Tanner Morgan needs to be the starter for Indiana

I know there is a "Morgan vs Annexstad" thread already .... but I wanted to make a stronger statement. After watching the 2nd half ... there simply is no comparison.

1) it could be as simple as Annexstad being devastated by injuries, which I have zero doubt is the truth. The ankle, and now possible some kind of bruised ribs/midsection? He took some shots vs Nebraska, including that one right before half on the TD drive where he had thrown it but the guy still landed on him/drove him to the ground.

That is not fair to Annexstad, because he has had to take more than a fair share of blows while the OL gets sorted out. But .... all I can say is, life isn't fair. If anything, he needs time to heal.

2) while #1 has to be a big part of it, I still have another wild guess: that old saying about sometimes guys are just "gamers". You can have a guy who is lights out in practice, but then when its gametime doesn't perform as well. And then you can have a guy who doesn't do as well in practice, but when it's gametime he brings it. I'm not saying Annexstad is the former, but I do wonder if Morgan is a bit of the latter.


Guys, there just is no way you can watch the 1st half and then watch the 2nd half and conclude that Annexstand would've been able to make all the plays that Morgan did, especially on the ground (back to #1).



Regardless of what's fair, regardless of all the rhetoric about no short leashes etc. ...... G-D we have to find a way to eek out 3 more wins in the last 5 games, by hook or by damn crook. And I declare that, at least for the Indiana game, TM is our man !!! Reassess from there.

He will be. Also, in Fleck's offense I don't see how you can have long term success with a guy with no mobility back there. Running read option with a guy who's no run threat makes no sense. You don't need Michael Vick, but at least a guy like Morgan can get you some positive yardage when he keeps.

Limited mobility due to football action is hard to separate from ability when results are the metric. That being said it is always better to have the QB who is not being taken to the hospital in the game.

A mobile and healthy QB,especially if other attributes are similar is going to have better outcomes.

LesBolstad said:

He will be. Also, in Fleck's offense I don't see how you can have long term success with a guy with no mobility back there. Running read option with a guy who's no run threat makes no sense. You don't need Michael Vick, but at least a guy like Morgan can get you some positive yardage when he keeps.

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The Gophers don't run a read option offense, and mobility from the QB isn't at a premium when the QB runs the ball so infrequently.

Morgan seems much better under pressure. Since we pretty much know that the QB will be under heavy pressure for the rest of the season, Morgan is the better option. At the very least until Annexstad gets 100% healthy.

Maybe Annexstad will be a better option in the future when we get Smith back/current running backs get better and if the OL gets better but for now, Annexstad is not mobile enough.

dpodoll68 said:

The Gophers don't run a read option offense, and mobility from the QB isn't at a premium when the QB runs the ball so infrequently.

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Tanner Morgan rushed for 35 yards on 4 carries, all in the second half of yesterday's game. Zach A has rushed for positive yardage in only one game this year (3 rushes for 5 yards against Fresno State). What the Gophers run likely depends upon personnel on the field and the game situation. By the time Tanner got in we were 3 touchdowns behind, didn't have the time to grind it out on the ground, and Nebraska was largely defending to stop the run anyway. You know, dpodoll68, I've never thought of you as an idiot so I think you should be capable of thinking these things through a little more before you make blanket claims.

cjbfbp said:

Tanner Morgan rushed for 35 yards on 4 carries, all in the second half of yesterday's game. Zach A has rushed for positive yardage in only one game this year (3 rushes for 5 yards against Fresno State). What the Gophers run likely depends upon personnel on the field and the game situation. By the time Tanner got in we were 3 touchdowns behind, didn't have the time to grind it out on the ground, and Nebraska was largely defending to stop the run anyway. You know, dpodoll68, I've never thought of you as an idiot so I think you should be capable of thinking these things through a little more before you make blanket claims.

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I can make a blanket claim when it's accurate. Kirk Ciarrocca doesn't run a read option offense. Tanner Morgan being more mobile than Zack Annexstad and thus electing to scramble more often doesn't change that fact. Another fact is that Ciarrocca's offense isn't predicated on having a mobile QB.

dpodoll68 said:

I can make a blanket claim when it's accurate. Kirk Ciarocca doesn't run a read option offense. Tanner Morgan being more mobile than Zack Annexstad and thus electing to scramble more often doesn't change that fact. Another fact is that Ciarocca's offense isn't predicated on having a mobile QB.

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Yet they run four or five QB runs every game. They just feel the need to switch the QB to do it thereby telegraphing to everyone in the stadium what they are doing. I'm assuming that Ciarocca is capable of making adjustments to his offense if warranted. Successful people, regardless of the occupation, usually are.

It doesn’t matter if Aaron Rodgers is QB if we give up 53 points and 650 yards.

dpodoll68 said:

I can make a blanket claim when it's accurate. Kirk Ciarrocca doesn't run a read option offense. Tanner Morgan being more mobile than Zack Annexstad and thus electing to scramble more often doesn't change that fact. Another fact is that Ciarrocca's offense isn't predicated on having a mobile QB.

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But this is college football. The QB needs to run. It’s been beyond frustrating watching Annexstad stand there and/or never calling any plays for him to run.

When Morgan was in there, he scrambled better, but they also called more plays for him to run. It looked so much better.


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I hope he starts for Minnesota, not Indiana.

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I’m pretty sure the option pitch is part of the offense since we ran it 3 times in the second half and Annexstad has run it once or twice. It was probably there for the taking more than that yesterday. Having a mobile QB is a desirable attribute.

all things being equal, I would rather have a QB who can run as opposed to one who cannot run. If nothing else, it gives the defense something else to consider.

And, as someone alluded to, Morgan at QB might cut back on some of the odd Wildcat calls. I like the Wildcat as a goal-line offense. I don't like it at midfield, especially if Green isn't going to throw more off it.

Personally, I would like to see some plays designed for Green in the regular offense - bubble screens, maybe a jet sweep, or a reverse pass.

This defense needs to tackle and make stops. This Gopher defense is the reason the Gophers have three wins. Time to breakdown film and figure out how to beat Indiana.

John Galt said:

It doesn’t matter if Aaron Rodgers is QB if we give up 53 points and 650 yards.

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WilliamsArenaGuy said:

But this is college football. The QB needs to run. It’s been beyond frustrating watching Annexstad stand there and/or never calling any plays for him to run.

When Morgan was in there, he scrambled better, but they also called more plays for him to run. It looked so much better.

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I’m with you, the more you give the opponent to worry about the better. Annexstad has also not been completing a high percentage of passes, which further exasperates the problem.

You’re welcome