It is naturally going to be a point of interest to focus on a 6' 7" 245 lbs QB that can run for this upcoming game, so let's take a look at some of his film and numbers...
Here are some clips from him against Houston this past year, a game he struggled quite a bit in:
You can take a lot away from this. First thing you will notice early on is that Memphis runs a ton of different formations. They mix things up very well and thus it is hard to focus on one particular spot/aspect of the game. Lynch does a great job executing these plays, noting that last year Memphis was top 20 in the nation in terms of plays per game so they like uptempo.
Now let's look at his numbers before diving into the film a little bit more. For his freshman and sophomore years, he put up these numbers:
FR: 2,056 yards passing, 9 TDs, 10 INTs, 58.2% completion percentage, 127 yards rushing and 2 TDs on 88 carries
SO: 3,031 yards passing, 22 TDs, 9 INTs, 62.7% completion percentage, 321 yards rushing and 13 TDs on 113 carries
So you can see he got more efficient between his freshman and sophomore years, which is expected, thus that's a trend that will likely continue. Now looking at the rushing numbers, he doesn't have a high yards per carry...but did have 13 rushing touchdowns. He is not a guy that you would expect to be busting 20+ yard runs, but is capable of getting the first down when needed and the closer to the goal line they are, he is a weapon to punch it in the endzone. He is a guy that I don't think you need to put a spy on, but may consider that when closer to the end zone.
In the clips he is definitely a smooth runner. At his size, he can be hard to bring down...but also at his size he is susceptible to big hits. If he is out there running, it needs to be a point of emphasis to hit him hard...
You see him beginning to struggle midway through the above clips and to me it is noticeable when the pressure increases. They really started getting some heat on him and he wasn't the same. Really the only throws he looked comfortable making were pre-designed screens, streaks, and short passes. He looked to his safety valve tight end Cross a lot when the pressure came, so we need to keep an eye on Cross. He did not look great throwing down field passes and when the pressure came, not sure I saw any throws beyond ten yards from him.
Now do be careful - they like running trick plays, including the fake run then pass. I think this is a game where we can gamble some with our front 6 (or 7), but it is critical for the back 4 (or 5) to stay disciplined. If we blitz them, he is likely to throw short routes - I am fine with a yard pass if we bring 5 or 6 guys after him...but it is key to make sure that yard pass doesn't become a 50 yard pass. I think this is a game we could see Dorance Armstrong more than we saw this past week. I think this is also a huge game for Damani Mosby - we need pass rush this game and he has the chance to bring that...
Here are some clips from him against Houston this past year, a game he struggled quite a bit in:
You can take a lot away from this. First thing you will notice early on is that Memphis runs a ton of different formations. They mix things up very well and thus it is hard to focus on one particular spot/aspect of the game. Lynch does a great job executing these plays, noting that last year Memphis was top 20 in the nation in terms of plays per game so they like uptempo.
Now let's look at his numbers before diving into the film a little bit more. For his freshman and sophomore years, he put up these numbers:
FR: 2,056 yards passing, 9 TDs, 10 INTs, 58.2% completion percentage, 127 yards rushing and 2 TDs on 88 carries
SO: 3,031 yards passing, 22 TDs, 9 INTs, 62.7% completion percentage, 321 yards rushing and 13 TDs on 113 carries
So you can see he got more efficient between his freshman and sophomore years, which is expected, thus that's a trend that will likely continue. Now looking at the rushing numbers, he doesn't have a high yards per carry...but did have 13 rushing touchdowns. He is not a guy that you would expect to be busting 20+ yard runs, but is capable of getting the first down when needed and the closer to the goal line they are, he is a weapon to punch it in the endzone. He is a guy that I don't think you need to put a spy on, but may consider that when closer to the end zone.
In the clips he is definitely a smooth runner. At his size, he can be hard to bring down...but also at his size he is susceptible to big hits. If he is out there running, it needs to be a point of emphasis to hit him hard...
You see him beginning to struggle midway through the above clips and to me it is noticeable when the pressure increases. They really started getting some heat on him and he wasn't the same. Really the only throws he looked comfortable making were pre-designed screens, streaks, and short passes. He looked to his safety valve tight end Cross a lot when the pressure came, so we need to keep an eye on Cross. He did not look great throwing down field passes and when the pressure came, not sure I saw any throws beyond ten yards from him.
Now do be careful - they like running trick plays, including the fake run then pass. I think this is a game where we can gamble some with our front 6 (or 7), but it is critical for the back 4 (or 5) to stay disciplined. If we blitz them, he is likely to throw short routes - I am fine with a yard pass if we bring 5 or 6 guys after him...but it is key to make sure that yard pass doesn't become a 50 yard pass. I think this is a game we could see Dorance Armstrong more than we saw this past week. I think this is also a huge game for Damani Mosby - we need pass rush this game and he has the chance to bring that...
