Depth chart for UAB game

[Dannymacfan]

[meaniegreenie]

So Gunnell is our #2 QB and gets NO playing time in another blow-out game.

This is the primary action by SL that infuriates me and he's done it his entire tenure here.

[NT93]

We have one senior on the offensive 2 deep.  That’s crazy!

[Travis]

I thought we have been playing Earl as the QB 2

[MGNation92]

13 hours ago, meaniegreenie said:

So Gunnell is our #2 QB and gets NO playing time in another blow-out game.

This is the primary action by SL that infuriates me and he's done it his entire tenure here.

Watch as next year the first couple of games are really rough because no other QB is getting playing time in these type of games. Earle doesn't really count since he runs on every play he's in. 

[Wag Tag]

14 hours ago, meaniegreenie said:

So Gunnell is our #2 QB and gets NO playing time in another blow-out game.

This is the primary action by SL that infuriates me and he's done it his entire tenure here.

The situation last game dictated run and run the clock down. That is not Gunnel’s game and he has game experience at a high level. I would like to see Stone throw a few. Next year will be a 2 qb system based on the current talent.

[MeanGreenTexan]

28 minutes ago, MGNation92 said:

Watch as next year the first couple of games are really rough because no other QB is getting playing time in these type of games. Earle doesn't really count since he runs on every play he's in. 

I really don't understand this sentiment.   It's shared by a lot of people here.  Sorry I'm singling you out MGNation92, but it's definitely not just you.

Any time a backup QB comes in outside of an injury to the starter, it's because the game is out of hand in a positive way.   The playbook shrinks to simple run plays that kill clock.   That's universal, not just here at UNT.   

There is never going to be a time when a backup comes in during mop-up duty and runs the normal playbook just winging the ball all over the field.  That never happens.  It's too risky.  You don't want your backup in possibly throwing interceptions allowing the other team to get back into the game.  So what good are you guys looking to get out of this?   

What kind of leg-up on next year will a backup get when he comes in and hands the ball off a bunch of times?   I just don't get it.

[meaniegreenie]

9 minutes ago, Wag Tag said:

The situation last game dictated run and run the clock down. That is not Gunnel’s game and he has game experience at a high level. I would like to see Stone throw a few. Next year will be a 2 qb system based on the current talent.

No it didn't.  We were up 30+ points to a team that had done virtually nothing offensively.  There was NO WAY we were going to lose that game in the 4th qtr.  We didn't need to run out the clock like we had a 10 pt lead. 

This situation was the perfect time to get some experience with your #2 QB.  Put him in and tell the offense to play like it's a 3 point game.  Worse is that the same situation presented itself numerous times (back in Fine's years) and SL rarely put in his other QBs other than for the last 2-3 minutes a few times.

[zenhuddy]

Seems like the RB list is shorter as I think only one might play ? No Farrar, Landis,  etc ? 
Back up QB interesting- 

[golfingomez]

51 minutes ago, MGNation92 said:

Watch as next year the first couple of games are really rough because no other QB is getting playing time in these type of games. Earle doesn't really count since he runs on every play he's in. 

so how does that differ from these past two years?

[MeanGreenTexan]

Just now, meaniegreenie said:

No it didn't.  We were up 30+ points to a team that had done virtually nothing offensively.  There was NO WAY we were going to lose that game in the 4th qtr.  We didn't need to run out the clock like we had a 10 pt lead. 

This situation was the perfect time to get some experience with your #2 QB.  Put him in and tell the offense to play like it's a 3 point game.  Worse is that the same situation presented itself numerous times (back in Fine's years) and SL rarely put in his other QBs other than for the last 2-3 minutes a few times.

I'm here to tell you this is not just Seth Littrell.   This is any coach with a modicum of intelligence.   

No coach will ever do the bolded above with a 30pt lead.  Speed the game up with such a huge lead, and run the ball.  That is universal.  The backup is only out there in that scenario simply to avoid injury to the starter.  He MIGHT throw a safe pass on 3rd down to keep chains moving if necessary, but that's about it.

If you only have a 10pt lead, there will be no backup QB sighting at all.  The game is way too close.  It's even too close to run out the clock.  You have to keep the offense open. 

 

There are a bunch of reasons to bash on Littrell.   Backup QB management is not one of them.

[MeanGreenTexan]

3 minutes ago, zenhuddy said:

Seems like the RB list is shorter as I think only one might play ? No Farrar, Landis,  etc ? 
Back up QB interesting- 

Why wouldn't Farrar play?   He played well this past weekend (actually outplaying Ragsdale).

[GMG24]

12 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Why wouldn't Farrar play?   He played well this past weekend (actually outplaying Ragsdale).

