How can you not get a QB?

Jonnyeagle · March 31, 2022

With Vito reporting that Aune looks like the guy I just am scratching my head and wondering TF we still don’t have a better QB on the roster? To me that was a clear need and they evidently did not address it.

Wag Tag · March 31, 2022

Agree, but I also think it may be a little to early. To me this was a direct reflection on Ruder and maybe how poorly he is performing at this time.

MeanGreenTexan · March 31, 2022

3 minutes ago, Jonnyeagle said:

With Vito reporting that Aune looks like the guy I just am scratching my head and wondering TF we still don’t have a better QB on the roster? To me that was a clear need and they evidently did not address it.

Easy.
Aune understands the offense very well. He knows what he's doing. That's the most important thing to coach Bloesch & Littrell. He can read the defense & check down to the correct target. He can do everything you need him to do pre-snap... but he struggles making throws.
And unfortunately, Bloesch can't really help him there outside of scheming for easier throws. Sadly, scheming and executing are 2 different things.

The best thing we can hope for is a Sr-yr-DT-like leap in Aune's completion%. DT went from 57.5% as a Jr, to 64.4% his Sr year. Last season Aune was at friggin 51.2%. We need at least a 9% jump there.

Earle comes in from ACU with a 65.8 comp%! But if he can't grasp the offense as well as Aune understands it, he's not going to start. It doesn't matter how much more accurate he may be with his throws.
Head's comp% at LATech wasn't much better than Aune's, and now he has to learn a new system too.
Ruder didn't understand the offense like Aune did last year, making some really terrible decisions with the ball. Maybe he was thrown into the fire too early, and now with a year under his belt, he'll be better? Who knows?
Either way, all 3 guys have an uphill climb to unseat Aune.

Mean Green Matt · March 31, 2022

35 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

He can read the defense & check down to the correct target. He can do everything you need him to do pre-snap... but he struggles making throws.

The football equivalent of my golf game.

El Paso Eagle · March 31, 2022

48 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Easy.
Aune understands the offense very well. He knows what he's doing. That's the most important thing to coach Bloesch & Littrell. He can read the defense & check down to the correct target. He can do everything you need him to do pre-snap... but he struggles making throws.
And unfortunately, Bloesch can't really help him there outside of scheming for easier throws. Sadly, scheming and executing are 2 different things.

The best thing we can hope for is a Sr-yr-DT-like leap in Aune's completion%. DT went from 57.5% as a Jr, to 64.4% his Sr year. Last season Aune was at friggin 51.2%. We need at least a 9% jump there.

Earle comes in from ACU with a 65.8 comp%! But if he can't grasp the offense as well as Aune understands it, he's not going to start. It doesn't matter how much more accurate he may be with his throws.
Head's comp% at LATech wasn't much better than Aune's, and now he has to learn a new system too.
Ruder didn't understand the offense like Aune did last year, making some really terrible decisions with the ball. Maybe he was thrown into the fire too early, and now with a year under his belt, he'll be better? Who knows?
Either way, all 3 guys have an uphill climb to unseat Aune.

Good analysis. Seems their philosophy is "safe" is what is most important. Play not to lose, not play to win. All the sign of a coach that believes as long as he #hits6 his job is safe.

MeanGreenTexan · March 31, 2022

Just now, El Paso Eagle said:

Good analysis. Seems their philosophy is "safe" is what is most important. Play not to lose, not play to win. All the sign of a coach that believes as long as he #hits6 his job is safe.

I dunno if it's "playing it safe". I definitely think they're trying to win, hence the overhaul of the offense to a rushing attack a-la Dickey last year. Play to your strengths, right?
I think you need to have a guy out there who understands the ins & outs of the offense completely, as well as what the defense is doing to try and stop you. That's incredibly important. That guy appears to be Aune.
Unfortunately for us, finding the guy who can do both understand the offense & execute the offense has been like trying to find a unicorn. We had one in Mason. Boy was he fun to watch.

