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Kentucky Football: Time to Consider Options at QB by SB Nation
- Thread starter wildcatman26
- Start date
Fair article with some good points. I will say that the coaching staff "is" looking into Barker.....just as they are doing with every other position that is struggling......which unfortunately on offense is quite a bit.
I would be wary about putting Barker in during Missou though.....for the following reasons.
-If we are crushing Missou, then Towles likely has played really well. Maybe you try Barker in garbage time, but you wouldn't really get the "test" you were looking for.
-If you are in a nail-biter against Missou, I certainly would not be in favor of putting in a freshman QB. It's not a shock to state that a freshman is more likely to commit a mistake than an upperclassman......so, why put him in when a single mistake could cost you the game?
-If Missou is crushing us, then are problems are way past the QB position anyway. So would you put in Barker when you have massive struggles with the oline/WR?
Before I try Barker, I would first look to open up the current offense and get more creative. Right now it's like we are test driving an automobile......we've driven it around the parking lot and got it up to a top speed of 15mph.....all the while complaining that we don't like the performance. At least get the thing on the highway before looking to the next car.
I would be wary about putting Barker in during Missou though.....for the following reasons.
-If we are crushing Missou, then Towles likely has played really well. Maybe you try Barker in garbage time, but you wouldn't really get the "test" you were looking for.
-If you are in a nail-biter against Missou, I certainly would not be in favor of putting in a freshman QB. It's not a shock to state that a freshman is more likely to commit a mistake than an upperclassman......so, why put him in when a single mistake could cost you the game?
-If Missou is crushing us, then are problems are way past the QB position anyway. So would you put in Barker when you have massive struggles with the oline/WR?
Before I try Barker, I would first look to open up the current offense and get more creative. Right now it's like we are test driving an automobile......we've driven it around the parking lot and got it up to a top speed of 15mph.....all the while complaining that we don't like the performance. At least get the thing on the highway before looking to the next car.
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I am in the camp of why not give Barker a series or two. It is so common now. All the big boys do it when it is warranted. Gone are the days when most teams only have one capable QB. I say that now beacuse in the past your QB had to be able to run a conventional offense (pro-style or whatever). Now, there are so many kids that can play QB and they all bring something a bit different.
We don't use the same defensive players in every situation, or the same kicker for all situations, why not QB flexibility. It helps recruiting and it gives crucial experience to younger players.
Last but not least, competition is good. Just ask Cal...he will tell you.
We don't use the same defensive players in every situation, or the same kicker for all situations, why not QB flexibility. It helps recruiting and it gives crucial experience to younger players.
Last but not least, competition is good. Just ask Cal...he will tell you.
Yep. They need to give Barker some playing time. How that happens is up to the coaches, but PT is not getting it done.
But what if when we put in Barker he does really, really well? What a disaster that would be.
I am in favor of starting the backup quarterback in the 3 quarter regularly as that disrupts second half adjustments by the other team and gives the backup game experience in case of an injury. at least one seriesBut what if when we put in Barker he does really, really well? What a disaster that would be.
I'll continue to think the staff has no faith in the QB position, not just the starting QB. I can't think of any other collegiate coaches who wouldn't of likely thrown in the backup, even if it Reece Phillips, for a series just to change it up or give Towles a breather through his struggles over the past few games. Actions speak louder than words and when you watch the play-calling, it tells me they don't want it in the QB's hands and feel more comfortable handing it off.
Bear Bryant system. I can get behind it.
I just can't believe there was such a long article from Rowland on our site that the crux of was, if Barker looks good you can't bring Towles back. I'm sure the Patriots have been distraught they had to go with Brady all these years and couldn't give the ball back to Bledsoe.
My guess is the first time we see Barker in action is in two weeks against EKU. Considering what happened during the offseason on EKU's campus, it should be an interesting night.
I don't think the coaches lost trust in the qb I think it's pass protection. Have you guys watched what happens when we drop back to pass lol.
Evidently to some. LolBut what if when we put in Barker he does really, really well? What a disaster that would be.
He makes a good point. This isnt the NFL. This is an upstart program who cant afford to have their in state, first day draftpick QB suddenly just fall off the face of the earth. It hurts recruiting. It may hurt inroads there at Highlands.
We need him to play and play well. Then get drafted high and be a good story to pitch to recruits.
I am the exact opposite.
I can't think of any college coach who would replace their starting QB on the road, against an SEC team, with a tight lead, and your starter tossing at 74%, with a RS Freshman that has never taken a snap.
I think the same is true with this past game, against a murderous pass rush that your oline cannot stop, with the best secondary in the country behind them, no way do you put in a RS freshman with ZERO snaps in a one score game.
When the game hinges on one mistake, that is not the time a coach would try to experiment with an unknown.
That said Mizzou is an important game as well, but I think we should win this and I'm hopeful Drew gets some meaningful snaps in the first half, especially if PT is off again.