Heard he is still learning the ins and outs of the playbook... Not sure on the validity of that, but it would make sense as most freshman struggle their first year. 

[MeanGreenTexan]

4 minutes ago, GMG24 said:

Heard he is still learning the ins and outs of the playbook... Not sure on the validity of that, but it would make sense as most freshman struggle their first year. 

Right.   Obviously, we'd love to get Johnson back if healthy, and maybe Adeyi, although his injury didn't look good.   

But I think Farrar can run the ball behind Ragsdale if none of those guys are ready.

[GMG24]

56 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Right.   Obviously, we'd love to get Johnson back if healthy, and maybe Adeyi, although his injury didn't look good.   

But I think Farrar can run the ball behind Ragsdale if none of those guys are ready.

Absolutely! He is a very capable back.  May have to narrow the playbook/ play calling when he is in, but at this point you have to do whatever is necessary to win.  We control our destiny to the conference championship game.

[Wag Tag]

1 hour ago, meaniegreenie said:

No it didn't.  We were up 30+ points to a team that had done virtually nothing offensively.  There was NO WAY we were going to lose that game in the 4th qtr.  We didn't need to run out the clock like we had a 10 pt lead. 

This situation was the perfect time to get some experience with your #2 QB.  Put him in and tell the offense to play like it's a 3 point game.  Worse is that the same situation presented itself numerous times (back in Fine's years) and SL rarely put in his other QBs other than for the last 2-3 minutes a few times.

Who was Fine’s backup? Yea we know why we didn’t sub for him, breaking records has some impact. Austin had no business going back into the game in the 4th. I’m the first to criticize qb development, but more importantly we won the game. GMG 

[zenhuddy]

4 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Right.   Obviously, we'd love to get Johnson back if healthy, and maybe Adeyi, although his injury didn't look good.   

But I think Farrar can run the ball behind Ragsdale if none of those guys are ready.

Agree100%

[peanuts104]

10 hours ago, Travis said:

I thought we have been playing Earl as the QB 2

They consider it a running qb package type deal, and if that is the case why hasn't Gunnell gotten any experience in these blowout games?

[Green Crazy]

8 hours ago, GMG24 said:

Heard he is still learning the ins and outs of the playbook... Not sure on the validity of that, but it would make sense as most freshman struggle their first year. 

Yeah, there was at least one play he went the wrong direction and left Earl hanging out to dry. Also, he fumbled. I didn't think his last game was that great, 5 for 24 yards, but his long was 19. So, basically 1.3 on his other 4 carries.  He looked much better against Southern, but everyone did.

[BillySee58]

8 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I'm here to tell you this is not just Seth Littrell.   This is any coach with a modicum of intelligence.   

No coach will ever do the bolded above with a 30pt lead.  Speed the game up with such a huge lead, and run the ball.  That is universal.  The backup is only out there in that scenario simply to avoid injury to the starter.  He MIGHT throw a safe pass on 3rd down to keep chains moving if necessary, but that's about it.

If you only have a 10pt lead, there will be no backup QB sighting at all.  The game is way too close.  It's even too close to run out the clock.  You have to keep the offense open. 

 

There are a bunch of reasons to bash on Littrell.   Backup QB management is not one of them.

Yeah I agree this particular gripe is way overblown. A few extra mop-up duty passes isn’t going to make a first-year starter look like a second-year starter, even if he went in and ran the full-throttle offense instead of a clock-eating one.

[GrandGreen]

Apparently, Littrell just does not like playing back-up QB's, no matter what the circumstances.

He is using Earl as primarily a runner, although he has thrown some passes.

I disagree with those stating this is the usual practice with teams.

Many, if not most will play a second team QB when the game is not in the balance.   They want to provide game experience and eliminate the chance of injury to the starter.  

[greenminer]

I think I'm somewhere in between the two sides of this discussion about mop-up duty.

I've seen other programs put the back up in much more than SL does, with a little more presence to pass the ball than what we are doing with Earle right now.

I agree that you do not need to run out there full throttle, though.  You're still in a situation (probably) where you want to run out the clock and minimize the risk of injury.

[97and03]

Well I have made my position pretty clear: we should play our backups when we can - especially at QB. Of course we aren’t going to send someone out there to sling the ball around and run up the score, but it is still valuable for them to be on the field seeing a full-speed opposing defense. And there will be some passing opportunities, offering experience reading coverage. Conversely, I see very little value in having starters stay in all game, especially given the run of injuries this year. Even more so since it is late in the season and basically every player is banged up. It just doesn’t make sense to me. 

[southsideguy]

not playing gives no one an incentive to stay around.

[Green Crazy]

22 minutes ago, southsideguy said:

not playing gives no one an incentive to stay around.

Andrew's ears are ringing somewhere