Practice today?

[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.

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.

I mean, if we zoom back a few years, Blazejowski went through the same growing pains.

If I recall, we lost a tight contest against the Citadel in Charleston where Blazejowski threw a couple of really bad interceptions after forcing throws late into tight coverage. We dodged a bullet, but beat Samford in Birmingham around the same time where he chunked a ball into double coverage that a Furman receiver happened to pull down.

He was a talented QB, but sometimes those guys rely too much on their athleticism to make plays. As Blazejowski got older, he became a lot better at managing the offense, knowing when to run, knowing when to throw, and knowing when to get rid of the ball into the stands. He turned into one of the most efficient QBs in the country and lead an offense that was a really impressive unit.

[purplehorse]

And who would play QB if both Sisson and Granger were injured?

[Paul C]

Soph Jack Hardin (6-1, 195)

High School: 2017 graduate of Fellowship (1A) Christian School (FCS)...football coach was Al Morrell...played quarterback, strong safety, and linebacker during his prep tenure...passed for 3,038 yards and 32 touchdowns, rushed for over 1,000 yards and 22 scores, and registered 200 tackles in his career...keyed FCS to a 13-1 record and private school state championship his senior year, throwing for 1,774 yards and 24 touchdowns, and rushing for 754 yards and 16 TDs...accorded several honors, including All-Region 6B Offensive Player of the Year, Recruit Georgia I-A Player of the Year, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) All-State I-A Private Offensive Player of the Year, and North Fulton All-Classification 1st Team (Athlete)...also starred in basketball and soccer.

[Jasper]

Hardin took quite a few snaps in last Saturday's practice and looked very serviceable indeed.

[fufanatic]

And who would play QB if both Sisson and Granger were injured?

If that happens, we would probably struggle just like 99.9% of the other schools in the country with the exception of Ohio State when they won the title in 2015 or so.

[FUKA61]

Do not underestimate a player from Roswell

[FUBeAR]

Do not underestimate a player from Roswell

[AstroDin]

Noticed on Twitter that today is Braedon Domino's birthday. He looks like he's in fighting shape looking at his portrait photos. If he can contribute a 6-1 180-pound corner at the FCS level is a big plus. He was a late signee last season with 11 offers including all three service academies - also believe he was first team all-state Maryland.

[The Jackal]

I don't know much about Domino, but he appears to have been an Air Force prep transfer who then redshirted. That's almost like two redshirt years as you don't burn any eligibility.

Redshirting last year made sense with some of the depth Furman had at CB. I think there's ample room for playing time in the defensive backfield up for grabs, though.