Ehlinger vs. Purdy: The case for preseason All-Big 12 quarterback

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OnlyCyclones

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Good article, Stanz. Your point is well-made. How exactly does the third-teamer jump the second-teamer? Ehlinger has more brand recognition, and will probably win more games next year if we're being honest, but I'd rather have Purdy.
 
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BoxsterCy

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Pre-season picks are just ******** stuff. It's just a prediction. Nice if you get a prediction, nothing to get burned about if you don't get the "recognition". If we have a season the real awards will sort themselves out properly.
 

Cyrealist

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Pre-season picks are just ******** stuff. It's just a prediction. Nice if you get a prediction, nothing to get burned about if you don't get the "recognition". If we have a season the real awards will sort themselves out properly.
I don't have a problem with the pick. I thought Brock played below his potential last year. Too much of the offense ran through him, allowing defenses to focus on him, which in turn led to some mistakes and some injuries. If we can develop a running game to balance the offense, the defenses will have to play more straight up, Purdy can stay healthy, and we can see what he can really do.
 

jbindm

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Pre-season picks are just ******** stuff. It's just a prediction. Nice if you get a prediction, nothing to get burned about if you don't get the "recognition". If we have a season the real awards will sort themselves out properly.

The problem with debates like this is that too often they devolve into "this guy is better, so the other guy must be a hot pile of ****."

They're both great college QBs. Of course I'm biased being a Cyclone fan, but I'd take Purdy because I think he offers a little more to a team beyond just the stats; he has that leadership quality and if I had to pick one or the other in a two minute drill I'd take my chances with Purdy.

But Ehlinger's really damn good. He's put up great numbers and it's not all his fault that Texas annually fails to live up to the preseason hype.
 
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JM4CY

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I traveled a little this summer and talked to a legit Kansas Jayhawk football fan in Colorado. (No bs. They actually exist) According to him, the view in Kansas on Brock/Campbell is that Brock is a lot better than people give him credit for. Also, they are worried that if CMC stays after Brock leaves and that it’s gonna be a lot of the same from the QB position from ISU and will always be a pain because CMC has solved the problem of QB play KU hasn’t solved in decades with no help on the way.
 
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CycloneVet

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Good article, Stanz. Your point is well-made. How exactly does the third-teamer jump the second-teamer? Ehlinger has more brand recognition, and will probably win more games next year if we're being honest, but I'd rather have Purdy.

Not so sure Texas wins more games tbh.
 

CycloneVet

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I don't have a problem with the pick. I thought Brock played below his potential last year. Too much of the offense ran through him, allowing defenses to focus on him, which in turn led to some mistakes and some injuries. If we can develop a running game to balance the offense, the defenses will have to play more straight up, Purdy can stay healthy, and we can see what he can really do.

Just so happens we have 2 stud running backs that will also have capable backups. The running game should be there.
 

Cyrealist

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Just so happens we have 2 stud running backs that will also have capable backups. The running game should be there.
I don't believe a lack of talent at running back was the problem. I think it was more a problem of really committing to the running game, both in play-calling and developing the blocking schemes necessary. To be really good at running and passing the ball puts a greater load on the O-line also.
 

CyGuy5

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I don't believe a lack of talent at running back was the problem. I think it was more a problem of really committing to the running game, both in play-calling and developing the blocking schemes necessary. To be really good at running and passing the ball puts a greater load on the O-line also.

Manning throwing the ball 30 something times against Oklahoma State while we gashed them with the run was absolutely brutal
 

Aclone

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I don't believe a lack of talent at running back was the problem. I think it was more a problem of really committing to the running game, both in play-calling and developing the blocking schemes necessary. To be really good at running and passing the ball puts a greater load on the O-line also.
Good point. The fact that the most talented of those running backs were green as grass true freshmen, and the offensive line talent was at best mediocre last year had nothing to do with it.

I find it humorous that you put “realist” in your username. Where the heck did that come from?
 

Aclone

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Nice article Jared, but there’s something off about your numbers here:

When you just look at last season alone, Purdy was one of two quarterbacks nationally to compile more than 3,900 yards passing, at least 35 passing touchdowns and fewer than 10 interceptions. The other one was Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow.
Do you mean “total touchdowns”? Because Brock only had 27 passing, another 8 were rushing.
 

Aclone

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Manning throwing the ball 30 something times against Oklahoma State while we gashed them with the run was absolutely brutal
Yes. You can tell that we gashed them on the run by our 3.4 ypc average. That’s gashing them on the run.

