 Mike HlasHi, I'm Gazette/TheGazette.com sports columnist Mike Hlas. This is the Hlog. We will meet here, discuss things, and then go [...] |
|
Email the author
Iowa was the only one of 124 FBS teams to use just one quarterback all season
James Vandenberg is Iron Man 2012
OK, a little prologue. I don’t stay awake at night trying to think of obscure things to research. For one thing, life is way too short. For another, I’d rather sleep.
But while Gazette colleague Scott Dochterman and I were having lunch with two of Scott’s friends in an Evanston, Ill., bistro Sunday afternoon, one of them said Iowa was the only team of the 124 FBS programs that only used one quarterback in the 2012 season.
C.J. Fiedorowicz catches a touchdown pass from James Vandenberg against Purdue last Nov. 10 (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)
I wasn’t sure I believed that. And I had to find out, because if true, this would be one of those weird factoids that would fill a blog post on a slow day. So on Monday afternoon I did the tedious research. “Tedious” is an understatement.
Well, as you could tell from the headline on this post, Scott’s friend was right. Barely.
Other than Iowa, every FBS team had more than one quarterback throw a pass. The No. 2 QB for some teams threw a lot of passes. The No. 3 QB for some teams threw a lot of passes. Those generally weren’t good teams.
Three Big East teams were very nearly as reliant on one quarterback as Iowa was with James Vandenberg, who threw 389 passes. Rutgers and Syracuse let their No. 2 quarterback throw one pass. Pittsburgh’s second quarterback threw two passes. The No. 2 QBs at Boston College and LSU threw just two passes.
In the Big Ten, Nebraska and Penn State didn’t stray from Taylor Martinez and Matthew McGloin much. Penn State backup Steven Bench threw eight passes, and Nebraska No. 2 Ron Kellogg II threw nine. If Bench or Kellogg become superstars because they got to throw a few passes in 2012, get back to me on that.
Seven Big Ten teams used three quarterbacks. For some, like Ohio State, it was a luxury. For others, it was a necessity.
Oh, Massachusetts No. 3 quarterback Ian Shultis threw one pass all season, in the Minutemen’s season-finale. It was intercepted, giving him a passing rating of minus-200. Next year, Ian.
This is all for informational purposes only. Please, no wagering.
Now I wait to find out where I’ve erred. One-person research teams are fallible.
-u20042.png?1366232523)
Glass leaving Iowa Department of Education post
Lawmakers expected to finish work on landmark session today
Less asphalt expected in Cedar Rapids’ Westdale Mall transformation
Branstad, Iowa legislators reach health-care expansion accord
Update: Authorities find backpacks, purse in Dayton abduction case
And just what did this loyalty to a single QB get us? A 4-8 season.
Yeah, Vandenberg Iron Man 2012. Right! He played every game because our coach was stubborn enough to let him. He was horrible most of the season. Now we have to figure out who will be our starting QB with no game experience. Why don’t you write about that.I give Kirk two more years, and that’s being generous, and then if he can’t get this back on track, buy him out and get him out of here.
Too bad we will never buy him out. All the yes men at the university don’t care since the team is making money. Of course where they give the credit to KF, I give it to the BTN, ESPN, ABC TV deals. The B1G also shares Bowl money so we are so that is big $$ too. Until we stop filling the stadium with 80,000 people and giving $$ for the good seats KF will be here. Who is going to hire him away from us??? Hello I’m looking for a 4-5 million a year coach who has no clock management, cannot recruit, looks down on the “people in the stands”, and likes to punt inside the opponents own 40 yard line. Oh there is a long line for that deal……….but Barta would still sign that contract. That is why he must go to
Far be it for me, a Cyclone fan to argue that the cup the Hawkeyes hold is half full, but I’m certain that the glass hasn’t shattered due to lack of content like some might imply.
I think the stat in question is quite impressive. It shows that the Hawkeyes were never far enough out of a game that the coaches felt some benefit could be made by bringing in the second string QB throwing passes in game situations. It shows that the starting QB was reliable in decision making and seldom made catastrophic mistakes. It shows that he was rugged. It shows that he enjoyed the confidence of most of the team’s players. It shows the coach’s belief that being consistent and maintaining belief in a player as a vital part of producing winning teams and winning players.
I suspect that my Hawkeye friends and their beloved program are suffering more from the excellence being built at the home of their greatest in-state rival, rather than from the lack of excellence within their own program. Yet judging by the loudness of the proclaimations from the arm chair and barstool quarterbacks, it seems that no solution to the virus that now infects the Hawkeye program will soon arrive.
Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to a season of Cyclone football that incorporates an improved offense in its second year under a coach new to the position. And there is great reason to hope that this offense will incorporate a single, consistent and competent starting quarterback at the helm. What else could a fan want?
As much of a positive spin Mike is giving this article, I think any Iowa fan can read between the lines on this subject.