The upside and downside of every QB1 in the Big Ten (Athan: Upside - "good size and pedigree"; Downside - "mediocre numbers spelling Morgan")

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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Per Glusco:

Minnesota: Athan Kaliakmanis​

Hold on job: 100% … PJ Fleck hasn’t mentioned a competition. He’s too busy pumping up his new starter.

Upside: Good size and pedigree as a 6-4, 215-pound former 4-star recruit. Got some experience with 5 starts in place of injured veteran Tanner Morgan. Best outing came in win over Wisconsin, when he went 19-for-29 for 319 yards and 2 TDs. Showed some running skills with 34 carries for 140 yards over 11 appearances.

Downside: Mediocre numbers spelling Morgan, with more picks (4) than TDs (3) thrown. Outside of Wisconsin game, didn’t do much as a passer as Fleck rode RB Mo Ibrahim. So he’s still unproven as a leader and decision-maker in the clutch.

saturdaytradition.com

The upside and downside of every QB1 in the Big Ten

With so many newcomers and unknowns taking over QB1 roles around the Big Ten, a breakdown of projected starters' plusses and minuses seems in order.
saturdaytradition.com saturdaytradition.com

Go Gophers!!
 


BTChamp said:
Pretty disappointed in his research. Tired of the lazy takes by some people. His name is Cali McEs for crying out loud!!!!!!!!
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It’s true outside of the Wisconsin game there’s not much to brag about.

I say that believing AK is way more talented than Tanner, but he’s far from a sure thing.
 

gopherbadgerman said:
It’s true outside of the Wisconsin game there’s not much to brag about.

I say that believing AK is way more talented than Tanner, but he’s far from a sure thing.
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I know. I was only joking about the corn nation guy that can't spell.
 

Quick read, but enjoyed it. Not sure why he mentions pedigree. If these guys have earned the starting spot, he's the best the team has regardless of pedigree.
 



AK was just getting his feet wet late last season.

He has a lot of upside. We have to see if he can get the handle on interceptions. That is important with teams like Wisconsin, Illinois, and Nebraska deploying schemes to stop the Gophers ground and TOP game plans.

They want AK to throw more. AK will only get better as the season progresses.
 

Dakota2 said:
Second half come-from-behind win and Nebraska rates as impressive.
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Yes that was good. I’m just saying then numbers outside of the Wisconsin win are not impressive. Once again I think he’s talented and has some really good upside.
 




gopherbadgerman said:
Yes that was good. I’m just saying then numbers outside of the Wisconsin win are not impressive. Once again I think he’s talented and has some really good upside.
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Agreed on the passing stats. But there is something deeper with the QB/leader position. Gophers were a different team that second half at Lincoln.
 

Let the outsiders be surprised at how well #8 plays. We Minnesota fans know.
 

BTChamp said:
I know. I was only joking about the corn nation guy that can't spell.
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My dad, Mr. Malaprop, swore our old coach was Clay Tracy. He also mucked up Adam Weber and Eric Decker…Adam Ecker, Eric Adams, Jack Webb, Decker Erickson…he once called Pippi Longstocking “Dolly Lagenfarger”. Very intelligent man with a name problem.

They can call Callie Icknamus anything they want, just spell his name correctly on the Doak Walker trophy.
 

Dakota2 said:
Second half come-from-behind win and Nebraska rates as impressive.
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AK8 entered the game and engineered a second-half comeback against Nebraska last year. That game is the ONLY instance in PJ's six-year tenure at Minnesota in which the Gophers have come back to win after they had fallen behind by 10-points. Athan adds another dimension to our ground-and-pound offense--more quick strike, explosive play potential. This gives us a better chance to come back from behind when the defense starts off slow and yields some points.

Bu Athan's versatility might not lead to more wins, because if Athan is allowed to throw a lot more than Tanner, other outcomes (like interceptions and sacks) can become more frequent. I personally am in favor of a balanced, less predictable offensive scheme, which is where the team would like to go with Athan. And I am enamored of Athan's potential (and like Cole Kramer's progress, too--and think he'll see the field as a "change of pace" QB). But potential and execution are very different things. Time will tell. Go Gophers.
 



gopherbadgerman said:
It’s true outside of the Wisconsin game there’s not much to brag about.

I say that believing AK is way more talented than Tanner, but he’s far from a sure thing.
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The Nebraska vibes were immeasurable
 

highwayman said:
My dad, Mr. Malaprop, swore our old coach was Clay Tracy. He also mucked up Adam Weber and Eric Decker…Adam Ecker, Eric Adams, Jack Webb, Decker Erickson…he once called Pippi Longstocking “Dolly Lagenfarger”. Very intelligent man with a name problem.

They can call Callie Icknamus anything they want, just spell his name correctly on the Doak Walker trophy.
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Sounds like Cali is our version of Jason Bourne. Kicks everybody's ass and never loses.
 

Pretty fair look at each of the likely QBs in the conference.
 

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