Unlike OSU’s 4.9 ypc. Which wasn’t gashing us on the run, I suppose. o_O
 

Aclone

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Manning throwing the ball 30 something times against Oklahoma State while we gashed them with the run was absolutely brutal
After I walked away, I remembered this. This was a popular complaint after the game, so iirc, this was the game I went into the play by play to chart our runs.

The fact is, fans watching remembered a handful of good running plays. Conveniently, they forgot all of the times the Breece was stuffed for a two yard gain or (often significantly) less. I’m not going to look it up—or dig through it again—but the ratio of unproductive plays to good was something like 2-1.
 

CyGuy5

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After I walked away, I remembered this. This was a popular complaint after the game, so iirc, this was the game I went into the play by play to chart our runs.

The fact is, fans watching remembered a handful of good running plays. Conveniently, they forgot all of the times the Breece was stuffed for a two yard gain or (often significantly) less. I’m not going to look it up—or dig through it again—but the ratio of unproductive plays to good was something like 2-1.

I’m sure that you are right about that, and I haven’t watched the game since it happened. The thing I remember is that we never got the chance to really establish a good run game and build off of the “good” plays. If I’m remembering right we would move the ball on the ground and then just abandon it
 

madguy30

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Good point. The fact that the most talented of those running backs were green as grass true freshmen, and the offensive line talent was at best mediocre last year had nothing to do with it.

I find it humorous that you put “realist” in your username. Where the heck did that come from?

Think about Hall in about the first 2-3 weeks and then what he turned into around mid-October. Unless you're Adrian Peterson type of talent the timing of the game is going to take some time.
 

jbindm

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I’m sure that you are right about that, and I haven’t watched the game since it happened. The thing I remember is that we never got the chance to really establish a good run game and build off of the “good” plays. If I’m remembering right we would move the ball on the ground and then just abandon it

I read @Aclone 's post and got curious so I pulled up the play by play. ISU ran 88 offensive plays - 25 rushes and 63 pass attempts. So I don't know. Yeah, the offense was definitely unbalanced that day but looking at the play by play it was very much feast or famine on the ground. Hall was getting 4+ yards or stuffed at the line or behind it. On the series where they tied it up at 27 all they went 75 yards, and all but seven came through the air or penalty. Their next series is where you can maybe have a legit beef about Manning's play calling. The defense forced a punt after four plays and OSU ran less than two minutes off the clock. So it's late in the game and you just put a tired defense back on the field. Maybe try to wear them down with the run there, but Purdy scrambled for six on first down (I'm assuming; it could have been a draw or designed run), then threw back to back passes, the second being the pick six. If Manning was ever going to really try and establish the run that was the series to do it. But hindsight is always 20/20. That was a really weird game. IIRC the whole team had kind of an uneven performance.
 

Cyinthenorth

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If I'm being honest, Ehlinger probably has the better tangible gifts. It doesn't always translate though. I thought he looked better his SO year. Brock can absolutely outperform him, but Ehlinger has a little higher ceiling imo
 

dualthreat

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I read @Aclone 's post and got curious so I pulled up the play by play. ISU ran 88 offensive plays - 25 rushes and 63 pass attempts. So I don't know. Yeah, the offense was definitely unbalanced that day but looking at the play by play it was very much feast or famine on the ground. Hall was getting 4+ yards or stuffed at the line or behind it. On the series where they tied it up at 27 all they went 75 yards, and all but seven came through the air or penalty. Their next series is where you can maybe have a legit beef about Manning's play calling. The defense forced a punt after four plays and OSU ran less than two minutes off the clock. So it's late in the game and you just put a tired defense back on the field. Maybe try to wear them down with the run there, but Purdy scrambled for six on first down (I'm assuming; it could have been a draw or designed run), then threw back to back passes, the second being the pick six. If Manning was ever going to really try and establish the run that was the series to do it. But hindsight is always 20/20. That was a really weird game. IIRC the whole team had kind of an uneven performance.

a lot of our offense is RPO based. The offense runs the play the defense dictates. When Purdy threw that pick six, its obvious they confused him. Very possible they disguised their defense into a pass look pre-snap and bailed into pass coverage.

Just a wild assumption, but the result (a pick 6) makes me think they did a good job confusing our quarterback pre snap and again post snap. Good teams do that. Especially late in the year after they get film on you.