I know Clayton has good straightahead speed, but

[VirginiaWildcat]

is he really a runner? He doesn't seem to have great quickness or ability break tackles. Not that I don't want him playing, just that I'm just not certain we need to run many QB draws or keepers because of potential injury. I think his speed with pose the biggest threat once he's more solid with his passing first...

 

[Hungry Jack]

He can execute a designed QB run well enough. That's a pretty nice option to have, especially as our ground game gets going and you can freeze linebackers and safeties with play action or get defenders flowing in the wrong direction.

 

[shakes3858]

He definitely doesn't have the quick burst of a Colter or his craftiness with ball (fake pitches and such). He doesn't need to though. What Thorson's job on option plays is to make the correct read. Look at a zone read play. The play is designed to go to the RB, unless the unblocked player (typically DE) on the back side crashes down to the RB. If he does, Thorson keeps the ball and runs to the vacated spot. He has the speed to do that. Oliver and Siemian had the speed to do that. Problems are he's making the wrong read and we're not passing the ball well enough so it allows opponents to get after the run and worry less about play action.

 

[DaCat]

In my mind, The Hammer of Thorson is a very similar QB as Kafka, only with a higher upside. He has a similar running style, but with higher top end speed, and can bust loose for 200 yards like Kafka did, or he can throw consistently for 200+ yds as Kafka was doing his senior year, hopefully much earlier. I believe Thorson has a stronger arm than Kafka, too. As long as the running threat is there, it gives defenses one more thing to worry about.

 

[NUCat320]

is he really a runner? He doesn't seem to have great quickness or ability break tackles. Not that I don't want him playing, just that I'm just not certain we need to run many QB draws or keepers because of potential injury. I think his speed with pose the biggest threat once he's more solid with his passing first...

Close your eyes and repeat:
"He IS a dual threat,
He IS a dual threat,
He IS a dual threat."

I've seen him run three well-executed designed runs. (The 42-yarder against Stanford, of course; a QB sweep when NU loaded up right, and Vitale led left for ~20 yards against Duke; and then a reprise of that play.)

He has run the 'traditional' option poorly, running parallel to the line of scrimmage and simply pitching wider, forcing no decision from the defense. I don't recall him keeping on the read option at all, but I haven't seen every play.

He is not a Persa-Colter-Kustok-Kafka dual threat. He'll be much closer to Bacher. Running is instincts first, and I don't see it.

This is not criticism. These are my observations. Other great college quarterbacks who were not dual threats: Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater, Connor Cook and, you know, most others. It's okay if he's not a running threat.

 

[thewildcat2011]

Close your eyes and repeat:
"He IS a dual threat,
He IS a dual threat,
He IS a dual threat."

I've seen him run three well-executed designed runs. (The 42-yarder against Stanford, of course; a QB sweep when NU loaded up right, and Vitale led left for ~20 yards against Duke; and then a reprise of that play.)

He has run the 'traditional' option poorly, running parallel to the line of scrimmage and simply pitching wider, forcing no decision from the defense. I don't recall him keeping on the read option at all, but I haven't seen every play.

He is not a Persa-Colter-Kustok-Kafka dual threat. He'll be much closer to Bacher. Running is instincts first, and I don't see it.

This is not criticism. These are my observations. Other great college quarterbacks who were not dual threats: Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater, Connor Cook and, you know, most others. It's okay if he's not a running threat.

Well...CJ Bacher recorded a whopping 252 yards on 198 attempts in his career of 34 games (1.3ypc).
Clayton Thorson is at 96 yards on 21 attempts through three games (4.6ypc).

I'm not sure about your observations so far. CT is in the Kafka mold and should (with development and health), surpass all of Kafka's rushing accolades.