The quarterback competition 2017

[SoCalPat]

I remember when Grady transferred from Oklahoma, Whit said something to the effect that we had the greatest qb depth in the country, and got roasted everywhere. Chalk that up to being a slightly inexperienced head coach.

He said that before Brian made the decision to redshirt.

So we had a guy who crushed it in two starts the year prior, a 4-star QB transfer from a traditional power and a third guy who was top 10 in total offense the year before as a true sophomore.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with Kyle's statement when he said it, and he proved to be right. Grady flamed out, but had a long successful career in the Arena League. Ratliff had a cup of coffee with the Jets, and Brian was POY and led the team to perhaps the greatest season in school history. Not only was there nothing wrong with Kyle's statement when he said it, he was 100 percent right.

[Utah]

Ratliff was in the NFL for 5 years. Not too bad.

[LA Ute]

This year we have a new starter, whom the coaches have surprisingly picked as our up-and-comer. He shows great promise.

The starter is backed up by the quarterback who started every game for us last season, who led us to nine wins, and who is a proven commodity. That backup came within a hair of being the starter again this year.

The third string quarterback was a backup at Alabama for four years.

I don't think we have ever had this kind of QB security in the past. Yes, we have been lucky when it turned out that our backup did well (Ratliff) but this year we have no reason to be worried if our first string quarterback goes out with an injury. We won't be saying, "Oh no! Tyler is out! What will we do? Do we have a decent backup?" That is what I am saying.

[Brian]

I was thinking about the bowl game against Indiana. They played Tyler for a few series in that game, which I thought was kind of odd. It doesn't seem like a KW thing to do. At least I don't remember him doing this much over the years.

I wonder now if they were starting to think about this switch last year, and wanted to gather some game tape on Tyler to evaluate going into the offseason.

[Utah]

I've heard through back channels from a player (cue Ferris Beuller) that the last month Huntley has been terrific throwing the ball.

[U-Ute]

I've heard through back channels from a player (cue Ferris Beuller) that the last month Huntley has been terrific throwing the ball.

This has been a consistent theme echoed around the internet and on the radio. I hope that is the case and it isn't all coming from one Maybe the game has finally slowed down for him.

[chrisrenrut]

Looking back on this, it’s pretty clear that Huntley was the best choice to start the season. Let’s hope Troy can step up and progress on his performance from last year. He’s going to have to be more effective with his arm, as our running game doesn’t seem to be nearly as strong as last year.

[mUUser]

Just for fun, I'd love to see Bateman for a few series.

[sancho]

Just for fun, I'd love to see Bateman for a few series.

I'd especially love to see that if it meant we were up by 35 points in the 4th quarter.

[Ma'ake]

Looking back on this, it’s pretty clear that Huntley was the best choice to start the season. Let’s hope Troy can step up and progress on his performance from last year. He’s going to have to be more effective with his arm, as our running game doesn’t seem to be nearly as strong as last year.

It will be interesting to see how Taylor deploys Williams. Theoretically, the OL should be a little further along, and our WRs this year are unquestionably better than last year (even if Sioasi Wilson didn't *quite* pull off the perfect boundary catch like DC2 did against us last year).

If we can get better run blocking and production out of the RBs, I think Williams should be a little better than last year.

One thing I noticed from the game, though, was a few drops, even one from Carrington. Last year TW had the stronger arm. Does Huntley throw a softer, more catchable pass? Hopefully the drops on Friday were an anomaly.

[Utah]

It will be interesting to see how Taylor deploys Williams. Theoretically, the OL should be a little further along, and our WRs this year are unquestionably better than last year (even if Sioasi Wilson didn't *quite* pull off the perfect boundary catch like DC2 did against us last year).

If we can get better run blocking and production out of the RBs, I think Williams should be a little better than last year.

One thing I noticed from the game, though, was a few drops, even one from Carrington. Last year TW had the stronger arm. Does Huntley throw a softer, more catchable pass? Hopefully the drops on Friday were an anomaly.

The drops stood out to me. It's getting safe to say that the drops last year and this year are more on Troy than the WR's. We didn't have drops with Huntley back there.

I hope Troy W can get better. He just looked like the same guy from last year. Just not good enough.

