There has to be more behind the scenes activity than we know about......because what we have seen on the field......well, we all know who should start...
|
|
|
|
|
There has to be more behind the scenes activity than we know about......because what we have seen on the field......well, we all know who should start...
He did well for his first time back, halftime adjustment was good. Really refocused, realized what he was doing wrong, and didnt do it again. If he carries what he learned over into the weeks to come, and plays like he did in the 3rd quarter, we will be fine. We know J'Mar's got the talent, I hope we can see him this week at some point, just not for the wrong reasons!
What he said.Originally Posted by johnnylightnin
So, they've completed almost exactly the same percentage of their pass attempts (65.7% <Smith> v. 65.3% <Higgins>). Smith's had 2.85% of his attempts intercepted, while Higgins has had 3.85% of his attempts intercepted. And 2.85% of Smith's attempts resulted in TDs; 7.69% of Higgins' attempts resulted in TDs. Granted, those are just passing stats, but the difference is negligible, except for TDs, which I assume matter to most of us.
And Coach Slaughter thinks experience this year could help Smith's FUTURE Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years. And Coach Holtz can't say enough that Higgins is our starter. With the last sentence as the most important, I'd say Higgins is our starter.
Higgins, intercepted twice versus MEAC (almost 3 times, but it was dropped). J'Mar intercepted once versus SEC. Advantage, J'Mar.So, they've completed almost exactly the same percentage of their pass attempts (65.7% <Smith> v. 65.3% <Higgins>). Smith's had 2.85% of his attempts intercepted, while Higgins has had 3.85% of his attempts intercepted. And 2.85% of Smith's attempts resulted in TDs; 7.69% of Higgins' attempts resulted in TDs. Granted, those are just passing stats, but the difference is negligible, except for TDs, which I assume matter to most of us.
And Coach Slaughter thinks experience this year could help Smith's FUTURE Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years. And Coach Holtz can't say enough that Higgins is our starter. With the last sentence as the most important, I'd say Higgins is our starter.
Higgins will get a chance to show what he's got this week. Granted, Texas Tech's defense is well...if you ask someone in Lubbock what is "defense" they will answer: da fence is something around the yard to keep the dog in.
BUT! as bad as they are on defense, Texas Tech is not a MEAC football team. So, it will be a much tougher test for Higgins and our offense. But, not as tough as what Arkansas offered. I expect us to score 40 (or so) and for our QB to have 350+ yards and 3 TDs, at least. We will see better defenses in conference play then we will see this weekend.
I think there's room for BOTH QB's on this 2016 team.
IMO, this team can benefit tremendously from Higgins' senior experience and leadership, as well as Smith's youth, athleticism and enthusiasm. Higgins has been in our "system" for 5 years now, longer than any Tech QB I can remember in recent history. His knowledge of our playbook is unmatched. For the last 3 years Higgins has also been under the tutelage of former NFL QB Tim Rattay, and I promise you he has learned a lot since 2013.
On the other hand, I agree that Smith shows enormous promise and upside. Against Arkansas, Smith made good decisions, protected the football and moved the offense. He wasn't perfect....e.g., he overthrew his deep receivers and had a pic of his own...but for the most part, he did EXACTLY what we asked of him. That's outstanding for a redshirt freshman.
I'm grateful that LA Tech has TWO (2) good QB's in 2016. Many of our peers can't even find one. Yet, we're blessed with two. I think there will be times this season when Smith's on-field athleticism excites us all, and gives us something to look forward to. But I also believe there will be certain times this season when this entire team will turn to Higgins for the senior leadership and guidance that it needs.
To me, the thing that isn't getting mentioned is that Smith can RUN! Higgins is mobile and moves well but Smith is a bonafide dual threat.
Have you considered those Dogs?
Gene Johnson/Sam Hughes. The most success either had with the team was when both were playing. Can this staff work that magic?
Higgins started second half. 5 straight drives-- 5 straight scores-- 27 points
Against a MEAC school that probably couldn't beat Parkway or Neville. We'll see this weekend if Higgins has really improved.
My take, as of 9/16/16 on the eve of the Texas Tech game is this: UNPROVEN
First, Higgins...he has NOT performed at the level we need from our QB vs. good competition.
Higgins had starts, and saw action vs. good competition back in 2013 and failed miserably. He also had some snaps in other games since then, and showed nothing. At this point we still don't know if he has turned the corner and has become a "good" QB. We will know a lot more after tomorrow's game.
Next, Smith....he did "okay" as a freshman vs. an SEC team.
In the 2nd half Arkansas adjusted its defense and we managed just 2 FGs. His overall stats for the game were okay, but not so much in the 2nd half. While his performance was acceptable, it does not mean it will translate into the type of production we need over a full 12-game season, especially in conference play when opposing DCs will have a lot of video to dissect and game-plan against him. Smith = a big unknown.
If you are honest, you recognize this is where we are as of today, prior to game 3 of the 2016 season.
I think dawg80 hit the real point here. J'Mar played a vanilla offense against a good SEC team. Higgins played a varied offense against a MEAC team. We really have no idea at this point.
We have options though if something bad were to happen as far as results or injury. That's not a bad place to be. I'm going to trust the coaching staff on this one for now. It's just too early to tell the difference.
I'm thinkin' Colby Cameron. HMMMMMMM
Some of you BTB guys have probably see the mention, but on the show Tuesday Ford said he asked HCSH how much of the playbook J'Mar had run compared to Higgins. He said 20%. That leaves a lot of our offense not being run.
How much better would we have done at Arkansas with just 50% of the playbook?
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
