Quarterback

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WorkingMyTailOff said:
Someone came at me before for a post around this, but I would say the way T Morgan debuted vs Nebraska and then played really well for 1.5 years was the exception to Gopher QB play in my lifetime.
I think the way Athan has looked this year is similar to how most first year starting Gopher QBs have looked (Nelson, Annexstad, Leidner, Gray) with some good plays but no consistency. I hope that they can fix his mechanics in the offseason because he is not consistent with his throws.
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Also Asad Abdul-Khaliq, who looked pretty bad early on, but led the nation in pass efficiency in his senior year (2003).
 

MNfootballfan said:
I agree with nearly everything. Athan was not good this year but also wasn’t really ever put in a position to truly succeed. He looked nothing like the last half of last season.
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If he played like this year like he did last year, there wouldn't have been nearly as much excitement around him. Last year he showed alot of potential, and I was genuinely excited about his potential this year. I've lost track of how many times I yelled at my TV at the sheer lack of conservative play calling. Like run plays on 3rd and 5? Come on. They were really handcuffing Athan. Yes he had alot of throws that were off, but there wasn't alot of creativity, like using his legs. He's ATHLETIC, let him take advantage of that.
 

JZABR said:
If he played like this year like he did last year, there wouldn't have been nearly as much excitement around him. Last year he showed alot of potential, and I was genuinely excited about his potential this year. I've lost track of how many times I yelled at my TV at the sheer lack of conservative play calling. Like run plays on 3rd and 5? Come on. They were really handcuffing Athan. Yes he had alot of throws that were off, but there wasn't alot of creativity, like using his legs. He's ATHLETIC, let him take advantage of that.
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He is nowhere near as athletic as the Wisconsin QB. Not close. There was plenty of creativity and the play calling was fine. AK is not the answer. Some people say there is no "flow" to our offense. That is true but its largely because we don't convert on 3rd down. A terrible throw, a dropped pass, you name it.... "Flow" requires players to do their jobs. And we haven't seen that.
 

Agree that AK is not it.

Doubt anyone currently on the roster is better, or might have been given a shot.


We were plagued by drops this year, no doubt. But don’t you think it’s weird that that suddenly started happening??

I think part of the reason for that is AK throws the ball too hard. Makes it harder to catch than it needs to be. Nothing else makes sense to me. These guys didn’t train all offseason trying to get worse at catching.


Can you really expect an 18 year old to come in immediately and play in the new Big Ten with success?


Unless we luck out and land a way under the radar FCS guy that somehow no one knows about, it’s not really feasible to see a difference maker transferring here. Why would you come play in this conservative, running offense and we don’t have much NIL to provide.


2019 was an incredible year. 21 and 22 were still pretty good too.

But this year feels like the start of what the new Big Ten is going to be.
 


A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Yeah I think that missed year, seems to factor into it. You'd think though last year it would have too.

Either way we were taking a chance on a guy who missed a year. If for some reason he turns into Steve Montana next year with the Gophers, man I'll be happy and cheer him on. It just ... some simple plays cost us games this year, those should be the easy part... seems like he is more than a little behind.
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January that’s the start of his fourth year on campus. One thing folks don’t bring up very often is basically were using two scholarships on the kid to because we gave his brother one who three years in has seen the field for about two plays.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
We need better quarterback play.

We had at least two wins available with better QB play this year, and I’d argue more were possible with nothing more than better play at QB.

Two more wins, three more …. this year looks much different.
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This is 100% correct. Tanner Morgan wins 2 to 4 more games this season.
 

Some Day...Maybe said:
This is 100% correct. Tanner Morgan wins 2 to 4 more games this season.
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Many know I was not a T Morgan supporter. That said, T Morgan wins us 2 , maybe 3, more games this year.

Guys, AK is horrible. He throws fastballs for every throw. It's why he throws some into the ground at 1 million miles an hour and some into the stands over the head of the WR at a million miles an hour.