[sancho]

It's getting safe to say that the drops last year and this year are more on Troy than the WR's. We didn't have drops with Huntley back there.

No, it's not. There's no quantity or quality of data to support this. Carrington's drop was on a great pass. In general, a drop is only considered a drop if the pass is good. A drop is an unfortunate error on the part of the WR - that is all.

I agree that Huntley looks to be capable of taking us to an entirely different level than Williams, but there's no need to pile on and assign TW blame for others' mistakes.

[Utebiquitous]

Utah,
I'd call Williams snakebit before I'd blame him for receivers dropping excellent passes. Don't be ridiculous. I agree that Huntley should be the starter and has been solid if almost spectacular, but I'll tell you one thing that stood out immediately Friday. Williams is much more comfortable in the pocket.

I think we're fortunate to have a backup as good as Williams. I'm very comfortable saying he led us to a win Friday - along with Guidry's pick six.

[Ma'ake]

The drops stood out to me. It's getting safe to say that the drops last year and this year are more on Troy than the WR's. We didn't have drops with Huntley back there.

I hope Troy W can get better. He just looked like the same guy from last year. Just not good enough.

My observation was based more on QBs having different velocities, which WRs need to adjust to. Kind of like the difference between catching a lefty QB's ball vs a righty. (To be fair, Huntley has a stronger arm than he did last year, when the difference in arm strength wasn't close at all.)

I don't expect most college WRs to have hands like the NFL guys, but for a bunch of guys who aspire to play on Sundays - particularly Carrington - to have blame assigned for them, on the QB, for catchable passes dropped, is not in any way acceptable. That would be like Brett Favre's college coach saying "he might be a great NFL prospect, but my WRs' hands are hurting. Let's go with the other guy".

Let's explore the physics here - if *I* was the QB, the WRs could catch passes with their pinkies. But none of those balls would arrive, because even the slowest D-lineman would close the gap on my passes. Which is why QBs are rated on arm strength, especially as it applies to higher levels of football.

I'm not talking about QBs throwing lasers for screen passes. I'm talking about downfield passes where coverage is an issue.

I'm confident the WRs will adjust to Williams' passes, but after the BYU game last year, Troy didn't throw many picks, either - 5 for the year, if you subtract those 3 mistakes in Game 2. Williams is a more deliberative passer, who is patient and when the passing lane opens, he fires a bullet. Huntley throws more off the run, and (at least against North Dakota, BYU and San Jose St), the threat of him running probably loosened coverage a little bit...coverage that was going to be looser, anyway, based on the general difference in athletic ability.

Huntley has been very promising, a lot of fun to watch, but let's remember the level of competition. For example, Williams threw 6 TDs in the SoCal JC championship game... in the first half. (His OC had to calm him down, because he wanted to throw 10 TDs for the game.)

Especially as we get into PAC-12 play, the old adage that "the enemy has a vote" applies. The speeds are higher, the passing windows are much smaller and short lived.

I don't expect Williams to have the same stats Huntley did in the first three games. And I don't expect Huntley to have those kind of numbers when he comes back for PAC-12 games.

(To elaborate further, some of the picks Huntley threw in the first 3 games would have lost us games in the PAC - like Guidry's pick-6 was the difference in Tucson on Friday. In our league, putting your defense in tough spots leads to worse outcomes than it did against North Dakota. But it was the right thing to do to stick with Huntley, to help get him up to speed in game-speed QB decision making, against inferior competition, in non-league games.)

They're apples & oranges. We can win with either QB, as long as all the rest of the ingredients hold up their end of the bargain.

[Utah]

I don't disagree with anything you are saying. But, Carrington hasn't ever had drop issues. None of our WR's had them with Huntley.

Even last year in OOC play, there were drop issues.

At some point, some blame goes to Troy.

I don't recall Favre having drop issues with WR's (career 62% comp).

I don't know if it's an accuracy issue, a velocity issue or what, but we do know it's a Troy issue.

Look at Arizona's opposing QB's:

54%, 377 yards
78%, 225 yards
UTEP was weird: 29% for 59 yards, 65% for 104 yards.

