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So...the Quarterback situation?
Posted on 3/31/16 at 5:17 am
Posted on 3/31/16 at 5:17 am
Lately I've been reading some posts online from some Gamecock 2015 season apologists which state that they believe that Perry Orth wasn't (and shouldn't be) at fault for the abysmal season we had last year. I was completely dumbfounded, to be honest. After reading some posts like this, it got me thinking about the looming QB race as a whole.
Perry Orth
Brandon McIlwain
Lorenzo Nunez
Connor Mitch
Michael Scarnecchia
Who do you think's gonna be the guy this time around? Let me know what you think, my analysis is below!
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According to Muschamp, the first two are his current favorites for the job. With Orth out on a Collarbone injury, this must put him at some sort of disadvantage when it comes to competing against the other QBs. I'm sure the staff will take into consideration that Orth has seniority and much more playing time over the other QBs and that's why he'd be the best starter.
I also hope though that they can take into account what Orth used that starter time to accomplish. Completing a little more than half of his passes, scoring 12 TDs while throwing 9 interceptions...those interceptions are spread out into more than half of our games (most being close losses), overthrown passes for days and also lack of leadership.
Now of course I know as much as the next guy about our weak performances on defense, but I feel that having a weak defense doesn't excuse the failures on the offense. I feel that it all plays a part into the overall success of your team, and Orth couldn't lead that 2015 offense to much victory at all.
Aside from Lorenzo Nunez, the rest of the QBs have either had no starting time or very little starting time. I feel that at this point we need to go with someone who hasn't already proved that they are a failure on the field. Nunez has great legs and can run around teams, but his arm just isn't there from what I've seen. An even worse TD-INT ratio than Orth and his only starter win being against UCF. I feel that moving Nunez to RB or WR would benefit the team much more at this point. Lots of question marks around those positions and he could prove to be a huge playmaker playing in those positions.
I feel that Brandon should be our go-to guy, promising dual-threat abilities shown in practice, a strong-looking arm, high rating coming out of high school, and has been committed to the team from the start. I feel Brandon would deliver the best results to this team. Not saying we'll be a huge winning team automatically, but I do think that we'll get some progress.
Connor Mitch is a questionable pick because he's returning from a big injury and he hasn't had the prettiest results in the games he did start in and Scarnecchia at this point doesn't have much of a chance to get near the starting job all things considered.
Perry Orth
Brandon McIlwain
Lorenzo Nunez
Connor Mitch
Michael Scarnecchia
Who do you think's gonna be the guy this time around? Let me know what you think, my analysis is below!
-----------
According to Muschamp, the first two are his current favorites for the job. With Orth out on a Collarbone injury, this must put him at some sort of disadvantage when it comes to competing against the other QBs. I'm sure the staff will take into consideration that Orth has seniority and much more playing time over the other QBs and that's why he'd be the best starter.
I also hope though that they can take into account what Orth used that starter time to accomplish. Completing a little more than half of his passes, scoring 12 TDs while throwing 9 interceptions...those interceptions are spread out into more than half of our games (most being close losses), overthrown passes for days and also lack of leadership.
Now of course I know as much as the next guy about our weak performances on defense, but I feel that having a weak defense doesn't excuse the failures on the offense. I feel that it all plays a part into the overall success of your team, and Orth couldn't lead that 2015 offense to much victory at all.
Aside from Lorenzo Nunez, the rest of the QBs have either had no starting time or very little starting time. I feel that at this point we need to go with someone who hasn't already proved that they are a failure on the field. Nunez has great legs and can run around teams, but his arm just isn't there from what I've seen. An even worse TD-INT ratio than Orth and his only starter win being against UCF. I feel that moving Nunez to RB or WR would benefit the team much more at this point. Lots of question marks around those positions and he could prove to be a huge playmaker playing in those positions.
I feel that Brandon should be our go-to guy, promising dual-threat abilities shown in practice, a strong-looking arm, high rating coming out of high school, and has been committed to the team from the start. I feel Brandon would deliver the best results to this team. Not saying we'll be a huge winning team automatically, but I do think that we'll get some progress.
Connor Mitch is a questionable pick because he's returning from a big injury and he hasn't had the prettiest results in the games he did start in and Scarnecchia at this point doesn't have much of a chance to get near the starting job all things considered.
4
Posted on 3/31/16 at 7:12 am to Rescue22
Mitch, McIlwain, Orth an Nunez are the 4 to choose from. With Orth and Nunez out this spring, it would appear Mitch and McIlwain will get more reps/looks. However we're still 5 months and all of fall camp away from the season.
