Topic: Locked on SB: Can Huff right the ship?

[MUsince96]

https://youtu.be/CP6xG39UcbM?feature=shared

Locked on Sun Belt podcast featuring Luke Creasy. YouTube link above. It's also wherever you listen to podcasts.

[herd2win]

Worth watching...balanced assessment of our team.

[svherd]

Unless we get out of this world play from our QB and OL, I don't see more than 6 wins. I hope I am dead wrong and we shock the world.

[Rockin Herd Fan]

Unless Cole lays an egg in fall camp, or someone else improves by leaps and bounds, then I think he is the starting QB going into Stony Brook.  IMO, Braxton's skill set doesn't fit the Air Raid.  He fits more the offense we ran last season.  His skill set seems very similar to Cam Fancher's. 

With 43 new players, it is so difficult to make a prediction about the season.  The ceiling feels like 7 or 8 wins.  The floor feels like 4 or 5 wins.  But the QB position really scares me.  I'm really hoping that the poor play that we saw out of Cole last season was because he was a bad fit in the offense built around Cam Fancher's skill set, more than Cole isn't a D1 level QB.   

[MUonium]

if i had to use one word to describe this year- committee. 
football by committee except maybe at QB where you have seemingly two different types and by the end of camp, one type is going to work the new system better than the other type.  raise your hand if you want quarterbacking by committee!  raise your hand if you wouldn't bet your life on one QB going 12+ games without game-changing injuries. 

every team every year has to execute the system but with no known absolute-standouts yet at key positions, execution seems to be the second key descriptor.

what really claws my side the most is the opportunity lost in a new conference.  in year 4, not being talked about as a top contender for a championship

[puma]

It's really tough to feel too optimistic when our incoming QB decided to retire from football and half the roster is transfers. I don't have the slightest idea what to expect but I do see the two P5 away games plus trying to implement an entirely new offensive scheme while losing serious talent on both sides of the field.

I'm not giving up hope before the first game but there are definitely a lot of obstacles out there. Hopefully, the advantageous conference home schedule will give some breathing room. We also have some solid transfers coming in. It could be a great season or a horrible one, who knows.

Deep down, I really hope Cole improved and is a clear cut QB1. In the portal/NIL era, he might be the last QB we ever see play his entire college career here.

[herdorbust2]

It's really tough to feel too optimistic when our incoming QB decided to retire from football and half the roster is transfers. I don't have the slightest idea what to expect but I do see the two P5 away games plus trying to implement an entirely new offensive scheme while losing serious talent on both sides of the field.

I'm not giving up hope before the first game but there are definitely a lot of obstacles out there. Hopefully, the advantageous conference home schedule will give some breathing room. We also have some solid transfers coming in. It could be a great season or a horrible one, who knows.

Deep down, I really hope Cole improved and is a clear cut QB1. In the portal/NIL era, he might be the last QB we ever see play his entire college career here.

You do realize virtually every team has as many transfers and newcomers as we do if not more? Everyone is trying to put the puzzle together. This is the new norm. I think we have a pretty good team this year that can suprise some people except Ohio St. that is one game you may as well expect to take a real beating and just forget about it and move on. And we have a shot at V Tech but they are much improved and probably have their best team since Beamer left. The SB we can play with anyone.

[Flat Tire 2]

I read a post on another board that QB Stone Earle from North Texas State (and before that he played at Abilene Christian) has just arrived on campus. I don't know if it is true. If we are looking for a another transfer quarterback at the is point, I would guess the staff doesn't think our current QB can do the job?

https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4691272/stone-earle

[Herdiowa]

The new system that football is operating under is going to be a lot like Christmas when you were a kid.  Each season could be a pair of underwear and socks or a brand new bike.  Just gonna have to love and support the school.

[herd2win]

The new system that football is operating under is going to be a lot like Christmas when you were a kid.  Each season could be a pair of underwear and socks or a brand new bike.  Just gonna have to love and support the school.

Th is is the best explanation of the current college sports I have ever seen.  Well done.

[Always THE HERD]

No, he cannot

[BigJimslade]

When LC said   HEY this is a tough league
I liked that the most

[Johnnyherd]

Unless Cole lays an egg in fall camp, or someone else improves by leaps and bounds, then I think he is the starting QB going into Stony Brook.  IMO, Braxton's skill set doesn't fit the Air Raid.  He fits more the offense we ran last season.  His skill set seems very similar to Cam Fancher's. 

Braxton is very athletic and Tulsa demanded him to be a dual threat and he was constantly getting hurt because of that, but I don?t think it?s been talked about much Braxton was a prolific passer in Texas High School.  He only started 2 years and threw 66 touchdowns and 5000 yards. He had a high passer rating both years.  I know that?s high school and not D1 but he can throw the ball when he?s healthy.

I was listening to a player talk about Cam Fancher and they basically said Cam was hurt a lot worse than we revealed.  He was hurt basically 7-8 games and he was playing hurt and according to the player.  He?s a completely different passer when he wasn?t hurt.  Maybe Braxton can get health and revive his passing skills.

 I?m not hearing good things about Cole?s passing consistency.  He?s the best kid in the world as a human being and will make us all proud as an alumnus but he may not have the arm talent to be QB1 at the D1 level.

