Practice today?

[fufanatic]

He is at Georgia Southern but not playing football I am told. Wanted to be near home. Cant speak to the veracity of that.

That's a bummer he decided against playing football. He certainly had some talent. Maybe he'll walk on or go elsewhere once the school year ends this spring.

[The Jackal]

That doesn't sound good for Jemar Lincoln.
He won a game for us when we really needed him, so I hope he gets a fair shot at the starting position.

Lincoln transferred at the end of the season. We have two scholarship QBs on the roster right now, but sounds like both are improving. That's exciting.

I find it kind of scary rather than exciting.
Two red shirt freshmen and no QB with a win.
I'll hope for the best.

Let me rephrase ... we are heading into the year with two scholarship QBs so that could be better, but to me it is exciting that both have showed great improvement after Grainger showed flashes last year. Not to mention they'll have an improved team around them. I get less and less concerned about this with each practice that these two get under their belts.

Well, you are in good company. Spoke with CCH last week and he isn't concerned at all. We will get a much better sense when we see them perform in a live scrimmage next week. The fact that he did not seek out a QB recruit or transfer for the coming season tells me a lot about what he thinks of what he has. He will recruit the position hard for next year's class to achieve continuity.

I look at it this way - no one has more invested in the success of the football program than the coaching staff. This game is how they feed their families.

If the coaching staff, knowing that we have only two freshmen scholarship QBs on the roster, opted not to bring in another scholarship QB this year either through recruiting or transfer, that should tell the fans a lot about what the coaching staff thinks about the current options.

As best I can tell, we really didn't even go after QBs in recruiting. Maybe some fliers on talented kids early in the season, but it certainly didn't appear that we spent a lot of time focusing on that position.

[fufanatic]

That doesn't sound good for Jemar Lincoln.
He won a game for us when we really needed him, so I hope he gets a fair shot at the starting position.

Lincoln transferred at the end of the season. We have two scholarship QBs on the roster right now, but sounds like both are improving. That's exciting.

I find it kind of scary rather than exciting.
Two red shirt freshmen and no QB with a win.
I'll hope for the best.

Let me rephrase ... we are heading into the year with two scholarship QBs so that could be better, but to me it is exciting that both have showed great improvement after Grainger showed flashes last year. Not to mention they'll have an improved team around them. I get less and less concerned about this with each practice that these two get under their belts.

Well, you are in good company. Spoke with CCH last week and he isn't concerned at all. We will get a much better sense when we see them perform in a live scrimmage next week. The fact that he did not seek out a QB recruit or transfer for the coming season tells me a lot about what he thinks of what he has. He will recruit the position hard for next year's class to achieve continuity.

I look at it this way - no one has more invested in the success of the football program than the coaching staff. This game is how they feed their families.

If the coaching staff, knowing that we have only two freshmen scholarship QBs on the roster, opted not to bring in another scholarship QB this year either through recruiting or transfer, that should tell the fans a lot about what the coaching staff thinks about the current options.

As best I can tell, we really didn't even go after QBs in recruiting. Maybe some fliers on talented kids early in the season, but it certainly didn't appear that we spent a lot of time focusing on that position.

To expand on your point, I trust this staff because they've walked the walk with two great years after so many depressing years. If this was a different staff maybe I would be more interested in critiquing their decision to roll with two scholarship QBs, but this staff has earned our trust that they know what the heck they are doing.

[FUpaladin08]

Agree that these guys know what they’re doing.

I would think the ideal situation for this staff is to play solid defense, control the clock by running the ball, and throw the ball 10-15 times a game. If you do the first two we’ll, you don’t have to put up big offense. Pretty sure all of that can be quoted from CCH during his press conference upon taking the job.

Furman has done this before with Napier, Forcier, and Blaze at QB. It’s not about limiting the QB, rather knowing the right time to throw. That takes experience at QB and hopefully they are starting to see this in our current options. I would much prefer they spend time grooming those young QBs, and bringing in talent on the Oline, RBs and defense to help take pressure off whichever QB we go with this year.

[apaladin]

Agree that these guys know what they’re doing.

I would think the ideal situation for this staff is to play solid defense, control the clock by running the ball, and throw the ball 10-15 times a game. If you do the first two we’ll, you don’t have to put up big offense. Pretty sure all of that can be quoted from CCH during his press conference upon taking the job.

Furman has done this before with Napier, Forcier, and Blaze at QB. It’s not about limiting the QB, rather knowing the right time to throw. That takes experience at QB and hopefully they are starting to see this in our current options. I would much prefer they spend time grooming those young QBs, and bringing in talent on the Oline, RBs and defense to help take pressure off whichever QB we go with this year.