Also, go back and watch the game. Watch the badger QB go thru his read progression. Watch him look off a LB and throw to a guy to whom it appears he is not even looking at (it happens in the 3rd Q 2 times and the FS1 replays show it well).

Then, watch AK from the snap to the throw. HE NEVER LOOKS OFF THE 1ST WR IN THE PROGRESSION CHART. NOT ONCE. NOT ONCE ALL GAME.

He is not an FBS P5 conference QB.
 
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LesBolstad said:
Cole Kramer wins 6 games this season.
Anyone know of some portal QB possibilities?
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The jackrabbits quarterback is a real gamer, but he probably wouldn’t take Fleck’s call. Hell, the Clark kid that transferred to Missouri State probably win six or seven games his highlights before he got hurt very athletic pretty good passer.
 

AK was actually decent yesterday and wasn’t the reason we lost. He had a high throw but other than that he was mostly on target when he wasn’t running for his life. Unfortunately the defense that was supposed to be our strength this year couldn’t stop Wisky at all in the second half largely due to a lack of depth from injuries and line play on both sides of the ball. I think AK keeps his job next year and improves.
 

LesBolstad said:
Cole Kramer wins 6 games this season.
Anyone know of some portal QB possibilities?
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Total guess, but if I'm Mallik Murphy (backup QB at Texas) I'm transferring. Ewers will probably come back next year, but even if he doesn't, it's going to be Arch Manning that gets the starts. Mallik would be a great fit for Fleck, and the Gophers would be a great fit for Mallik in that I think he's getting the starting role right away.
 

Most of completions are bad as well. On the drive before the 4th down fail we left many yards on the table. Nubin having to make a one handed catch instead of catching in stride, BSF having to fall down to make a catch when he could've probably run for 10 more yards with a decent pass. Jackson having to make an amazing catch on a high fastball. He's just terribly inaccurate.
 




Crosby said:
He is nowhere near as athletic as the Wisconsin QB. Not close. There was plenty of creativity and the play calling was fine. AK is not the answer. Some people say there is no "flow" to our offense. That is true but its largely because we don't convert on 3rd down. A terrible throw, a dropped pass, you name it.... "Flow" requires players to do their jobs. And we haven't seen that.
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It is possible to disagree and agree with you? He is also no where close to as athletic as Lamar Jackson... that doesn't mean he isn't athletic. He can be effective using his feet. We've seen enough times where Athan can make plays with his feet.

There is no flow in the offense and everything looks hard. Part of it Athan throwing a bad pass or making a bad read, but I truly think a bigger part of it the playcalling has no flow to it. Anytime it was 3rd and 5+ we gave up. It is chicken or egg. Was it playcalling or was it the lack of trust in Athan. Truth is, only the coaches in the offensive meeting room know.

I am not sure if Athan is the answer but I am not in the party to send him to Augsburg and play in the MIAC. He showed enough potential to me in 2022 - I would like to see him with a more open offense and more experienced QB/OC. With that being said, I think they should try to find the best QB they can in the portal and let the best man win the job.
 

At season's end, here's how AK stacks up to past Gopher QBs. This list sorted by NCAA passer rating.

ATTCOMPCOMP-%INTTDYDSYDS/ATTTD/ 100 ATTINT/100 ATTTD RUSHNCAA Pass Rtng
MORGAN106366162.18%32659,4698.96.13.08151.2
CUPITO91851355.88%25557,4468.16.02.70138.3
ABDUL-KHALIQ84748156.79%26556,6607.96.53.116138.1
FOGGIE62831149.52%32345,1628.25.45.124126.2
SAUTER94553957.04%33406,8347.24.23.58124.8
WEBER1,59490957.03%517210,9176.84.53.210123.1
ECKERS26214756.11%171518847.25.76.51122.4
COCKERHAM48525251.96%24293,4837.26.04.912122.1
LEIDNER102958056.37%32367,2877.13.53.133121.2
GRAY29515050.85%11142,0537.04.73.712117.5
HOHENSEE72239254.29%31334,7926.64.64.35116.5
SCHAFFNER51527853.98%22213,4726.74.14.36115.5
SCHADE62732251.36%23223,9866.43.53.72109.0
KALIAKMANIS40521653.33%13172,2365.54.23.23107.1
FLEETWOOD87646553.08%44185,2796.02.15.015100.4
DUNGY58627446.76%35223,5156.03.86.01697.6
CURRY50522644.75%24163,0606.13.24.81496.6
STEPHENS29710033.67%27131,5715.34.49.11774.4
COX1063734.91%1275084.86.611.3NA74.3
 



