chron.com From Mack's interview at Big XII media days. Actually, I'm not taking this as such a huge problem. Ash will be starter and Case will come off the bench as needed. With both getting first team reps, we have excellent depth at QB. This all works if each QB continues to be mature and supportive in their attitude.
Ash is going to break out this year. He's got maybe the best stable of running backs in country, improved oline and receivers and a year under his belt in Harsin's system. If he can't make vast improvement in his play this year, then he never will. I think he can do it.
I seem to recall an old saying (and I paraphrase), "If you have two starting QBs, you have no starting QBs.". On second thought, maybe I just dreamed that.
I think the saying is true because it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. And I find it interesting how Ash had apparently already won the starting job months ago in most everyone's mind. That's probably a bad thing, since it hints that we have a starter just because we don't want to rotate like we did last year, rather than because somebody just improved enough to beat out everyone else.
Same story as what? We had a starter last year, he got hurt, didn't play well and was benched, held out for the rest of the season. Two kids came in and competed and filled in? Did some good things, did some not so good things, led us to what 8 victories? How is this the same situation? We haven't had a bad issue at quarterback since at least 1994, even then there wasn't anything to complain about. Morenz and Brown were solid QB's. I liked Gardere, some didn't so i would say you have to go back to 1992 for any major quarterback gaps in the system. I personnally think Ash is going to do very well this season.
in 1976 we had no one stand out, but I don't know if it was a "controversy". I can't remember who started, but we had Mike Cordero, Ted Constanzo, and a freshman coming in named Mark McBath. In the dark deep recesses of my brain, I want to say that Ted was the better passer, and Mike was a better runner. Mark, being a freshman, wasn't going to play, assuming either of the other two played well. Darrell was trying to move away from the 'bone, but didn't have a good plan for a passing QB. Because the season went so badly, and again I'm going from memory, I think that McBath did end up starting a couple of games toward the end of the season. That would be a great trivia question. Who was the starting QB for Darrell's last victory, the 29-12 win over Arkansas? I was at that game, and I was also at Fred's last game, the loss in the drizzle to the Ags. The funny thing is we knew it was Fred's last game, but I was either too young, or didn't realize the Arkansas game was Darrell's last game.
We are finally in position to have a game manager at QB rather than a playmaker and because of that it's my opinion that both of these guys are capable. In my opinion Ash has the tools to be a good QB. Case is raw and I like his grit but he's such an unknown. I just couldn't see Case having anything close to enough consistency from one play to another much less one game to another. He's going to be a fantastic backup, imo though, because he is a gamer.
and look at this, I was part of an elite group. Check out the attendance for DKR's last game. RUSHING: Arkansas-TEAM 50-88. Texas-Campbell, Earl 32-131; McBath, Mark 12-118; Jackson, Alfred 1-37; Walker, Jimmy 9-25; Suber, Ivey 3-4; Jones, Johnny L 1-2. PASSING: Arkansas-TEAM 6-13-0-43. Texas-McBath, Mark 1-3-0-7. RECEIVING: Arkansas-TEAM 6-43. Texas-Jackson, Alfred 1-7. INTERCEPTIONS: Arkansas-None. Texas-None. FUMBLES: Arkansas-None. Texas-None. Stadium: Memorial Stadium Attendance: 49341 Kickoff time: 7:00 pm End of Game: Total elapsed time: Officials: Temperature: 59 deg. Wind: SE 4 mph Weather: clear I had no idea there were that few people there. That shows the huge difference in population. Today, with a mediocre football team, you might get about 75000?
Neither of these guys proved they deserved to win the starting spot based on last year's performance. Ash probably has more upside and will get the early nod but it will ultimately come down to who wins the job on the field. This is great as we will continue to see great competition. And I am completely satisfied knowing that these guys are mostly splitting starting reps vs. getting maybe 25% of the reps like they were last spring and summer. Now that they are in their 2nd year of this offense and getting more reps we should see dramatic improvement out there.
Seems to me that if the team buys into a system that has two QBs, the squawking about needing a single leader/QB is not a team issue, but an issue with fans and sportswriters who need something to write about.
When was the last time we had a true freshman that excelled at quarterback for Texas? The answer is that it has never happened. Have some perspective people. Ash will be fine.
Ash is far better than the bama qbs that won 2 ncs recently using the same blueprint strong running game and stout defense...BTW who is Michael Wheeler ?
Same situation? Didn't Gilbert transfer? Gilbert was the starter going into last season. Ash and Case will get a lot more first team reps with him gone. On the other hand, I agree one guy at qb would be ideal.
I would tap the breaks on Ash being better than the 2 Bama QBs that won National Championships. That said, let's see how Ash does with a whole offseason of reps. At this time last year, Garrett Gilbert was getting the lion share of the reps and Ash wasn't even in the picture. Ash was supposed to redshirt. Without time to develop chemistry with the 1st teamers in the off season, he wasn't adequately prepared. Word on the street is while Case has gotten stronger and improved, Ash has earned the respect as the guy from his teammates and has separated himself. My gut says Mack didn't name the starter because he wants to see who earned the respect as leader before he officially names him.
McElroy could have been replaced by almost anybody and Alabama still wins the game against us in 2009. Most QBs are good enough to spend a game getting sacked and handing the ball off.
Could either of Alabama's championship QBs -- as they were their true freshman year; no redshirt -- have made Texas a winner this past season? Build a time machine and put each of them in a simulation -- coming to Texas in August 2011 with a Gaterade player of the year QB in front of them ready to start, and they are a true freshman with limited snaps in August, and then they are asked well into September to do what David Ash was asked to do last year. On this team. With the players on this team. Last year. McElory red-shirted his first year, 2007. He played limited time his first playing year, 2008. The following year, 2009, he earned his first start against Arkansas, then went on to win the title game Jan. 2010. He was a junior. A.J. McCarron also red-shirted his first year, 2009. Not sure how much he played in 2010. McElory graduated after that year, then with one year playing experience, and a red-shirt year, Mr. McCarron took over and won the title last year, and with marginal passing expertise. David Ash was asked last year to step up in Sept, after all of August was gobbled up sharing reps among 4 QBs, and I doubt Ash got more than a fourth. One QB got injured and eventually left, but before that Connor Wood left. That 'left' two QBs, and one of them was Case McCoy with only one year of limited playing time. I am not so sure McElory or McCarron with zero college experience and everything handed to them could have much better than David Ash last year. Both McElory and McCarron took solid steps to get to the position of General. And they were not asked to lift a team back up from a huge drop off. I imagine Mack has envied Alabama's situation. Especially after that insane loss with an injured All-Everything Colt going down after 7 plays, and the ball going to a true freshman. Alabama has not had to do that during their recent run. They've played with "staged" QB's who've progressed by steps, and quarterbacked with complete teams around them. So, just saying. Whatever you can take from all that.