Sounds like the passing game is becoming less and less as an important part of the offense. Sounds like we are slowly turning into another WC and/or Citadel. I hope we don't get to the point where it is shocking when we run a pass play like WC and Cit or only throw in desperation. 10 passes a game is far from the balanced offense we are used to seeing.

[AstroDin]

Agree that these guys know what they’re doing.

I would think the ideal situation for this staff is to play solid defense, control the clock by running the ball, and throw the ball 10-15 times a game. If you do the first two we’ll, you don’t have to put up big offense. Pretty sure all of that can be quoted from CCH during his press conference upon taking the job.

Furman has done this before with Napier, Forcier, and Blaze at QB. It’s not about limiting the QB, rather knowing the right time to throw. That takes experience at QB and hopefully they are starting to see this in our current options. I would much prefer they spend time grooming those young QBs, and bringing in talent on the Oline, RBs and defense to help take pressure off whichever QB we go with this year.

Sounds like the passing game is becoming less and less as an important part of the offense. Sounds like we are slowly turning into another WC and/or Citadel. I hope we don't get to the point where it is shocking when we run a pass play like WC and Cit or only throw in desperation. 10 passes a game is far from the balanced offense we are used to seeing.

I don't see any indication this is the case - Sisson and Grainger both have the ability to throw the ball - Clay has been very clear - do has Quarles Furman will run a multiple offense. Will our passing game be traditional or some spread attack - nope. I haven't counted but in a given game Furman could easily have six to eight different players catch the ball. The passing game will always be a key component in a Hendrix/Quarles offense.

[The Jackal]

Agree that these guys know what they’re doing.

I would think the ideal situation for this staff is to play solid defense, control the clock by running the ball, and throw the ball 10-15 times a game. If you do the first two we’ll, you don’t have to put up big offense. Pretty sure all of that can be quoted from CCH during his press conference upon taking the job.

Furman has done this before with Napier, Forcier, and Blaze at QB. It’s not about limiting the QB, rather knowing the right time to throw. That takes experience at QB and hopefully they are starting to see this in our current options. I would much prefer they spend time grooming those young QBs, and bringing in talent on the Oline, RBs and defense to help take pressure off whichever QB we go with this year.

Sounds like the passing game is becoming less and less as an important part of the offense. Sounds like we are slowly turning into another WC and/or Citadel. I hope we don't get to the point where it is shocking when we run a pass play like WC and Cit or only throw in desperation. 10 passes a game is far from the balanced offense we are used to seeing.

This is a bad take.

The passing game is an important part of this offense. The coaching staff has reiterated that time and again. We have a small army of receivers, backs, and TEs who are all competent pass catchers.

Throwing the ball 15 times with a high completion percentage isn't novel. Furman has done that for years and have had great success with it.

The 2001 Furman team (who played for a national title) averaged 18 throws a game. Billy Napier had 14 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions and averaged about 155 yards a game. I don't think anyone confused that team with a "where's the ball?" option team.

Play good defense. Run the ball well. Attempt high percentage passes against a defense that is preoccupied at stopping the run. This is a recipe for success.

[MNORM]

Agree that these guys know what they’re doing.

I would think the ideal situation for this staff is to play solid defense, control the clock by running the ball, and throw the ball 10-15 times a game. If you do the first two we’ll, you don’t have to put up big offense. Pretty sure all of that can be quoted from CCH during his press conference upon taking the job.

Furman has done this before with Napier, Forcier, and Blaze at QB. It’s not about limiting the QB, rather knowing the right time to throw. That takes experience at QB and hopefully they are starting to see this in our current options. I would much prefer they spend time grooming those young QBs, and bringing in talent on the Oline, RBs and defense to help take pressure off whichever QB we go with this year.

Sounds like the passing game is becoming less and less as an important part of the offense. Sounds like we are slowly turning into another WC and/or Citadel. I hope we don't get to the point where it is shocking when we run a pass play like WC and Cit or only throw in desperation. 10 passes a game is far from the balanced offense we are used to seeing.

For some perspective, let's look at the 2017 season...only CCH led season without a rotation of QBs.
Our overall record was 8-5, losing in the second round of the playoffs...with mostly Bruce Fowler recruits.
Pass Attempts per game total = 19.1
Pass Attempts per game WINS = 17.6
Pass Attempts per game LOSS = 21.6
For the season:
Avg Passing Yards per game = 198
Avg Rushing yards per game = 226
That's Pass/Rush yards ratio of 47/53%.
Looks pretty balanced to me. Oh yeah, our QB was ranked #2 in the country in Passing Efficiency.
With two Freshman scholarship QBs for 2019, we may rely a bit more on the running game and clock-management. The idea that we're moving toward a triple-option Wofford/Citadel/Kennesaw St. style offense is completely unfounded.