Yah-E said:
AK is not it
Drew Vioto is not it
If Drake does come, I like him
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On what do you base your opinions of Vioto and Lindsey? Have you seen either of them play?
 


Texan Gopher said:
Many know I was not a T Morgan supporter. That said, T Morgan wins us 2 , maybe 3, more games this year.

Guys, AK is horrible. He throws fastballs for every throw. It's why he throws some into the ground at 1 million miles an hour and some into the stands over the head of the WR at a million miles an hour.

Also, go back and watch the game. Watch the badger QB go thru his read progression. Watch him look off a LB and throw to a guy to whom it appears he is not even looking at (it happens in the 3rd Q 2 times and the FS1 replays show it well).

Then, watch AK from the snap to the throw. HE NEVER LOOKS OFF THE 1ST WR IN THE PROGRESSION CHART. NOT ONCE. NOT ONCE ALL GAME.

He is not an FBS P5 conference QB.
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Mordecai played well yesterday. He is light years better than AK, passing, running, seeing the field, everything. But, the important thing to know is Mordecai is in the average range for P5 quarterbacks. There will be a few dozen of these in the portal.

Will one as good as Mordecai want to play for Fleck? Very doubtful.
 

I could be wrong - but I think that Fleck just does not want the QB to run. It could be fear of injury, or just some philosophical viewpoint - but through 7 years, the Gopher QB's as a group may have run less - either on designed runs or scrambles - than almost any other B1G team.

at a time when everyone - even the NFL - wants mobile QB's - Fleck seems to be tied to a 'pocket passer' philosophy.
 

stocker08 said:
And that doesn't even considering the 2nd down designed keeper the play before in which Athan decided to slow down and try to juke a defensive player rather than rumble forward for a first down.

Fleck and company needs to bring in another QB to compete. I haven't sold on Athan after one year.....but I see some big problems with his game.
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Like I said to several others sitting around me, if we are going to continue to run an RPO offense, you need a QB that can actually pull it and run. At least two of Wisconsin's TD's were directly the result of their QB not looking like a stumbling drunk with two left feet running like his pants were around his ankles.

If we have a pro-style QB, then the plays and personnel need to reflect it. The problem with this offense is it had absolutely no identity all year. It didn't know what it wanted to be, sometimes within the same offensive series.

IMO, part of it is scheme and the other is execution. Both left a lot to be desired.

My other observation is that all season, the Gopher offense struggled in the 2nd half. In fact, Fleck teams have never been come-from-behind types of teams. It seems like once teams adjust, he can't (or won't) adjust, either. So drives stall out over and over again, which is why he is 1 - <some large number> when trailing at half time.

For all the high energy, almost spazmatic behavior in public, his coaching resembles that of a timid dog. Get past the barking, there is very little bite. Word is out that the way to beat his teams is to get them in situations that require a little more risk taking, because he is almost always going to take the safest route possible. As a defensive player, if I know this, it sure cuts down on the amount of stuff I have to worry about and makes it much easier to just go out and stuff the play.
 

MNfootballfan said:
It is possible to disagree and agree with you? He is also no where close to as athletic as Lamar Jackson... that doesn't mean he isn't athletic. He can be effective using his feet. We've seen enough times where Athan can make plays with his feet.

There is no flow in the offense and everything looks hard. Part of it Athan throwing a bad pass or making a bad read, but I truly think a bigger part of it the playcalling has no flow to it. Anytime it was 3rd and 5+ we gave up. It is chicken or egg. Was it playcalling or was it the lack of trust in Athan. Truth is, only the coaches in the offensive meeting room know.