I think we all thought that if we were going to be running an Air Raid, we should be able to identify these kinds of QBs without issue. Since the Air Raid Offense is not a difficult concept, all you really need is an accurate guy... But when the Briles gang showed up and the offense fundamentally changed to the Veer & Shoot, we can't find that guy now.

peanuts104 · March 31, 2022

3 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Earle comes in from ACU with a 65.8 comp%! But if he can't grasp the offense as well as Aune understands it, he's not going to start.

Earle is the wild card here. He's going to be behind the curve in terms of learning the offensive but he's performed under pressure before which is something both Aune and Ruder struggle with. If he can hit wide open receivers down field and have a little more patience in the pocket, it could be the game changer we need.

Alternatively, if Aune gets it together then that would be the best because he is the most familiar with the offense, just not sure he can. He's had two years already.

Edit/after thought: His name is Stone Earle. That's the name of a starting QB. Just saying.

Edited March 31, 2022 by peanuts104

UNTLifer · March 31, 2022

4 minutes ago, peanuts104 said:

Earle is the wild card here. He's going to be behind the curve in terms of learning the offensive but he's performed under pressure before which is something both Aune and Ruder struggle with. If he can hit wide open receivers down field and have a little more patience in the pocket, it could be the game changer we need.

Alternatively, if Aune gets it together then that would be the best because he is the most familiar with the offense, just not sure he can. He's had two years already.

Edit/after thought: His name is Stone Earle. That's the name of a starting QB. Just saying.

Example?

peanuts104 · March 31, 2022

3 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Example?

Edit: here's the espn page for the game to see his stats. https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401248275

Edited March 31, 2022 by peanuts104

p_phelps · March 31, 2022

3 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Easy.
Aune understands the offense very well. He knows what he's doing. That's the most important thing to coach Bloesch & Littrell. He can read the defense & check down to the correct target. He can do everything you need him to do pre-snap... but he struggles making throws.
And unfortunately, Bloesch can't really help him there outside of scheming for easier throws. Sadly, scheming and executing are 2 different things.

The best thing we can hope for is a Sr-yr-DT-like leap in Aune's completion%. DT went from 57.5% as a Jr, to 64.4% his Sr year. Last season Aune was at friggin 51.2%. We need at least a 9% jump there.

Earle comes in from ACU with a 65.8 comp%! But if he can't grasp the offense as well as Aune understands it, he's not going to start. It doesn't matter how much more accurate he may be with his throws.
Head's comp% at LATech wasn't much better than Aune's, and now he has to learn a new system too.
Ruder didn't understand the offense like Aune did last year, making some really terrible decisions with the ball. Maybe he was thrown into the fire too early, and now with a year under his belt, he'll be better? Who knows?
Either way, all 3 guys have an uphill climb to unseat Aune.

I'd rather have a guy that can make the damn throws. Anune isn't the guy. It's gotta be stone in my opinion

Edited March 31, 2022 by p_phelps

BillySee58 · March 31, 2022

Sounds like we may still be in the mix on transfer QBs. We are rumored to have reached out to Emory Jones.

MeanGreenTexan · March 31, 2022

24 minutes ago, p_phelps said:

I'd rather have a guy that can make the damn throws. Anune isn't the guy. It's gotta be stone in my opinion

If he understands the offense, and what to do in <X,Y, or Z> situations depending on what the defense is showing or doing, then... DUH!
But he could be accurate all day long, not understand what he's looking at pre-snap VS what we're running & which receiver he should be going to, and make some terrible mistakes with the ball. That's not any better.

Hey may adjust right away and blow Bloesch's mind with his comprehension of the offense. That's just a lot to ask of a dude who's only been here a couple of months (ask Ruder).

Cr1028 · March 31, 2022

On 3/31/2022 at 8:40 AM, Jonnyeagle said:

With Vito reporting that Aune looks like the guy I just am scratching my head and wondering TF we still don’t have a better QB on the roster? To me that was a clear need and they evidently did not address it.

