How good is Hunt? How high is his ceiling?

[jonvi]

I believe Hunt's biggest advantage is how defenses have to respect his ability to get outside the pocket and either run or throw.

With Allen, DE's could pin their ears back and go after the QB or RB cutting towards the middle. With Hunt, the DE's must step up field to protect the outside edge.

This opens the middel just enough to get the RB's a chance to see some daylight. Not only is Hunt a better running threat, but his presence also gives the RB's room to run.

 

[Legendof44]

hunt's long throws to clark have been near perfect throws for td's. He has had 2 long balls that come to mind that he threw short but he also threw them away from the defender so the receiver only had a chance at the ball.

 

[Cuseregular]

I have absolutely no definition or explanation about what I mean. It's just the first word that comes to mind when I think about his throws.

your read on this is spot on. If he had to rely on being a drop back pocket passer who relies on his arm strength then we'd have a problem. But whatever the "it" quality is that some have he clearly has it wrapped up in all the attributes that Crusty points out.

This is where talent evaluation can be so murky with respect to if a qb has the ability to win games. Clearly Hunt does and will. Be he does and will do it by being a "package" type player who has enough skills in the package to win and minimize his deficiencies. Where he is lacking is exactly as you note but his intangible hugely important skills of being able to move and improvise, meaning most importantly he can run and move himself in position to allow him to use his other body strengths to make the throws by using and gaining momentum to help himself out, like rolling out and leaning into it to help get zip on the ball.

Or just as importantly use his vision and athleticism to get himself out of tough situations. It, so far, appears he knows his limitations on arm strength and avoids the throws that call for it and checks down or tucks it in and runs. The long passes he does make have a lot of float to them, but that's ok given the nature of those route so far to this point. He's not going to hit many across the field crossing patterns to the sideline 15-20 yards down, which is ok since I don't think the coaches will call on him to do too much of that.

Again it appears he has the "it" quality however that's defined to mold together and make the amalgamation of the factors listed here come together enough to be a winner overall. Different players win in different ways depending on skill sets. We appear to have a uniquely skilled player here that will get us more wins than losses no doubt.

The question will be is to whether that skill set will be enough to be elite and make us a top 10-15 team again. That part the jurys still out on and will be fascinating and a fun ride to see and witness. The good news is that we're even having this discussion about at the very least a competent to above average qb that we hope can be elite too.

Batten down the hatches boys (and girls) we'll start to know in about 10 days!

 

[Mo_Cuse]

I think we get too caught up in "he's good at this..he's not good at that" Maybe he's just good at quarterbacking.

 

[Legendof44]

the kid can throw the pigskin to other players that go into the scoring box. we win games with him.

 

[Jasoncuse]

Honestly, we really don't know how good he is or how good he can/will be.

I will say, he has had an extremely exciting start to his SU career, and that is something for us to get excited about and for him to build on.

He looks to have the ability to run any type of offense, except maybe an extremely pass happy timing offense (at this point). He can run the read option. He can scramble and make plays, allowing WR's to break free. Play action looks like something he can excel with. It's going to come down to whether he'll be able to read defenses, run through his progressions and makes plays against ACC defenses. With tighter coverage, will we see him force throws, throw INT's, tuck and run more, or will he continue excelling? We have to see him throw WR's open instead of throwing to open WR's, not that many college QB's can consistently do that, but the instincts and guts to make those throws can be huge.


So far, I'm not sure his deep ball is "ready", nor have we seen if he can make touch passes down the field. Maybe he can. We'll have to wait and see.

I'm happy to see the kid come in and pretty much dominate right away. I don't expect it to keep up at this level, but we can see the talent is there. Let's hope the offense is built around him correctly and he can continue getting comfortable and becoming the leader the team needs heading into ACC play. He could be a 3 year starter and really be a stud by his Jr/Sr years. It's nice to see a QB have success right away, gain the confidence that comes with it and look like the present and future all at once. Love that. And I hope it's not a mirage. I think, at worst, he'll be a competent starter with big games here and there. At best, who knows!

 

[OrangePA]

I was giving Patterson credit, but his coaching was terrible during his career. The kid was a good player, but DeLeone and Paraini were bad Offensive Coordinators. I get you love Coach P, but the coaching wasn't good IMO you may disagree, but I feel the coaching he got stunted his growth. I feel Patterson had a good decent career that could have been better if the coaching was better.

I just think your opinion with respect to 2004 is not factual.

PP had a pretty decent year - with solid wins against Pitt and BC and a BE Championship.

He set sophomore passing records that year and operated in an offense that suited him.

2005 is another story.

 

[bevosu]

The consensus seems to be that Hunt lacks 'zip' on his throws. he doesn't have the strongest arm.

I think that if in fact that is true he has more than compensated for that, as have other good college qb's, by having a good football IQ, seeing the field, having decent escapability.

He seems to be able to buy some time when necessary which enables him to allow his receivers to get some separation, somewhat nullifying the need to have a strong arm or 'zip' the ball.

