Cliff and Fife probably have similar reps now I would guess. But Ah Yat might be the best player. And if he is good as I have heard from a couple people pretty close to the program then why not roll with him? I am not at practice everyday so I can't evaluate them. And I also think Vidlak might be better than he appeared in some games last year. It was a struggle for Griz offensively with change in coordinator early on. Even with Cliff the offense didn't really look completely fluid until Idaho game. I think Cliff deserves all the praise for the way he played last year and I don't ever mean to minimize that. But I think there are good options still here. And if as I was told he was upset that the job was going to be a competition this Spring he isn't here to improve and win the coaches confidence.
-
Hi Guest, want to participate in the discussions, keep track of read/unread posts and more? Create your free account and increase the benefits of your eGriz.com experience today!
McDowell back in the portal
- Thread starter Colter_Nuanez56
- Start date
- Status
mthoopsfan
Well-known member
From an earlier post of mine:
"They've thrown 271, completing 184. 68%. McDowell was 160-274 last season, for 58.4%. They've won 4 games.
So, the other qb's have thrown about the same number of passes as McDowell, but completed a much higher percentage. 68% to 58%. Ah Yet hasn't thrown a pick yet. They've had 7 starts, 4 of which were FBS. McDowell has started 12 FCS games. The UM qb's have participated in all of spring ball. McDowell only 5 spring ball practices.
Do you like accurate qb's? Or is 58% okay with you?"
At Fresno, Fife played in 3 seasons and was 143-214.
How many reps has McDowell had against FBS competition? Zero. How many reps has Fife had against FBS competition.
mthoopsfan
Well-known member
If Cliff thought he was good that the starting job should be his, why didn't he just stay, compete for it, and win it? Seems pretty simple to me.
You're always rolling the dice when you play a guy that doesn't have a ton of playing experience. They couldn't make it work with Vidlak, and then found a good formula with McDowell (until they faced better teams).
Ah Yat showed flashes last season, but also some concerning freshman mistakes, and Fife played well in his limited time at Fresno St. My guess is that Fife will figure things out a lot better over the summer and probably take the job, but if Ah Yat made enough strides, he could make a real push to be the guy. I've also been hearing great things about Keali'i since last season, so it wouldn't shock me at all.
If Clifton actually comes back as some kind of failsafe option, then I think we'll be in great shape going into the season.
Ah Yat showed flashes last season, but also some concerning freshman mistakes, and Fife played well in his limited time at Fresno St. My guess is that Fife will figure things out a lot better over the summer and probably take the job, but if Ah Yat made enough strides, he could make a real push to be the guy. I've also been hearing great things about Keali'i since last season, so it wouldn't shock me at all.
If Clifton actually comes back as some kind of failsafe option, then I think we'll be in great shape going into the season.
I understand your FBS/FCS point, but we can't really combine two QB's to compare to one QB when it comes to number of game reps. I asked which ONE of the three has the most game reps.
Last edited:
mthoopsfan
Well-known member
Probably Fife. He played 3 years in FBS. Feel free to look up all the plays they were in games. Ha.
oldngrizzly
Well-known member
I know how the scheduling works. I didn't just come out of the turnip patch yesterday. It is all about money and nothing else. You might think it's hilarious but until you prove me wrong I stand with what I said. Then you might get the last laugh but I doubt it very much.
Well, you kind of already did, when it comes to passing:
"McDowell was 160-274 last season"
(13 TDs, 4 INTs)
"At Fresno, Fife played in 3 seasons and was 143-214"
(6 TDs, 9 INTs)
Not sure about total snaps, because Clif started more games, but Fife's stats are over three years. Could be about equal, as Rico pointed out above. I wonder what it would look like if we compared their rushing yards:
Clif (one year) 169 carries for 753 yards (4.5)
Fife (three years) 28 carries for 40 yards (1.4)
Just the stats.
The touchdowns versus interceptions along with the number of carries and average yards per carry kind of push this discussion in a different direction doesn't it?
I think it kind of does. Especially if they've had roughly equal snaps as some have suggested.
HelenaHandBasket
Well-known member
This is a lot of bickering about a guy that is actually on the team and one that isn't.
Well if you look at Fife the Fresno St site says he particpated in 10 games as Junior and 12 as a Senior. To be fair I think he was holder on PAT's. Looks like he played signficant amount of time in 8 or 9 games against some prettys good teams like USC, Boise St,. San Jose St. San Diego St. etc.. He is not the runner Cliff is for sure but I'm not sure if they used him as much. They have been pretty pro style since over the years.
McDowell's status is not yet definitive. He might be coming back for all we know.
It could but also you can take into account the level of competition is higher. Just remember that last year this was Cliff's total stat line from Central Arkansas when he couldn't get on the field. "He returned to the D-I level as he spent 2022 at Central Arkansas, completing 7 of 13 pass attempts for 69 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and rushing 10 times for 89 yards and two scores".
It sure doesn't seem like they used him to run. I hope he's awesome at passing and our OL can give him time.
Also, just to clarify, Fife actually had 64 carries for 88 yards (1.375 avg) over three years. (I accidentally didn't add in the first two years in his rushing stats above).
Last edited:
I hear a lot of people make this argument about the level of competition but if you're going to make the argument that the talent of the opposing team was better, then you have to take into account the talent of the team surrounding him. In general, FBS athletes should be higher quality than FCS. Therefore the o-line was at least theoretically better than our o-line, and same with the receivers and running backs, etc. Taking all of that into consideration would seem to level the playing field and negate the "level of competition" argument.
Look, I'm not trying to trash the guy. I have zero idea what he brings to the table at this point. I honestly feel like it's too early to tell - He could make significant strides this summer and early fall. But I also believe that if Clifton does come back, it only makes the team better. And if he is allowed to come back then there was a reason and a need for him.
The formula worked fine until Frisco and facing one of the top 5-7 teams of all time.
One last thing for consideration. Cliff went into portal just like Fife. Cliff puts everything on social media. He has a visit to Western Kentucky and they signed someone else. Only offer is Temple which is a struggling football school. Fife goes in and originally signs with Minnesota. Significant All that game film that coaches see from the portal and they are meticulous in evaluation. Fife was good enough to be signed by a Big 10 school. That alone says something about what our coaches and other coaches see.
My point is we can't risk another NAU debacle just to find out "what we've got".
Totally. It will be interesting to see where Clif lands.
- Status