Troy: 50%, 131 yards
Huntley: 89%, 98 yards

I blamed WR's all last year. I'm not feeling the same blame after watching Huntley. This appears to be a Troy issue.

Whit said that Huntley was the better QB in fall; accuracy, yards, big plays, small plays, etc.

It's what cost Troy the job. If he doesn't improve quickly, I'd be more than open to allowing Bateman to play as well.

[Utah]

We can win 7-8 games with either QB.

If we want to do more, we need Troy to play a lot better. A lot better.

[Applejack]

I don't disagree with anything you are saying. But, Carrington hasn't ever had drop issues. None of our WR's had them with Huntley.

Even last year in OOC play, there were drop issues.

At some point, some blame goes to Troy.

I don't recall Favre having drop issues with WR's (career 62% comp).

I don't know if it's an accuracy issue, a velocity issue or what, but we do know it's a Troy issue.

Look at Arizona's opposing QB's:

54%, 377 yards
78%, 225 yards
UTEP was weird: 29% for 59 yards, 65% for 104 yards.

Troy: 50%, 131 yards
Huntley: 89%, 98 yards

I blamed WR's all last year. I'm not feeling the same blame after watching Huntley. This appears to be a Troy issue.

Whit said that Huntley was the better QB in fall; accuracy, yards, big plays, small plays, etc.

It's what cost Troy the job. If he doesn't improve quickly, I'd be more than open to allowing Bateman to play as well.

LOL. Utah, this is your weirdest argument ever (and I'm remembering last year's "best LBs in the Pac 12" declaration). Carrington had two drops that I remember in the game; and Fakailoatonga had one the play after Siosai's td was called back that would have gone for a TD itself. I haven't heard anyone blame the qb for those catchable drops; until now.

[concerned]

LOL. Utah, this is your weirdest argument ever (and I'm remembering last year's "best LBs in the Pac 12" declaration). Carrington had two drops that I remember in the game; and Fakailoatonga had one the play after Siosai's td was called back that would have gone for a TD itself. I haven't heard anyone blame the qb for those catchable drops; until now.

And Fakailoatonga had that drop right after he had the offside that moved us from first and goal from the 3 to first and goal from the 8. He singlehandedly cost us that touchdown.

All the identified drops were either the receivers fault or good d by the db. You cant blame any of them on the qb.

[sancho]

I don't disagree with anything you are saying. But, Carrington hasn't ever had drop issues. None of our WR's had them with Huntley.

Even last year in OOC play, there were drop issues.

At some point, some blame goes to Troy.

I don't recall Favre having drop issues with WR's (career 62% comp).

I don't know if it's an accuracy issue, a velocity issue or what, but we do know it's a Troy issue.

Look at Arizona's opposing QB's:

54%, 377 yards
78%, 225 yards
UTEP was weird: 29% for 59 yards, 65% for 104 yards.

Troy: 50%, 131 yards
Huntley: 89%, 98 yards

I blamed WR's all last year. I'm not feeling the same blame after watching Huntley. This appears to be a Troy issue.

Whit said that Huntley was the better QB in fall; accuracy, yards, big plays, small plays, etc.

It's what cost Troy the job. If he doesn't improve quickly, I'd be more than open to allowing Bateman to play as well.

I think you have two arguments here:

1) Williams is less accurate that Huntley, as evidenced by completion percentage. I agree with you, even though the sample size is too small.

2) There is something different about Williams' good throws that makes them harder to catch than Huntley's good throws. This is the one doesn't make sense.

[concerned]

I think you have two arguments here:

1) Williams is less accurate that Huntley, as evidenced by completion percentage. I agree with you, even though the sample size is too small.

2) There is something different about Williams' good throws that makes them harder to catch than Huntley's good throws. This is the one doesn't make sense.

By definition, a drop happens on an accurate throw; if the throw is inaccurate, it is not a drop. So to me, that argu doesn't fly either.

[Diehard Ute]

By definition, a drop happens on an accurate throw; if the throw is inaccurate, it is not a drop. So to me, that argu doesn't fly either.

Exactly right.

If anything there should be a ”dropped pass” stat next to a QB’s completion percentage. The QB gets dinged regardless of the reason for the incomplete pass.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[concerned]

Exactly right.