I think the game 1 starter is either going to be Mitch or McIlwain. B/c McIlwain is already being named in the Top2 before the injuries, I think that his trajectory is rising the fastest and he might be the starter after fall camp. Mitch has 2 seasons left, if he can't clearly separate himself from the other guys by this point, then we might as well build for the future and give McIlwain the snaps.
I think the game 1 starter is either going to be Mitch or McIlwain. B/c McIlwain is already being named in the Top2 before the injuries, I think that his trajectory is rising the fastest and he might be the starter after fall camp. Mitch has 2 seasons left, if he can't clearly separate himself from the other guys by this point, then we might as well build for the future and give McIlwain the snaps.
Posted on 3/31/16 at 8:26 am to Rescue22
I have a real problem with this question. Yes, Orth is not on the same level as what we are used to at the QB position. Yes, our team offense was ranked lower than our defense as it pertains to Points scored vs. points allowed. However, we do play in the SEC. Defense is valued more highly and that is made clear by our defense being ranked 13th and our offense being ranked 12th in the conference. We all know that we had our fair share of games that we were within one possession of winning. So to answer the question, no I am not thrilled about Orth being the starter, but I do believe with even a middle of the pack defense that we would have at least made a bowl game last year.
Point in case is UF. They made the SECCG with an offense ranked just above us in the SEC but had a good defense. In fact, if you look at defenses last year, the East had the 2nd-6th best defenses in the conference with us at 13th and Kentucky at 12th picking up the bottom. Something to think about.
Point in case is UF. They made the SECCG with an offense ranked just above us in the SEC but had a good defense. In fact, if you look at defenses last year, the East had the 2nd-6th best defenses in the conference with us at 13th and Kentucky at 12th picking up the bottom. Something to think about.
Posted on 3/31/16 at 9:55 am to GameCocky88
quote:This is the case for sure when it comes to the SEC. To battle the offensive giants in this conference, you need to have an effective defense so you can drag their offense down to your level and make the game more competitive. We all remember the 2014 season where our offense was pretty great and our defense bailed when we had the games won. We do also have a better advantage being in the East where most of the programs are having also having their own issues right now. Having a strong defense would be even more crucial if we were in the West. That would be hell to deal with though, haha.
However, we do play in the SEC. Defense is valued more highly and that is made clear by our defense being ranked 13th and our offense being ranked 12th in the conference.
quote:Ugh, don't even remind me. Last season was incredibly painful to watch.
We all know that we had our fair share of games that we were within one possession of winning.
quote:That's debatable. Orth's biggest issue I feel was that he could not perform well under pressure when the effort mattered the most. Typically in the 3rd and 4th Quarters is where everything fell apart. Even if our defense were able to give us more shots in those games, I believe that Orth's inability to perform under pressure would've turned the ball over even more. Of course this is just a theory and you can never know for sure until it happens, but I feel that's what would've happened if we had a better defense and our offense stayed the same. Our offense just couldn't score much.
So to answer the question, no I am not thrilled about Orth being the starter, but I do believe with even a middle of the pack defense that we would have at least made a bowl game last year.
quote:You also have to take into account that Will Grier was their QB for a lot of the games. The kid had a lot of talent and sparked the offense in crucial moments. If he never started during the season I feel their record would've looked much different. Their defense was beastly, though.
Point in case is UF. They made the SECCG with an offense ranked just above us in the SEC but had a good defense. In fact, if you look at defenses last year, the East had the 2nd-6th best defenses in the conference with us at 13th and Kentucky at 12th picking up the bottom. Something to think about.
Posted on 3/31/16 at 10:03 am to CockInYourEar
quote:Last I read I heard that Nunez was coming back before Spring ended. Is he out for the whole Spring also? And although I agree here, I think though that McIlwain will get more reps than Mitch. Strangely enough, I haven't been hearing much on Mitch at all from any Gamecock news sites or from the coaches. I wonder what's with that.
Mitch, McIlwain, Orth an Nunez are the 4 to choose from. With Orth and Nunez out this spring, it would appear Mitch and McIlwain will get more reps/looks. However we're still 5 months and all of fall camp away from the season.
quote:I was always interested in Connor Mitch, but it seems like he just fell off the radar after that injury vs. Kentucky last season. He might be done at South Carolina sooner than we all expect. Could possibly transfer to a smaller school, even. It's a shame though, Spurrier seemed to have high hopes in him. I wonder if he's truly a bust or if there's something this staff is overlooking with him.
