts along with Randolph and the Bearkat receivers.

“I came down this summer and went through summer workouts and got to know some of the coaches and players,” Joseph said. “That was the most important thing, to come down here and bond with the team. I need to get know these guys. They have welcomed me with open arms and I’m happy to be here.”

This is the first time in three years that the Bearkats head into the season without knowing who is going to be taking the snaps. But Randolph and Joseph both bring athletism to the position, and so far in practice they have showed they can make all the throws necessary to run the offense.

The competition should bring out the best in both quarterbacks, meaning the Bearkats will be in good hands when the season begins with whoever wins the job.

“Competition is awesome,” Randolph said. “You start competing in high school and then it happens in college. Competition always makes you better and it is fun.”