...in 2001 we were 14th in the country in Rushing Offense and 4th in Scoring Defense. Worked out pretty well for us that year.


...the sky is not falling.

[furman88]

From what I see balance is not letting the opponents be able to key on anything you are doing. If you are pass heavy they gonna blitz amd hide coverage. If you run heavy thy're going to crowd the box. With our offense and personell its hard to read what we are doing. Hard to key on anything as it should be.
I think we could pass or run as much as we need given what the other team is doing. Prob always ground based with smart passes set up by efficient run game.
Hybird offense, keep em guessing.

[Jasper]

Agree that these guys know what they’re doing.

I would think the ideal situation for this staff is to play solid defense, control the clock by running the ball, and throw the ball 10-15 times a game. If you do the first two we’ll, you don’t have to put up big offense. Pretty sure all of that can be quoted from CCH during his press conference upon taking the job.

Furman has done this before with Napier, Forcier, and Blaze at QB. It’s not about limiting the QB, rather knowing the right time to throw. That takes experience at QB and hopefully they are starting to see this in our current options. I would much prefer they spend time grooming those young QBs, and bringing in talent on the Oline, RBs and defense to help take pressure off whichever QB we go with this year.

Sounds like the passing game is becoming less and less as an important part of the offense. Sounds like we are slowly turning into another WC and/or Citadel. I hope we don't get to the point where it is shocking when we run a pass play like WC and Cit or only throw in desperation. 10 passes a game is far from the balanced offense we are used to seeing.

Sounds like you are making erroneous assumptions. Passing is a big part of this offense over the last 2 years. You dont need to throw the ball 30x's a game for it to be important. We set up our passing off the run. We have a very high completion ratio and a very productive result from this formula; often scoring on them or making long gains. Last year we threw the ball very well with Harris Roberts in the game and not so well with the true freshmen. The year before our passing offense with Blaze at QB was lethal. I will tell you this, if we are not going to pass the ball this year as much as you are assuming, we spend an awful lot of time practicing them.

[apaladin]

OK I feel better now.

[The Jackal]

Bottom line, we will need both Grainger and Sisson to take steps forward in the "game management" category, which I always see as taking care of the ball, making good decisions, and keeping possession.

I've seen Grainger play more than Sisson, and there's a lot to like. I'm not sure we've had a QB with his skill set in a long time. He has the talent, he just needs to take the next step in maturation.

The Samford game was a good example. He played virtually all of that contest. Hit Thomas Gordon on a 77 yard TD pass to put Furman up two scores in the third quarter. Furman then forces a turnover and we have the ball about midfield with a chance to just about put the game away with a touchdown (putting us up 26-10). Instead, Grainger fumbles, Samford scores, and then picks off a pass on the ensuing drive.

I think those are the sort of catastrophic plays that sometimes happen in the feast/famine world of playing a talented freshman QB. My hope is that in 2019, things slow down a bit for him and ball security becomes a high priority. Ideally, you want the worst result on that drive to be Furman punting and still being up 9.

[DeepPurple]

If you sit back and look how far we have come in the past two years.
I love the direction of this program.
Next Man Up!
Same with Coaches.

[fufanatic]

Bottom line, we will need both Grainger and Sisson to take steps forward in the "game management" category, which I always see as taking care of the ball, making good decisions, and keeping possession.

I've seen Grainger play more than Sisson, and there's a lot to like. I'm not sure we've had a QB with his skill set in a long time. He has the talent, he just needs to take the next step in maturation.

The Samford game was a good example. He played virtually all of that contest. Hit Thomas Gordon on a 77 yard TD pass to put Furman up two scores in the third quarter. Furman then forces a turnover and we have the ball about midfield with a chance to just about put the game away with a touchdown (putting us up 26-10). Instead, Grainger fumbles, Samford scores, and then picks off a pass on the ensuing drive.

I think those are the sort of catastrophic plays that sometimes happen in the feast/famine world of playing a talented freshman QB. My hope is that in 2019, things slow down a bit for him and ball security becomes a high priority. Ideally, you want the worst result on that drive to be Furman punting and still being up 9.

I agree with all that. I will argue though that we need a bit more than a "game manager" at QB for this team to be truly successful. With PJ and Roberts, the QBs made plays in critical situations that helped lead to success and wins. When that wasn't on the table last year when Harris was out, we saw some of the results, minus The Citadel game, and that QB is gone. I do think that Grainger has that potential to be a play maker, so I'm not as concerned about that. I'm sure Sisson could be as well with how much he's apparently grown in a short time.

[apaladin]

Really anxious to see Sisson play as I think the 2-3 plays he played last are no indication of his ability. Looking forward to see how much Grainger has improved.