Based on production at QB, our best one is...

[whaler11]

I'm sure Casey would have been 13-0 last year playing with a broken wrist.

Anytime you can play a true freshman who misses summer camp because he has a broken wrist you have to do it.

Can we at least pay attention?

 

[Chin Diesel]

The best QB has been Cochran by far.

Whitmer had a season and a half to show that he could move in the pocket, make progressions, avoid costly turnovers, make a play when it was needed and get the rest of the team to play hard. It never happened. The same Whitmer showed up for his 17 start as showed up for his first start.

I believe it was necessary for Boyle to play so the coaches could evaluate him against live competition. He is too raw and the game was moving too fast for him. Smart move to sit him down. I didn't like the results of his performance but it was necessary.

Cochran is the only one to move this offense on multiple drives. He made plays. I still think his throats float out there and so many of them look like they're gonna get picked. But they didn't.

 

[jdb50]

Our QB's inability to get yards by running the football is going to be changed by the new Coach hopefully. We are way behind the herd here. Watching the UCF and SMU QB's run around our defense for touchdowns the last 2 games when both these guys are as tall and heavier than Boyle drives home this point. We are making it too easy for the opposing defense.

 

[mattp]

good stuff here guys... agreed on Whitmer being the best, as for giving us a chance to win, but we're not building a future with him, which negates him being in the running.

I don't agree with this at all. Whitmer is only a junior so he can start for us next season. I'd like to see how he does at the reins of an offense without DeLeone in the mix. Either way I'm glad we'll at least have some game tape on all of them for next year's coach. I'm still frustrated that P didn't give everyone a fair shake his first year.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I thought Cochran was better last weekend than Whitmer has been all year, or even most of last year. His turnovers came late in the game, and I expect that he will learn from them. His pocket presence and ability to avoid the rush is light-years ahead of Whitmer's. He's been the best so far and deserves to keep playing. For those who attribute the run game to his success, isn't it possible that the run game has improved partly due to the change at QB? With Whitmer, no DC would do anything but blitz and put everybody in the box on every down. He doesn't manage pressure well and you effectively shut down the run at the same time. Against the others, you need to keep more people back in coverage, giving more room to the RBs. I'm sure GDL's absence helps, but there are other factors.

 

[ktuck911]

Exactly. Whitmer doesn't handle pressure well.

 

[cohenzone]

The run game has improved under Cochran? Aside from last week, he's been in in garbage time. The run may have "improved" partly because Coach is using a better mix of runners, and because SMU isn't that good. Not knocking Cochran, but the evidence at this point is pretty limited regarding the relationship between his tenure and better rushing numbers. It's been hard to disagree with any of the QB changes. It's also hard to say that Whitmer is a lot better than the other two, although Boyle clearly wasn't ready. Neither Whitmer nor Boyle had the benefit of great pass protection, so for this year anyway, the one of them who seems to make the quickest reads and has the quickest release would seem to have an edge, and that seems to be Cochran. As far as accuracy goes, I though Whitmer was pretty good in short to mid-range passing. Apart from reading defenses (and leadership qualities), I think accuracy and timing trump arm strength if I had to choose between relatively equal QB's.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The run game has improved under Cochran? Aside from last week, he's been in in garbage time. The run may have "improved" partly because Coach is using a better mix of runners, and because SMU isn't that good. Not knocking Cochran, but the evidence at this point is pretty limited regarding the relationship between his tenure and better rushing numbers. It's been hard to disagree with any of the QB changes. It's also hard to say that Whitmer is a lot better than the other two, although Boyle clearly wasn't ready. Neither Whitmer nor Boyle had the benefit of great pass protection, so for this year anyway, the one of them who seems to make the quickest reads and has the quickest release would seem to have an edge, and that seems to be Cochran. As far as accuracy goes, I though Whitmer was pretty good in short to mid-range passing. Apart from reading defenses (and leadership qualities), I think accuracy and timing trump arm strength if I had to choose between relatively equal QB's.

I didn't mean Cochran, I meant somebody besides Whitmer. The run game has gradually improved. The factors affecting that seem to be (1) new OL coaching, no GDL, Foley back (2) more use of other backs, although McCombs has been better too (3) changes from Whitmer at QB. These all happened at the same time. I think all have a positive effect on the run game.

What I saw happening with Whitmer, was the opposing defense recognized that they could drop 4 or fewer in coverage even on passing downs, and stuff the box. He was very nervous in the pocket, spinning directly into defenders rather than stepping into the pocket and throwing too many INTs and taking too many sacks. With Boyle and Cochran the defense didn't cheat to the same degree. Cochran seems to be the most mobile and best at avoiding pressure. The result is that the D needs to drop more men in coverage more often and can't load the box. That opens room for the running game.