"Running" Quarterbacks

[Cat In The Cradle]

Penn St. has had trouble with them, so the team beat writers say. If we continue to have static first half offenses, I say put Alviti in for a few plays or a series. The different look just may create confusion and loosen the potential for stacking the box against Jackson and otherwise blitzing Thorson till the cows come home. It worked against us last year when Northern did it. We had no answer for it.

 

[NJCat83588]

Penn St. has had trouble with them, so the team beat writers say. If we continue to have static first half offenses, I say put Alviti in for a few plays or a series. The different look just may create confusion and loosen the potential for stacking the box against Jackson and otherwise blitzing Thorson till the cows come home. It worked against us last year when Northern did it. We had no answer for it.

Not gonna happen. There is no evidence from the limited playing time MA has had that he is a proficient runner. There is a better chance of CT taking off and gaining yardage than Matt playing tomorrow.

 

[shakes3858]

Can we just stop the MA cries. Haven't we learned anything from the last 4 years of calling for the backup?

 

[Hungry Jack]

Thorson is not a running QB, but he sure can run. If PSU watched the Nebby game film, they know this and should account for it in their game plan, at least to the extent you can plan for a busted play where the QB takes off like a wild goat (by deploying a spy).

 

[Cat In The Cradle]

Can we just stop the MA cries. Haven't we learned anything from the last 4 years of calling for the backup?

Please read a little more carefully. No replacement. Only a look for a few downs or perhaps a series.

 

[Fitz51]

Please read a little more carefully. No replacement. Only a look for a few downs or perhaps a series.

Not going to happen unless we are way down.

 

[shakes3858]

Please read a little more carefully. No replacement. Only a look for a few downs or perhaps a series.

I read it extremely carefully. You don't put in a 3rd string QB and announce to Penn State "there's a 99% chance we're running an option!!!"

 

[hdhntr1]

Thorson is not a running QB, but he sure can run. If PSU watched the Nebby game film, they know this and should account for it in their game plan, at least to the extent you can plan for a busted play where the QB takes off like a wild goat (by deploying a spy).

And that takes someone out of the D which should open things up. CT does not look to run but will. Hard to use a spy under those circumstances without it biting you. Now if he was a running QB then that is a big part of the O and something reasonable to do.

 

[NJCat83588]

I read it extremely carefully. You don't put in a 3rd string QB and announce to Penn State "there's a 99% chance we're running an option!!!"

Yeah, how did it work out LAST season? Apart from a TD at ND, not too well........

 

[KramerCat91]

Thorson is not a running QB, but he sure can run. If PSU watched the Nebby game film, they know this and should account for it in their game plan, at least to the extent you can plan for a busted play where the QB takes off like a wild goat (by deploying a spy).

Having a spy didn't work for Nebby.

 

[evanston09]

no the rule of sports is you play to your strengths. that's your identity.

 

[Gladeskat]

Please read a little more carefully. No replacement. Only a look for a few downs or perhaps a series.

Why? Because you don't know what the coaches know in spades?

 

[Katatonic]

Difference btwn a running QB and a scrambling QB.

While Thorson has decent enough speed to be a running QB, he's pretty much a straight-line runner and doesn't have that shiftiness.

Would like to see Thorson do a better job of moving in the pocket and then taking off if there continues to be nothing.

If Thorson can add being an accurate passer on the run, utilizing his legs to set up the pass - he'll be a much more dangerous QB.

 

[Cat In The Cradle]

I read it extremely carefully. You don't put in a 3rd string QB and announce to Penn State "there's a 99% chance we're running an option!!!"

Oh, of course, since Penn State has been keying all week on the possibility of Alviti for a few isolated downs as opposed to preparing for our otherwise so unpredictable and un-vanilla offense.

 

[Cat In The Cradle]

Why? Because you don't know what the coaches know in spades?

? I'm proud of the fact, very proud in fact, that I knowingly don't know, nor ever wish to know, what some of our offensive coaches know in spades.

 

[gocatsgo2003]

Difference btwn a running QB and a scrambling QB.

While Thorson has decent enough speed to be a running QB, he's pretty much a straight-line runner and doesn't have that shiftiness.

Would like to see Thorson do a better job of moving in the pocket and then taking off if there continues to be nothing.

If Thorson can add being an accurate passer on the run, utilizing his legs to set up the pass - he'll be a much more dangerous QB.

Better job? Did you miss what he did to Nebraska?

 

[gocatsgo2003]

Oh, of course, since Penn State has been keying all week on the possibility of Alviti for a few isolated downs as opposed to preparing for our otherwise so unpredictable and un-vanilla offense.

Having Alviti run the option or a QB draw isn't "un-vanilla." It's just a different QB running the same play, which would do less to trick PSU because they would know he's in for his legs not his arm.

 

[SmellyCat]

Difference btwn a running QB and a scrambling QB.

While Thorson has decent enough speed to be a running QB, he's pretty much a straight-line runner and doesn't have that shiftiness.

Agreed. I've been hearing a lot this week that Penn State struggles against "mobile" quarterbacks - I just heard it again on BTN. The implication being that Thorson is "mobile" and PSU will struggle with him. This seems like really lazy analysis by those who saw he had over 100 yards against Nebraska and assumed he was Robert Griffin III or something.

Now, he can gain yards because he's faster than he looks and he's so big that he's not afraid to cut back rather than safely go out of bounds, so PSU has to be ready for that, but yeah, not exactly "mobile."

 

[phatcat]

Not going to happen unless we are way down.

then it will be Oliver anyway