If you look at Cole?s path to get here.  Chad basically put him in a school that didn?t have a football team and started a football team and made him the Quarterback, which likely means he didn?t win the job against other good QB?s.

Then you have a super smart 10 year NFL QB finding weaknesses in high school defenses for him and setting him up for success.  So he?s had some very favorable situations to get to Marshall and now those are gone and he has to show consistent arm talent.

It?s probably not gonna help this year but apparently  3 freshmen QBs are showing talent and skill.

[ironcheftvdinner]

Cam had the H E double hockey sticks beaten out of him doing his very best to bring us home the win at NC State. There was no way he was ever going to be 100% for the rest of the season after that.

Payton Wilson was a beast and hunted Cam down all night. He gave Cam shots every chance he could. Some were boarder-line late, but he was pushing the limits until the refs stopped him.

As I have said before, Cam gave us everything he had all of the time and I will forever be grateful to him for that. Was it enough? Obviously not, but that was not his fault. He could have quit on the team and is, but he did not. He gave us all he had until he couldn?t any more.

[Big City]

Cam had the H E double hockey sticks beaten out of him doing his very best to bring us home the win at NC State. There was no way he was ever going to be 100% for the rest of the season after that.

Payton Wilson was a beast and hunted Cam down all night. He gave Cam shots every chance he could. Some were boarder-line late, but he was pushing the limits until the refs stopped him.

As I have said before, Cam gave us everything he had all of the time and I will forever be grateful to him for that. Was it enough? Obviously not, but that was not his fault. He could have quit on the team and is, but he did not. He gave us all he had until he couldn?t any more.

I tired sharing this and that his injury was greater than acknowledged. Sad thing is our fans trashed him and now he's gone. While not always the prettiest, he won games. Not a lot of style points but I'll take a hard fought win any day.

[MUther]

what really claws my side the most is the opportunity lost in a new conference.  in year 4, not being talked about as a top contender for a championship

It's year three.  We've completed two seasons in the Sun Belt.  We're in the strongest division in G5 football.  6 of 7 teams are not being talked about in our division, well maybe JMU a smidge, but too many unknowns.  App returns everything and has an outstanding QB.  They are the darlings this year, preseason.  Road goes through them until proven otherwise.  We are 1-1 vs the two arguably best teams in the East the last two years in App and JMU.  The only team we can't beat seems to be CCU but they aren't considered a threat to the conference this year. 

I'd like to see one freakin game before I write off the whole season.  And I'd like to beat the west division teams so if we go on an east run we aren't hamstringed by crap losses to inferior teams in the west.  Everyone in the west has a new coach or some other bs going on and Texas State of all teams is the consensus pick with JMU's old QB.  No one knows whats going on with most of the teams and the preseason crap is preseason crap.  Aside from App, everybody is on a level field this year and we get them at home for homecoming.  That's as good a shot as we're going to get at them.

Carry on with the doom and gloom.

[coalherd]

It's year three.  We've completed two seasons in the Sun Belt.  We're in the strongest division in G5 football.  6 of 7 teams are not being talked about in our division, well maybe JMU a smidge, but too many unknowns.  App returns everything and has an outstanding QB.  They are the darlings this year, preseason.  Road goes through them until proven otherwise.  We are 1-1 vs the two arguably best teams in the East the last two years in App and JMU.  The only team we can't beat seems to be CCU but they aren't considered a threat to the conference this year. 

I'd like to see one freakin game before I write off the whole season.  And I'd like to beat the west division teams so if we go on an east run we aren't hamstringed by crap losses to inferior teams in the west.  Everyone in the west has a new coach or some other bs going on and Texas State of all teams is the consensus pick with JMU's old QB.  No one knows whats going on with most of the teams and the preseason crap is preseason crap.  Aside from App, everybody is on a level field this year and we get them at home for homecoming.  That's as good a shot as we're going to get at them.

Carry on with the doom and gloom.

Believe Coastal had a very good and talented QB last season who has transferred (I believed to Liberty).  Thus, the HERD won't have to face him this season (at least in regular season play)!!

[MUther]

Believe Coastal had a very good and talented QB last season who has transferred (I believed to Liberty).  Thus, the HERD won't have to face him this season (at least in regular season play)!!

If you're referring to McCall, he graduated.  People thought he would transfer to Liberty to follow their coach but he chose to stay at CC.  Their other QB is real good, too (replaced McCall at midseason), and I believe he's still there, but I haven't looked at their changes in a while.  We get them at home again, so another opportunity to right a wrong, so to speak.

[ironcheftvdinner]

Grayson McCall will be playing for NC State this season.

[BigJimslade]

Grayson McCall will be playing for NC State this season.

Yes and he is only 34 years old

[bbcard1]

We haven't had a QB healthy the whole season since Cato. Colombi and Birdsong would have both been really good QBs for us had they not been injured and, while I was never a huge fan of Cam's skillset and always thought he was unfairly built up so far as his ability (unfair to Cam, not to the fans...we're 9-1 with Fancher as the starter folks when it was the defense that was responsible for most of the wins) but he was really hampered when his mobility went and we had no good options.

[coalherd]

Yes and he is only 34 years old

So, this must be his double-digit, and "probably" last, year of eligibility!!!