I admit to being a pessimist when the hand writing is on the wall and what's on the wall is Towles forever. If the last nine games don't register with the coaches it can only be that all the other qbs are as worthless as what we've already seen or grandfather still has a lot of pull.
The Patty Ice experiment will last through this and the following season. Knowing when to hold them and knowing when to fold them is not operational.
The Patty Ice experiment will last through this and the following season. Knowing when to hold them and knowing when to fold them is not operational.
It's hard to get it out of the Parking lot to open her up because she has 2 flat tires (QB OL play) the driver is not creative (Dawson) and we keep running in circles and expecting different results.
I think Towles starts because he is the better qb right now. Stoops job hinges on Wins and losses if Barker was better he would have won the job. If we go to Barker it will be because we are desperate not because he is the better option at this time. We lost to UF by 5 if Barker is under that pressure whose to say we don't lose by 30?
And its also possible if Towles could hit the broad side of a barn we would have beaten florida.
I think the staff wants to stick with Towles because they know what he is capable of which from all of what has been said was he looked fantastic in practice.
Unfortunately, things change for some people when the bullets are flying (remember the coaches, including Andre Woodson were hyping Morgan Newton like crazy before the 11 season and look how that turned out.)
At this point, what he's done in practice shouldn't matter anymore. The guy has been awful since the Mississippi State game LAST YEAR
The only thing we know about our QB's is both were highly ranked and recruited out of high school. One has shown flashes of brilliant passing and running ability but very, very inconsistent and tends to shrink under pressure. The other we know zero about what he can do in college because he has not played a down. A third QB has played when the starter got injured and looked every bit the part of an unprepared QB put into an almost impossible situation.
People claiming they know more than that are telling us they are clairvoyant.
People claiming they know more than that are telling us they are clairvoyant.
I'll give you the SC game but in Lafayette and esp Florida, I think most coaches would try one series with a backup unless they just had 0 confidence in the backups. Which is my point. The coaches have no confidence in the QB position. Towles is obviously the best option available. That's why I say a QB change probably would do no good. Towles has shown signs of brilliance but he's just too inconsistent at this point for me to feel good with him under center. That being said, I know the coaches aren't stupid. You don't run the ball as much as UK did against Florida unless you just feel handcuffed by the QB. That's where I think Stoops and Dawson sit at. They feel more confident giving it the running backs and letting the D play then putting it in the QB's hands. On principal, it makes sense with the weapons UK has in the backfield. But you have to keep Defenses honest. And if UK wants to get over the hump against teams like Mizz and Florida they will have to figure out a way to get Towles looking like the Towles we saw against SC.
Handcuffed by the OL is more like it. Pass protection was atrocious. 6 sacks and at least another half dozen hurries will certainly affect your QB play. WR's dropping touchdown passes and first downs don't help either. Look, Towles definitely needs to play better, but so does everyone else on offense.
I didn't mind the play calling against Florida either. We were never out of the ball game, there was no need to start panicking and chucking it every down. I like that we're finally running the ball and sticking to it. Boom was averaging 10 YARDS PER CARRY coming into that game, why the F*** would you not keep giving him the rock?!?!? Now he's down to a paltry 8.1....smh. Let's not forget JoJo only with 5.6. My only issue with the run game is Towles needs to pull one of those read options every once in a while, several times he's had a lot of room on the outside to run.
Let him play in the EKU game! Don't destroy his confidence by putting him in an SEC game!
A few of those sacks were on Towles, he held the ball way too long. You can't do that when your tackles are getting beat. Also, a lot of the times he was pressured all he had to do was step up into the pocket. I've watched the game 3 times now and multiple times he had a pocket to step up into that would have given him more time to go through progressions but he failed to do that. When your tackles are getting beat to the outside it's common knowledge that you should step up into the pocket, Towles would run out instead of step up. He also need to learn to throw the ball away and live to fight another day. You can't take a sack on that last drive. He shows flashes of being a really good QB, but those flashes are just not enough and they are few and far between. If we don't get Barker some snaps this week, then he should get a few series in the EKU game.
Unless you feel PT was the absolute only issue for our passing game struggles, I do not see how you think they bring in a kid with zero snaps.
One score game against a huge opponent.
Dline destroying oline
Best secondary in college
You just throw your RS Freshman out there?
Had we not blown the ULL game we might have seen Drew, regardless of that I still wouldn't have minded him getting snaps that game.
This is what I'm talking about. I'm not saying "chucking it every down" I'm saying throw a pass on first down when the line is stacked, once in a while. UF's d-line is very good but it's also the linebackers who were blowing up in there too taking up space and creating havoc. They weren't out in pass coverage because they weren't worried about UK throwing the ball. That also is going to make your o-line struggle to pick up multiple blitzes. That's what it comes down to for me. I know Dawson isn't an idiot nor is Stoops so I have to think they don't have a lot of confidence in the QB right now.
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