If anything there should be a ”dropped pass” stat next to a QB’s completion percentage. The QB gets dinged regardless of the reason for the incomplete pass.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

the football equivalent of the passed ball/wild pitch dichotomy

[U-Ute]

Looking back on this, it’s pretty clear that Huntley was the best choice to start the season. Let’s hope Troy can step up and progress on his performance from last year. He’s going to have to be more effective with his arm, as our running game doesn’t seem to be nearly as strong as last year.

The biggest difference this year, to me, has been the completion %.

Williams was 50% last year, and Huntley has been hovering over 70% so far this season.

Even against Arizona, T. Williams was at 50% while Huntley was at 70%.

[chrisrenrut]

By definition, a drop happens on an accurate throw; if the throw is inaccurate, it is not a drop. So to me, that argu doesn't fly either.

There are varying degrees of accurate throws. Some hit the receiver in stride, other's he has to stop or slow for. Some are above the head, to the side, in the chest, at the knees. Velocity also varies. So to a small degree, I can see some argument that maybe Huntley delivers the ball more frequently in a place or way where the receive has to do less adjusting to an accurate throw. But I don't know that we have a big enough sample size to make that determination this season yet.

[Utah]

All I'm saying is that drops haven't been an issue until Troy came in the game.

Even vs Arizona, Huntley was just under 90% on comp. Troy was 50%.

This seems to be a Troy issue. Accuracy, timing, wrong reads...whatever.

But it's a problem when Troy is in and not Huntley.

[sancho]

All I'm saying is that drops haven't been an issue until Troy came in the game.

Even vs Arizona, Huntley was just under 90% on comp. Troy was 50%.

This seems to be a Troy issue. Accuracy, timing, wrong reads...whatever.

But it's a problem when Troy is in and not Huntley.

We are talking about, what, 2 drops? Not even close to enough data to draw a conclusion. Not enough to even form a hypothesis.

With completion percentage, at least we are talking about 100+ throws.

We all agree that Huntley has been the better QB. Let's agree using a correct argument, though.

[NorthwestUteFan]

Troy also seems to throw the ball away rather than tuck it and try to run it or take a sack. Huntley is better able to run, but also takes more sacks.

[Ma'ake]

Troy also seems to throw the ball away rather than tuck it and try to run it or take a sack. Huntley is better able to run, but also takes more sacks.

Yes, this is a weird combination - better runner, quicker to take off, but more sacks. I would attribute this to defenses adjusting and Arizona (at least) better containing the pocket and having backside pursuit TH didn't think was that fast, or wasn't aware of.

Utah - here's an example of how stats can be deceiving. Who's a better runner, Huntley or Moss? My eyes tell me TH is much more dynamic, but Moss, with just 2 more carries, averages 4.7 ypc, vs 3.8 for TH. They have enough carries for the stats to mean something. But I would say the stats are off, on this comparison. Again, apples and oranges. (For that matter, Demari Simpkins is the best passer, with a QB rating of 217 and a completion percentage of 100.)

Moral of the story - don't get sucked into the stats. The biggest stat is the scoreboard.

The road gets quite a bit more difficult: Just as Arizona has been a thorn in our side, we've been the irritant to Stanford. That game won't be easy.

Just find a way to win.

[Utah]

I do agree that winning is all that matters. If you win every game by 1 point, you are a national champion at the end of the year.

I will have time to rewatch the game this weekend. I'm curious to see what it looks like the second, less emotional time around.

As far as sacks go, I think Huntley has taken off to run a couple of times when the pocket was good and he was tackled for a loss = sack. I wonder how many sacks would go away if you took away the "attempted runs when he didn't need to run" sacks.

I'm not stuck on stats...but the stats show what we all saw last year: Troy is a mediocre passer who has a lot more drops than most other QB's.

All I'm saying is that it might be time to quit blaming the WR's for drops, when it seems to only be an issue for one QB.

[Applejack]

All I'm saying is that it might be time to quit blaming the WR's for drops, when it seems to only be an issue for one QB.

Are you a troll? Quit blaming the WRs for drops? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

This is the dumbest argument on the internet currently.