I think the game 1 starter is either going to be Mitch or McIlwain. B/c McIlwain is already being named in the Top2 before the injuries, I think that his trajectory is rising the fastest and he might be the starter after fall camp. Mitch has 2 seasons left, if he can't clearly separate himself from the other guys by this point, then we might as well build for the future and give McIlwain the snaps.
Posted on 3/31/16 at 10:48 am to Rescue22
quote:
Is he out for the whole Spring also?
He could be back next week, but it may be in a yellow jersey. We'll have to wait and see in what capacity he comes back.
Posted on 3/31/16 at 11:33 am to Rescue22
McIlwain is gonna be the starter.
Orth will be a reliable/experienced back up
Orth will be a reliable/experienced back up
Posted on 3/31/16 at 3:13 pm to Rescue22
Orth has the most experience of all the QBs - the reports are he has shown the most experience at "QB presence" and command. What I can only deduce from this is he has better decision-making skills, reading the defenses, command of the playbook, adjusting on the fly, etc.
McIlwain shows the better physical abilities, but from what I've determined from this is, that means mostly that Brandon makes more of an impact with his legs. This reminds me of Nunez' abilities also, as he was able to make some big plays running the ball in the short time he played QB - of course, a lot of that was after he injured his shoulder, and he sort of devolved into a purely running wildcat-type QB. That hurt his ability to perform last season, as when he stepped in behind center the options for him became pretty one-dimensional, and defenses were ready for him to run the ball.
Orth won't be back from his injury until fall camp, so this gives McIlwain some key time and increased snaps with the #1 unit to strengthen his weaknesses, and more one-and-one coaching opportunities as well.
Nunez is possibly going to return before the end of spring camp, and while I don't think it'll be a fair enough time for him to stake his case, at least it gives coaches a chance to give him some more coaching and tips on what to work on during the summer sessions, and he can be in better shape to compete come fall camp. Coach Muschamp said this competition would go well into fall camp anyways....
All of USC's QBs last season were young, raw, and very inexperienced. The situation of the porous defense in 2014 made it so that there were little "mop-up" situations late in games for them to get in and play snaps against real opponents, and that lack of experience showed up huge last season. Then the rash of injuries to Mitch and Nunez scrambled it up anyways, preventing any continuation and development for any QB throughout the season, which can often take place if a youngster is able to play all season long.
I'm kinda disappointed about Mitch but it sounds like he's making his own bed in this case. His terrible injury notwithstanding, he's had tremendous opportunity over the past 2 seasons to prepare and develop his game for the long haul, but he can't seem to win the job against a walk-on and a kid 2 years younger than him.
But we still haven't seen the end chapter to this story....
McIlwain shows the better physical abilities, but from what I've determined from this is, that means mostly that Brandon makes more of an impact with his legs. This reminds me of Nunez' abilities also, as he was able to make some big plays running the ball in the short time he played QB - of course, a lot of that was after he injured his shoulder, and he sort of devolved into a purely running wildcat-type QB. That hurt his ability to perform last season, as when he stepped in behind center the options for him became pretty one-dimensional, and defenses were ready for him to run the ball.
Orth won't be back from his injury until fall camp, so this gives McIlwain some key time and increased snaps with the #1 unit to strengthen his weaknesses, and more one-and-one coaching opportunities as well.
Nunez is possibly going to return before the end of spring camp, and while I don't think it'll be a fair enough time for him to stake his case, at least it gives coaches a chance to give him some more coaching and tips on what to work on during the summer sessions, and he can be in better shape to compete come fall camp. Coach Muschamp said this competition would go well into fall camp anyways....
All of USC's QBs last season were young, raw, and very inexperienced. The situation of the porous defense in 2014 made it so that there were little "mop-up" situations late in games for them to get in and play snaps against real opponents, and that lack of experience showed up huge last season. Then the rash of injuries to Mitch and Nunez scrambled it up anyways, preventing any continuation and development for any QB throughout the season, which can often take place if a youngster is able to play all season long.
I'm kinda disappointed about Mitch but it sounds like he's making his own bed in this case. His terrible injury notwithstanding, he's had tremendous opportunity over the past 2 seasons to prepare and develop his game for the long haul, but he can't seem to win the job against a walk-on and a kid 2 years younger than him.
But we still haven't seen the end chapter to this story....
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