That CT threw more TD passes (3) yesterday than we did in any one game last year? I didn't.....
Did anyone realize?
- Thread starter mikewebb68
- Start date
Just a hint of things to come. That 3rd quarter was lights out fantastic.
I think what is amazing is that last year we were so inept (even with an NFL QB at the helm) that we couldn't throw 3 TDs in one game.
I don't want to take away anything from Thorson's 3rd quarter, which by all accounts was impressive and hopefully a sign of things to come.
But, I think your statement says much more about how crappy our O has become since the days of Bacher, Kafka, and Persa. I for one find it difficult to be too impressed after considering benchmarks of NU QB play over the years, like Bacher's two game performances against MSU and Minnesota where he threw for something close to 1000 yards and 9 TDs, along with Kafka's bowl effort where he broke records on passes completed and attempted or Persa's junior year campaign.
I'm hopeful that the 3rd quarter was a turning point for Thorson and that our O is ready to be unleashed in the B1G slate, but let's also put things into perspective that Thorson passed for 3 TDs against a defense that gave up 441 passing yards and 36 points to the Virginia Military Institute. With that in mind, I'm not sure how much better they were than Eastern Illinois.
On behalf of Felis - I OBJECT. EIU is a great team - they were ranked a couple of years ago and only lost by a couple of touchdowns to Illinois (State). How dare you say that Ball U is superior.
Phat and Felis ... could be the successor to Cheech and Chong, Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, Rowan and Martin, Martin and Lewis, and Lerner and Loewe. Mind-boggling!
Also - EIU has MANY FBS recruits, including some from the SEC! If we played them 9 more times, we'd probably only win by an average margin of 2 or 3 touchdowns.
That is surprising (although how many times did we score more than 20 points last year?) And he very easily could have had six touchdown passes. He had Vitale wide open in the end zone on the pass that was tipped. All he had to do was loft the ball to the back of the end zone. There was no one within 5 yards of Vitale. McHugh was even more wide open on a longer pass at the start of the 4th quarter. I don't think that Thorson set his feet, but it was a well designed play where he faked running the option and pulled back. And, of course, Shuler dropped that other pass.
I was generally encouraged by Thorson's play. He needs to work on not staring down receivers, his progressions and on his finesse passes. His shorter passes are often not thrown in a place where the receiver can catch and head down field. But he definitely seems to have the ability to make all of the longer throws. It doesn't look like he's straining to get the ball down field. Finally, I may not understand what his role is in the option but it seems like he pitches the ball without making a defender commit to him. Maybe the play is just designed to get our running back to the outside but I am used to seeing the quarterback advance toward the line of scrimmage and draw a defender before pitching.
Though I wouldn't use the term "crappy" yes I was surprised that we didn't have a single 3-TD passing game last year.
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