The Clemson game may not be a good indication of just how good he is? Anything can happen including an opponent being so good at this point in Hunts career that his team might not be able to provide the opportunity for him to really show what he has. His second start...against a top quality opponent.

Depending on what happens that should be taken into consideration.

 

[Alsacs]

I just think your opinion with respect to 2004 is not factual.

PP had a pretty decent year - with solid wins against Pitt and BC and a BE Championship.

He set sophomore passing records that year and operated in an offense that suited him.

2005 is another story.

I see you edited your original post. Patterson's sophomore passing "records" are miniscule that its not worth sighting. In 1996 Donovan McNabb as a Sophomore passed for 1776 yards on 118 completions with 215 passing attempts. He also threw for 19 TD and 9 INT. As I said Patterson was a solid player but in 2004 he threw 1851 yards on 168 completions with 289 passing attempts with 7 TD passes and 10 INT. Patterson's coaching was atrocious and the coaching staff had so much confidence in the kid that they stuck a true Freshman on the field against Purdue in the season opener. The fact Coach P and DeLeone didn't trust Patterson in 2004 and RS Fields stunted his growth for 2004, and then the GRob disaster occurred.

McNabb was the better player, but the Sophomore passing record of 75 yards isn't anything IMO. If Patterson had better coaching he could have been a better player. I know you love Coach P and I don't want to tear him down,but I believe DeLeone was AWFUL coaching our offensive talent from 2002-2004. My overall point was though Patterson is the worst case scenario for Hunt and that isn't an insult to either player as I thought Patterson was a good game manager and if he had better coaching could have done better.

 

[Crusty]

Hunt may only be limited to what is around him. When our starters drop perfectly thrown passes and the OLine does not protect him, it will result in losses in the ACC. We should be set in the backfield until after Hunt graduates and we have some RS freshman and incoming receivers that should help. However, they will be underclassmen for most of Hunt's career. It will be up to MCD to get the most out of what we have and will have.

Hopefully we have 8-9 win year potential for Hunt's Jr and Sr years. How nice would that be. After that, Austin Wilson can take us to the next level.

 

[billorange44]

I just think your opinion with respect to 2004 is not factual.

PP had a pretty decent year - with solid wins against Pitt and BC and a BE Championship.

He set sophomore passing records that year and operated in an offense that suited him.

2005 is another story.

Coach P was just a dreadful coach. It showed in 2004 with bookend 50 point losses as I recall. He started a quarterback who shouldn't have been playing in a hostile environment like Purdue. I guess someone higher up saw the same thing as I and sent him packing. UCONN will do the same at the end of this season too.

 

[Crusty]

I hate to interject facts into the conversation but Coach P won 107 games and had a 65% win Pct. 68% in conference play. He won 6 bowl games and lost 3.
Do times pass coaches by? Sure, but lets not forget he was a very good coach and does not deserve to be dumped on by anyone on this board.

 

[TheCusian]

Hunt may only be limited to what is around him. When our starters drop perfectly thrown passes and the OLine does not protect him, it will result in losses in the ACC. We should be set in the backfield until after Hunt graduates and we have some RS freshman and incoming receivers that should help. However, they will be underclassmen for most of Hunt's career. It will be up to MCD to get the most out of what we have and will have.

Hopefully we have 8-9 win year potential for Hunt's Jr and Sr years. How nice would that be. After that, Austin Wilson can take us to the next level.

Kobena dropped two last week, but Hunts completion % is excellent (meaning the guys are catching the ball). He has not been sacked yet - combination of Oline and his pocket awareness and scrambling ability. Also no interceptions.

That may well happen some in the ACC, but up to this point there is no evidence it will happen and result in losses.

I for one am assuming he will play like he has until proven otherwise. Eyes wide open on this kid. Had he 30 more plays along with his current play and he would have the highest QBR in the game. That includes Boyd and Johnny Football.

 

[Rocco]

What Hunt possesses are the intangibles. He just has a confident swagger and calmness to him that makes everyone else around him more comfortable. You can't teach that.

 

[OburgOrange]

The play of the OL will determine how good TH will be.

 

[Zcuse]

C'mon, Gentlemen.

This may be fun to talk about but, seriously, its way, way early to be projecting how good or not good he's going to be.

On the basis of one home game against Tulane, things seem promising. But I can think of SU QB's who weren't so good over their careers who had individual games in which they were very good.

Four more games with Hunt at the helm will give us an idea of how good he's going to be. But to expect the QB numbers that he achieved on Saturday to continue is way over-optimistic.

I completely agree that we can't get ahead of ourselves. but regarding this quote "But I can think of SU QB's who weren't so good over their careers who had individual games in which they were very good." Where does this list you speak of begin and end regarding QBs who played that well in their first 2 starts? I think it's very short. I wish there was one more mid-level game (like an NC State) to get a feeling on how excited to be. We've played two teams that are fully outclassed, followed by a top 5 team. I wish there were one in the top 25-40 range in the middle of it all. How great would it be if the Penn State game was next? Regardless, I can not remember, short of McNabb and Graves in the last 20 years, two better first 2 starts... And if he comes up aces against Clemson, the optimism meter will be off the charts ...