I am not sure if Athan is the answer but I am not in the party to send him to Augsburg and play in the MIAC. He showed enough potential to me in 2022 - I would like to see him with a more open offense and more experienced QB/OC. With that being said, I think they should try to find the best QB they can in the portal and let the best man win the job.
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Can you name a time this season he extended a play with his feet? He is less athletic than Morgan from a running standpoint. That is not what we were told when we recruited him. I would argue reason why he is running for his life is he holds the ball way to long. He is the worst quarterback in the last 20 years that started at least 10 games. Now the question is does the most sutbborn coach I have came across change his philosphy and bring someone in to compete, whether portal or Lindsay.

Also we could not find one series all season to play Vito or even see what we have? It is mind boggling there is a way to get him a series.

If we can find a qb just an average qb i feel a lot better for next year. We return everybody including the best runner through the first 5 games in the country. (I know the portal changes everything). IT can be any worse at the QB position.
 


A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
We need better quarterback play.

We had at least two wins available with better QB play this year, and I’d argue more were possible with nothing more than better play at QB.

Two more wins, three more …. this year looks much different.
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Maybe true, but this is like Vikings fans blaming Kirk Cousins because the defense blew a 31-10 4th qtr lead.... "THEY SHOULDA SCORED MOOORE POINTS!"
 

DarthGopher said:
Like I said to several others sitting around me, if we are going to continue to run an RPO offense, you need a QB that can actually pull it and run. At least two of Wisconsin's TD's were directly the result of their QB not looking like a stumbling drunk with two left feet running like his pants were around his ankles.

If we have a pro-style QB, then the plays and personnel need to reflect it. The problem with this offense is it had absolutely no identity all year. It didn't know what it wanted to be, sometimes within the same offensive series.

IMO, part of it is scheme and the other is execution. Both left a lot to be desired.

My other observation is that all season, the Gopher offense struggled in the 2nd half. In fact, Fleck teams have never been come-from-behind types of teams. It seems like once teams adjust, he can't (or won't) adjust, either. So drives stall out over and over again, which is why he is 1 - <some large number> when trailing at half time.

For all the high energy, almost spazmatic behavior in public, his coaching resembles that of a timid dog. Get past the barking, there is very little bite. Word is out that the way to beat his teams is to get them in situations that require a little more risk taking, because he is almost always going to take the safest route possible. As a defensive player, if I know this, it sure cuts down on the amount of stuff I have to worry about and makes it much easier to just go out and stuff the play.
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Exactly 💯. This is why it's time to move on from Fleck. The blueprint is out on how to beat him and he's shown no signs of adjusting to it.
 


I sound like a broken record, but I think some of this is on the OC/QB coach who has NEVER been in either position before. You CAN'T rely on an inexperienced OC/QB coach in the B1G, you just can't.

Could Harbaugh be a good OC/QB coach later in his career? Sure, but he's basically gotta do all his learning on the job in what will arguably be the strongest and toughest conference in college football. Talk about baptism by fire.

We need an OC who has some years under his belt, and has done the hard learning already. Not someone who's learning is going to easily tank a season.
 

Gopherchase said:
The jackrabbits quarterback is a real gamer, but he probably wouldn’t take Fleck’s call. Hell, the Clark kid that transferred to Missouri State probably win six or seven games his highlights before he got hurt very athletic pretty good passer.
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There's some thought that Gronowski will enter the portal if SDSU wins the natty again but I think that's all conjecture at this point. He has applied to and been accepted into SDSU's graduate engineering program and SDSU, despite NDSU thinking is a roster of 22 7th year seniors, could have a lot of returning talent next year.

But Gronowski is the type of QB that the U needs to find. Capable arm, capable legs. Grono doesn't need to win games at SDSU with his legs and probably couldn't but has the ability to pick up yards crucial yards where necessary.
 

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