JUCO QB & Phillips

[LA_Mustang]

If we do get a JUCO QB is Bennett looking to make him the starter? I think that Phillips showed more than enough to be the front runner heading into next year. It finally seems as though we have a talented D1 starting QB in Phillips? I'm all for bring in a JUCO QB to be the back-up, and if he out plays Phillips for the starting job thats fine, but Phillips should be our guy. Not to mention that sends a great message to recruits that if you come in here, work hard and show some talent you will be rewarded.

[Mike Damone]

I agree, but a JUCO with experience could probably be the best option for next year. Although Phillips has shown great talent, he still seems lost out there at times.

Plus, we could redshirt him next year like we would've liked to this year. Have Meeks back up the JUCO.

[gostangs]

The only times he looked lost to me was when some opposing defensive lineman blew through untouched - and he was scrambling for his life. Unless they are as good at scrambling, I would let the JUCO back up Phillips - whoever starts will still need that talent as their bread and butter. Whoever it is they will have alot more options - taller receivers, legitamte TE, and runningbacks into the flats - can't wait.

[FloridaMustang]

Mike - you cannot redshirt a player past his first year unless he is injured and somehow qualifies for a medical shirt.

[couch 'em]

are you sure about that? I'm pretty sure you can redshirt them anytime, just only one year. Phillips lost his redshirt for this year, so he still has 3 years of eligability, and 1 year to redshirt. Atleast it lets me do that on NCAA 03

[Dooby]

Originally posted by FloridaMustang:
Mike - you cannot redshirt a player past his first year unless he is injured and somehow qualifies for a medical shirt.

NCAA rules say only that an athlete has five years to complete four years of eligibility. Medical redshirt is an exception to that rule, and allows a player to use four years of eligibility over a greater period of time.

Linky linky

[Mike Damone]

The rules might have been different because they were I-AA at the time, but a few years ago Marshall had a similar situation. They had a damn good starting freshman quarterback by the name of Chad Pennington who agreed to redshirt his sophomore year to let a transfer play-Eric Kresser, FloridaStang you should know who he is.

Pennington sat for a year as Kresser and Randy Moss lead Marshall to the DI-AA championship, then came back and started the last three years he had remaining.

[Mike Damone]

Also, on NCAA Football 2004, I can redshirt whoever I want to whenever I want to. You know they wouldn't mess that up!

[SmooPower]

Question: Can any other year be red shirt except for Freshman?

Answer: The NCAA allows each player five years to complete four years of competition. To redshirt, whether planned or unplanned, the player cannot play even a single down. The redshirt can be taken in any year.

An exception is the so-called medical redshirt, where a player goes down with a season ending injury. In that event, the medical redshirt may be applied for, assuming the player participated in no more than 25% of the season - normally three games - after the completion of his normal eligibility.

[SMUFinns]

RS or not Phillips has missed out on 6 games worth of experience which at this stage may or may not have been valuable to him as a person / player.
To sit him out for a year later could only serve to frustrate him and mybe quel his desire. guy like this want to play.

Let him fight for his slot, if he does not win it then he'll back up the starter and get in when we have a blow-out game.

BTW (I believe that he will be the starter going forward)

Go Mustangs 04

[Dooby]

The plan has been to play Phillips and put the resdshirt back on next year and let Meeks be the backup. I saw a lot of promise in Phillips, but I am not ready to deviate from the plan. I certainly believe that if Phillips is going to be a backup, you put the redshirt on. Phillips starts or he redshirts-period.

Keep in mind that Phillips wasn't even the QB for the scout team the first 6 games. I don't know what he was doing but he wasn't throwing passes (I think he was a wideout). A year of running the scout team offense might do him a lot of good. keep in mind, the scout team QB will get more throws in that way than the backup QB.

It kills me to say all this because I loved watching Phillips play this year. I defer to Bennett's judgment on this call. Few, if any, of us have seen these JuCo QBs (or Meeks) play.

[Uncle Morty]

Wait, you're saying that Phillips wasnt even the scout team QB, and then Bennett named him the starter for the rest of the year out of nowhere?

[Dooby]

Originally posted by Uncle Morty:
Wait, you're saying that Phillips wasnt even the scout team QB, and then Bennett named him the starter for the rest of the year out of nowhere?

Others, I am sure, know more, but crazy as that sounds, that is my understanding.

Pure speculation follows:
I think Bennett was contemplating this move earlier in the season tahn when it was made and looked at both Meeks and Phillips. He concluded Phillips was more "ready" (given the O-line situation, that probably meant least likely to be killed). When the Bartel thing happened, he decided the move had to be made. So was it completelu out of nowhere? I don't think so. But I am sure I heard that Phillips was not running the scout team to start the season.

Of course, someone could come on and tell me I have it all wrong and I can't say they are not right.

[Hoop Fan]

What rock did you crawl out from under Morty? You just become an SMU fan this morning or something? Bartel blew it. Wallis never had it. Phillips was raw, but mobile, and the only choice once Bartel left due to his love of intramurals.

[Uncle Morty]

First of all my rock is none of your damn business junior, keep your nose out! Second, I've been around SMU since before you were born. and Third, if Bennett had any plans to play Phillips at QB, he should have taken a few snaps in practice before being declared the starter. He's lucky this one didnt blow up in his face. It doesnt matter what Bartel or Wallis did or didnt do, if Phillips was anywhere in the QB plans, he should have gotten some snaps in practice.

Why was Phillips the only choice? What about Meeks and Ashton Nixon, or whoever the scout team QB was? This makes zero sense no matter how you try to spin it, and its a miracle that it didnt turn into a flop.