Aune was 5-3 as a starter last year during the regular season with none of our top 3 receivers or our top running back. He should’ve been 6-2 if not for the Malik Willis magic show in his own end zone.

Edited April 1, 2022 by Cr1028

Wag Tag · March 31, 2022

I would still like for us to bring a a transfer with at least 2-3 years of eligibility. Mcivor out of TT could be interesting and Jones would be great. Hope Ruder is ready prove to be the starter, if not I don't know why he would stay another year. I really want to see Earle play in the spring game.

MGNation92 · March 31, 2022

1 hour ago, peanuts104 said:

Edit: here's the espn page for the game to see his stats. https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401248275

Lots of quick one read throws but he looks good in this game.

Hope he gets a shot of starting. The Air Raid/ Veer and Shoot have a lot of 1/2 read plays. Read option with a bubble screen outlet or vertical route to take the top off the defense. The devastation comes from the ability to run the play in 15 seconds every time. Simple but effective. Hopefully they take this heart and let someone like Early flourish. The accuracy is definitely there

UNT18Grad · March 31, 2022

Expecting a transfer to come in and unseat someone going into their 5th season with the program with 2 years of "starting" under his belt in just 3 months was an unrealistic pipe dream for many people here.

Littrell clearly likes Aune, and I don't really ever think there was much of a competition to begin with this spring.

peanuts104 · March 31, 2022

8 minutes ago, UNT18Grad said:

Littrell clearly likes Aune

Yeah that's why Ruder started the first 3 or 4 games last season.

UNTLifer · March 31, 2022

I am not against Earle. Heck, I'm not against any of our QB's, but I don't understand the rush to have Earle start when we haven't seen him play a down. I also don't get the link above as proof that he can perform under pressure. Again, I am not against him, but I am trying to understand why there are a couple of posters that think he is the answer.

meangreenfaninno · March 31, 2022

So I wish the ACU kid was the answer as well (don’t see it with Aune or Ruder) but wasn’t he injured most of last season and what is to say he is healthy now or whatnot?

peanuts104 · March 31, 2022

1 minute ago, UNTLifer said:

I am not against Earle. Heck, I'm not against any of our QB's, but I don't understand the rush to have Earle start when we haven't seen him play a down. I also don't get the link above as proof that he can perform under pressure. Again, I am not against him, but I am trying to understand why there are a couple of posters that think he is the answer.

I'm not saying he's the answer, I'm saying he shouldn't be overlooked as a potential answer.

UNTLifer · March 31, 2022

What puts Earle ahead of Head?

peanuts104 · March 31, 2022

4 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

What puts Earle ahead of Head?

https://meangreensports.com/sports/football/roster/jd-head/5577

"Longest pass of the season went for 20 yards against Georgia Southern at the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (12/23)"

Also he doesn't have a qb name like Stone Earle.

Cr1028 · March 31, 2022

44 minutes ago, peanuts104 said:

Yeah that's why Ruder started the first 3 or 4 games last season.

And Bean started the first 2 of the 2020 season. If you recall, our departed quarterback coach @TruthWinswanted Aune as the starter but once he resigned, Seth or Mainord/Bloesch went with Bean.

Wag Tag · March 31, 2022

I hate to say it, but Earle is a gamer. Look at some of his tight throws and runs when needed. He wasn’t intimidated by a big time opponent. I hope Ruder turns it on if not play Stone!

Football143 · March 31, 2022

1 hour ago, peanuts104 said:

https://meangreensports.com/sports/football/roster/jd-head/5577

"Longest pass of the season went for 20 yards against Georgia Southern at the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (12/23)"

Also he doesn't have a qb name like Stone Earle.

https://twitter.com/_treharris13/status/1464794024246747140?s=20&t=24c3tLNR7MPCFO3aopblAg