“Here’s the funny thing, is that literally up until that point, Coach Mannie had always had a mustache,” Maxwell said. “And then we did the Coach Mannie mustache Monday, and that’s when he grew the goatee and the mustache has never been back. So I don’t know if he was offended or what, but this is our tribute.”

Head coach Mark Dantonio didn’t share the same lighthearted mood prior to practice as he took media questions for less than four minutes before heading to the field. He didn’t have a mustache, either.

In his short briefing, Dantonio gave some insight into his opinion of Saturday’s closed scrimmage, including the competition for the job Maxwell is trying to retain.

“I think that all of our quarterbacks, all three of those guys, played OK,” Dantonio said. “However, they made one critical error each that led to a touchdown, and you can’t do that. Otherwise, they played pretty well.”

Reading between the lines, there are two takeaways from Dantonio’s words.

First, redshirt freshman Tyler O’Connor is alive and well in a quarterback battle previously seen as a two-man race between Maxwell and sophomore Connor Cook. Second, Dantonio explicitly mentioning “all three” likely means intriguing freshman quarterback Damion Terry is headed for a redshirt season.

O’Connor is known as the most mobile of the trio, and earned the praise of Dantonio after going seven-for-nine passing for 74 yards and two touchdowns in the scrimmage.

“He can make plays, he’s got a strong arm, he’s got good running ability down the field, so there are a lot of positives,” Dantonio said of O’Connor after noting his mistakes on Saturday.

Maxwell said he and Cook are splitting first-team reps nearly evenly through the first week, with O’Connor getting fewer than both at this point. The time to start funneling more reps to prepare the starter is approaching, he said, with the Aug. 30 season-opener looming.

“Eventually, whoever the guy is, that’s only natural that you’re giong to start getting more of the reps,” Maxwell said. “Not only for the guy is that important, but also for the team just to know who your guy is and who you’re going to go with.”

After not living up to his own expectations in the spring, Cook said he’s improved his consistency, decision-making and accuracy in camp as he strives to unseat Maxwell. He’s also playing with a better base under him, he said, something he learned from working with private quarterback coach George Whitfield Jr. this summer.

“I feel like the gap’s a lot closer now than it was in the spring,” Cook said of his separation from Maxwell. “But the main thing that I can do to win the job and close out the gap probably is to be more consistent.”