QB breakdown - Portland State

Football Insider Board
#1

Rewatched Saturday’s game this morning and charted Ben Hicks and Nick Starkel’s throws. Here’s what I came out with:

Ben Hicks

  • At/Behind LOS: 5/8, 29 yards

  • 1-5 yard throws: 4/7, 33 yards

  • 6-10 yard throws: 1/1, 12 yards

  • 11-15 yard throws: 0/1

  • 15-plus yard throws: 4/9, 71 yards

  • Interceptable passes (not picked off but could have been): 3 (16-yard gain to Tyson Morris, 15-yard floater to Mike Woods, incomplete on screen play to Chase Hayden in red zone)

  • Inaccurate passes: 3 (Behind Treylon Burks 18 yards downfield, wide left of Morris 22 yards downfield, high to Rakeem Boyd on screen pass that he also dropped)

  • Throwaways: 3

  • Drops: Trey Knox 1, Devwah Whaley 1, Boyd 1, Chase Harrell 3

Nick Starkel

  • At/Behind LOS: 1/1, -1 yards

  • 1-5 yard throws: 1/1, 3 yards

  • 6-10 yard throws: 1/2, 8 yards, INT

  • 11-15 yard throws: None attempted

  • 15-plus yard throws: 1/1, 38 yards

  • Interceptable passes (aside from INT): 0

  • Throwaways: 0

1 Like
#2

Great stuff, Scottie! Thanks

I have been disappointed in the level of vitriol on the board about the QB play in this game. If just half of the drops were caught, Hicks would have been over 65% (even with the 3 throwaways that all seemed to me to be the right decision). And as CMA said, at least 3 of those drops were drive killers on 3rd down.

No, he wasn’t great, but I saw what appeared to be a noticeable improvement at QB. I am not a sunshine pumper, but the level of complaints about the QB play on Saturday has been out of balance, IMO.

One other point is that the WR’s have had difficulty getting separation for several years. That did not improve much last Saturday, but I believe these young receivers have what it takes to change that very soon! Additionally, getting O’Grady back will help the entire receiving Corp, because CJ will attract a lot of attention.

#3

Thanks Scottie, those stats are interesting.

#4

I’m stunned he threw the ball in the air more than 15 yards 9 times.

It didn’t seem like it.

#5

I think some of those were throwaways.

#6

Hicks’ 15-plus yard passes: 16 yards to Grayson Gunter in the end zone (INC), 18 yards to Treylon Burks (INC), 15 yards to Tyson Morris (complete), 20 yards to Burks (complete), 32 yards to Burks (INC), 16 yards to Chase Harrell (drop), 22 yards to Morris (INC), 15 yards to Mike Woods (complete), 23 yards to Burks (complete).

#7

Thanks Scottie.

#8

Some of those drops are contributed to inaccurate passes IMO

#9

True, but some hit the receiver in his hands.

#10

Some of Hicks’ throws hit receivers in the hands but they were still bad passes. I can remember at least two where the receiver reached behind him and had the ball bounce off his hands.

Joe Craddock said yesterday that Hicks had eight passes that were either dropped or throwaways. If you take those passes away, he said, his completion percentage was 67 percent.

#11

Merry Christmas, Joe.

#12