Once upon a time, there was a freshman qb who was buried at 4th string on the depth chart of the Thunderchickens to the NE of us. When given the opportunity, Doug Flutie never looked back.
Once upon a time, the UConn Huskies had a freshman qb that was 2nd or 3rd on the depth chart behind an eventual dynamic pass catcher. How did Dan O. turn out?
There are numerous instances throughout college football where newcomers wait their turn & grab the brass ring when their number is called.
It is up to the coaching staff to field the best players in order to give the team the maximum chance of winning a game. There are multiple reasons for playing so many underclassmen.
-If FHCRE's recruiting philosophy is true, the underclassmen are an improvement over their upper class counterparts.
-Playing the best at each position improves the likelihood of victory
-The best way for any of the current staff to improve their resumes is to identify the best players, insert them into the lineup, & coach them to the best of their abilities.
-Having actual game tape of those who played will help the future HC identify needs in his recruiting philosophy, which players to target via the transfer portal & juco ranks, & those who won''t be asked to return next season.
I have no qualms about which player is competing as long as he is an improvement over his predecessor. What I can tell you is that, as he became acclimated to actual playing time, Tyler P. ignited a spark to the offense. Be it his ability, Mazzone's implementations to the playcalling, or a combination of both, there was actually a major improvement in cohesiveness as the game went along.
Tyler deserves to start again. Hopefully the coaching staff has caught lightning in a bottle.