 

[Townie72]

Zip versus a "catchable ball".

This is college football, not the NFL.

I completely agree that we can't get ahead of ourselves. but regarding this quote "But I can think of SU QB's who weren't so good over their careers who had individual games in which they were very good." Where does this list you speak of begin and end regarding QBs who played that well in their first 2 starts? I think it's very short. I wish there was one more mid-level game (like an NC State) to get a feeling on how excited to be. We've played two teams that are fully outclassed, followed by a top 5 team. I wish there were one in the top 25-40 range in the middle of it all. How great would it be if the Penn State game was next? Regardless, I can not remember, short of McNabb and Graves in the last 20 years, two better first 2 starts... And if he comes up aces against Clemson, the optimism meter will be off the charts ...

I love this kind of response. Let's not get ahead of ourselves is your first statement. But then you admit to almost vibrating with optimism and anticipation.

You are right. I cannot point to any SU QBs that had great first games who fizzled out. But I can point to lots of similar situations (Wasn't Jeremy Lin going to be a superstar at one point in time?)

I really hope that the kid can be as good as Mcnabb.

I'd recommend you restrain your enthusiasm because when the Optimism Meter gets too high, sometimes the disappointment is even more bitter based om unrealistic expectations.

 

[VaSaltine]

Nassib = Too much zip
Hunt = Too little zip

Can someone explain to me what the right amount of "zip" is. May be a youtube clip of a QB demonstrating the perfect dose of zip?

Spot on. Way too much over analyzing. A catchable ball is much better than a "zipped" ball. Hunt has enough arm strength for college football. 'Nuf said.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Better than Aaron Rodgers but not quite as good as John Elway

 

[Cusester]

Well, last night I had a dream about him, I kid you not. The dream included a walking, talking pink lamp table and getting lost in Buckingham Palace, where I realized my mother was sisters with the Queen of England. Sometime during that dream, I saw Hunt diving for a touchdown and thought to myself, "He's the real deal!"

So, you see, Hunt is definitely NOT a mirage!

I had a nightmare last night. I woke up on October 6th and people on this board were clamoring for Drew Allen. Very scary! In reality I've been extremely impressed with TMFH and don't expect to be disappointed after Clemson. If he has a bad game I hope nobody gets too upset. His future is very bright.

 

[billorange44]

I hate to interject facts into the conversation but Coach P won 107 games and had a 65% win Pct. 68% in conference play. He won 6 bowl games and lost 3.
Do times pass coaches by? Sure, but lets not forget he was a very good coach and does not deserve to be dumped on by anyone on this board.

I hate to bust your bubble dude, but coach P took over a lot of talent when Coach Mac left and as far as I can see he pissed it away. He had more What losses than any coach should be allowed. He got fired! He's gone and it was a good thing. He was a coach that did less with more. Bye P, glad you are gone! Ask UCONN fans how they feel about him.

 

[bballbeadle]

We will see whether my dream was wish fulfillment or precognition. If the latter, I will begin to charge money for my dreams!

The thing I loved the most about Hunt was how he was able to get a touchdown with 1:44 left in the first half. (I also loved the play calling and the fact that we were actually GOING FOR IT.) But for a brand new quarterback to be able to pull that off - hey, it was impressive!

 

[RF2044]

I hate to bust your bubble dude, but coach P took over a lot of talent when Coach Mac left and as far as I can see he pissed it away. He had more What losses than any coach should be allowed. He got fired! He's gone and it was a good thing. He was a coach that did less with more. Bye P, glad you are gone! Ask UCONN fans how they feel about him.

I'm not sure I agree with that assessment. P took over from Mac, and not only sustained the success, he exceeded it in many respects with some great seasons.

The problems came when we were unable to recruit an adequate replacement for Donovan McNabb [ you Tommy Reamon / Michael Vick--both of you can burn in hell]. And at that point, without a dynamic playmaking QB the program got stale and began to decline. At that point--and only at that point--did he have What losses.

But painting P as an incompetent boob who squandered what Mac built is 100% false. He had a sustained run of success. He just couldn't sustain it beyond the first 10 years. But those outstanding first 10 years is a lot longer than you are giving him credit for.

 

[All4SU]

Where does this list you speak of begin and end regarding QBs who played that well in their first 2 starts? I think it's very short. .

Just guessing here, but I'll go with Mark McDonald and Todd Philcox.

 

[CuseOnly]

I know this, TH is an athletic, dynamic, versatile, smart, skilled, talented young QB who has all the potential in the world because I believe that he is only scratching the surface of what he can do.

I will not put him in a box, compare him to others or say he has this and doesn't have that whatever "this" and "that" may be.

I will choose to watch, cheer him on in wins and losses (hopefully more wins), and enjoy the ride for as long as he is playing.

He seems like a great kid and I can't wait to see his development into whatever QB and person he turns out to be.

Can't wait for 10/5, LGO!!