AK... Do I have this correct?

[Word]

All it took was one bad game and the boo birds are circling. Give the kid a chance. Let’s see where we are at the end of the season.

Reality is that he has been about a 54% passer outside of the UNC game. Is that good enough to take the Gophers where we want to go this year? Can he get that up closer to 60%? Can he hit a deep pass (which may help open up some other things)? Those are all unanswered questions at this point.

 

[GopherPoke]

drop-off like this

I guess I don't follow.

 

[upnorthkid]

Reality is that he has been about a 54% passer outside of the UNC game. Is that good enough to take the Gophers where we want to go this year? Can he get that up closer to 60%? Can he hit a deep pass (which may help open up some other things)? Those are all unanswered questions at this point.

Can they also run routes that lead to higher completion percentages? System matters a ton too (and hanging onto the ball after you get open). They’re giving him a bunch of nfl routes. Maybe that’s his strength but we run very few swing passes, crossers, 4 wide hitches, etc that are ultra high percentage. I too am in the he needs to improve his accuracy camp but they also need to make this offense have easier throws more frequently.

 

[Word]

Can they also run routes that lead to higher completion percentages? System matters a ton too (and hanging onto the ball after you get open). They’re giving him a bunch of nfl routes. Maybe that’s his strength but we run very few swing passes, crossers, 4 wide hitches, etc that are ultra high percentage. I too am in the he needs to improve his accuracy camp but they also need to make this offense have easier throws more frequently.

Sure. I'm all for making the system work for him. Not all on AK.

 

[Gophergrandpa]

If AK gains (or regains) some touch on deep passes, everything will be fine. Route complexity might be an issue (above my pay grade), but when AK does throw a deep ball it needs to be placed where the WR has a plausible chance of catching it. AK doesn't need to have the astounding accuracy and touch of Drake Maye, but there is a minimum level of accuracy every successful P5 QB must have, and, on deep throws, AK isn't there right now.

 

[Panthadad2]

If AK gains (or regains) some touch on deep passes, everything will be fine. Route complexity might be an issue (above my pay grade), but when AK does throw a deep ball it needs to be placed where the WR has a plausible chance of catching it. AK doesn't need to have the astounding accuracy and touch of Drake Maye, but there is a minimum level of accuracy every successful P5 QB must have, and, on deep throws, AK isn't there right now.

After watching long balls get under-thrown for years, with some of those getting caught, it's been weird watching overthrows. The problem with overthrows is there are only two outcomes...bad or worse. It's either an incompletion or picked off.

 

[Dakota2]

Fleck has been unable to recruit a QB and other players who can play at a level I expected in year 7. Maybe it is a combo of coaching and players but I do believe in the old saying: "Jimmy's and Joe's beat X's and O's".

Maybe many of you were expecting to see a drop-off like this but I was hopeful PJ would bring in players who could play at a higher level than what we are experiencing this year. Other than Taylor, I am not expecting any major improvement over what we have seen. If we see improvement then we will exceed my expectations and that will be great. I will remain a season ticket holder and go to every game but I can't get over this level of play in year 7. I thought we would be better than this; maybe I was unrealistic to think that. I think we have hit the ceiling with PJ at the helm.

Check your post after the season.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

I had to view Saturday's game in a social environment, and could only watch three-quarter's of it. So my view of the game was unfocused and incomplete.

That said, here's what I took away.

(1) AK showed he has a strong arm and can throw all the routes. But we already knew that.
(2) He was inaccurate on Saturday, but I don't think that will be a persistent problem. I am not certain what to attribute his inaccuracy to -- I'd need to watch tape.
(3) He is not in possession of great "touch," i.e., getting the ball not only to the target, but getting it there with the desired speed and along the desired aerial path. I think this will be more of an enduring characteristic of his play.
(4) The receiving corps dropped several catchable passes -- I think AK contributed to that by delivering passes that came in "hotter" than need be. See point #3. Every pass is a fastball. The good news is that his receiving corps should grow accustomed to heaters being delivered their way, and as they acclimate, they'll hang on to more of those -- this will improve things in time.

So, I think the inaccuracy is more of an aberration, and I think the receiving corps will adapt over time to the fastballs AK throws. So, chin up. This will improve.

With that, I ask all of you: I could not form an impression about AK's pre-snap reading of the field or his post-snap reading of the field. The environment I was in was just to hectic and social. Can some of you weigh in with informed info on that point?

Many thanks!

8-8 ain’t that great!

 

[Word]

Latest stats for AK in comparison to past Gopher QBs. He's moved up a couple spots (sorted by NCAA pass rating)

	ATT	COMP	COMP-%	INT	TD	YDS	YDS/ATT	TD/ 100 ATT	INT/100 ATT	TD RUSH	NCAA Pass Rtng
MORGAN	1063	661	62.18%	32	65	9,469	8.9	6.1	3.0	8	151.2
CUPITO	918	513	55.88%	25	55	7,446	8.1	6.0	2.7	0	138.3
ABDUL-KHALIQ	847	481	56.79%	26	55	6,660	7.9	6.5	3.1	16	138.1
FOGGIE	628	311	49.52%	32	34	5,162	8.2	5.4	5.1	24	126.2
SAUTER	945	539	57.04%	33	40	6,834	7.2	4.2	3.5	8	124.8
WEBER	1,594	909	57.03%	51	72	10,917	6.8	4.5	3.2	10	123.1
ECKERS	262	147	56.11%	17	15	1884	7.2	5.7	6.5	1	122.4
KALIAKMANIS	232	131	56.47%	8	8	1,691	7.3	3.4	3.4	3	122.2
COCKERHAM	485	252	51.96%	24	29	3,483	7.2	6.0	4.9	12	122.1
LEIDNER	1029	580	56.37%	32	36	7,287	7.1	3.5	3.1	33	121.2
GRAY	295	150	50.85%	11	14	2,053	7.0	4.7	3.7	12	117.5
HOHENSEE	722	392	54.29%	31	33	4,792	6.6	4.6	4.3	5	116.5
SCHAFFNER	515	278	53.98%	22	21	3,472	6.7	4.1	4.3	6	115.5
SCHADE	627	322	51.36%	23	22	3,986	6.4	3.5	3.7	2	109.0
FLEETWOOD	876	465	53.08%	44	18	5,279	6.0	2.1	5.0	15	100.4
DUNGY	586	274	46.76%	35	22	3,515	6.0	3.8	6.0	16	97.6
CURRY	505	226	44.75%	24	16	3,060	6.1	3.2	4.8	14	96.6
STEPHENS	297	100	33.67%	27	13	1,571	5.3	4.4	9.1	17	74.4
COX	106	37	34.91%	12	7	508	4.8	6.6	11.3	NA	74.3

 

[Gopherchase]

That’s a great chart. Thanks for sharing. When I really think about it, it’s a pretty easy call. My favorite quarterback of all time is a AAK. Good thrower, good runner, played hard and was fun to watch.

 

[Drew21]

I know of the accuracy issues and hard throws but I also believe the coaching staff is not maximizing his ability. He can run...there should be some fake handoffs and play action where he can use his legs.

 

[Jack jones]

I know of the accuracy issues and hard throws but I also believe the coaching staff is not maximizing his ability. He can run...there should be some fake handoffs and play action where he can use his legs.

Have you looked at his replacement? Keep him healthy!

 

[Donovan]

Not sure if this was addressed earlier: during the last game, one of the announcers stated that AK looks better when he plays from under center. This rang true. I’m assuming the coaching staff would have analytics on this.