Where exactly does Greg Ward Jr. rank in the Cougar QB pantheon?

It’s probably about time to start thinking about it, given that the kid’s halfway through his senior year.

I’d put him above Case, definitely, but I can’t really judge anyone that came before that because I didn’t see them.

Let’s see him pass Case, K Kolb, D Klingler, Heismann Winner Andre Ware, A.McDonald, Danny Davis, etc. in UH record books before we annoint him King of QB U. There is a VERY impressive list of collegiate qb stars that have worn the Cougar jersey over the decades of AP/UPI top 20 UH teams.

Heisman-Ware
Major bowl win…Ward
I’d rank him second after Ware,

doesn’t have heisman, and Case also had a lot of consideration. Major bowl win is a team achievement. If you give Case Keenum’s offense this current Defense they would have easily done as well. remember Keenum with no defense almost got us an undefeated season.

I was not around UH or familiar with the QBs of the 70s.

So in the last 30 years I would have Andre at the top, the Heisman will do that.

Though he doesn’t have a conference championship Case is second, he is the all time passing leader, but playing 6 seasons helps.

Kolb in third as he has a conference championship.

Klingler in 4th.

At the moment I would rank Ward nipping at Cases heels. Ward will never break Case’s passing but if he were to win another conference title and NY6 bowl he will clearly be in 2nd.

To overtake Andre, Ward would have to:

  1. win the Heisman
    Or
  2. win a CFP game.

Having grown up in the R&S days and seeing all of skill/Keenum, This is tough.

I love Andre, I’ll continue to say Wayne Fontes ruined his career in Detroit, and will never say a bad word about what he did at Houston. However, realize that if Andre had that same season today, he wouldn’t even be invited to NYC. The idea of “system” QBs really hadn’t been established yet (took off after Ty Detmer won his Heisman); fair or not (it wouldn’t be fair), the writers would label him a product of the R&S today. He also wasn’t on TV that entire season due to punishments; again, in today’s CFB, you need a statement performance on national TV to get a shot. Lastly, we went 9-2 and were about middle of the Top 25; these days, you have to be top 10 to get a sniff.

I love David Klingler as well, but not having that signature bowl win hurts his case and that “subpar” 1991 season (not his fault) puts him behind Andre.

I’d put Kolb ahead of Klingler and just behind Ware. His arrival along with CAB pulled us out of our misery. He was a tough competitor who just wouldn’t give up and was the only one of the 4 (Keenum, Ware, Klingler) to win a conference title, but didn’t have that bowl win.

Give me Case #1. He did it longer than the other guys, holds tons of records, got to 2 conference title games, won 2 bowl games (the other 3 combined for zero), got a stadium built, stoked fan interest, represented the Coogs well on and off the field, has had the best NFL career so far, and is the shining example of what a Coogs are - nobody ever gave Case anything, he just wanted it more.

Ward is the best 2-way QB we’ve ever had. I think Danny Davis is the only UH QB to win 2 conference titles, but I don’t think he was the passer or runner that Greg was. He’s also 23-2 as a starter right now and has wins over Pitt, FSU, and OU. I’ve never seen a guy with the vision that Ward has when he runs and his passing this year is on point. I think he’s tied with Ware right now. If he wins a conference title this year, he’s a clear #2 in my book. If he wins the Heisman and/or gets us to the playoffs or even wins another NY6, he’s #1.

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Its like comparing apples, oranges, grapefruit, and melons when comparing the veer, air raid, run & shoot, and option read offenses and also the various QB’s.

To me Danny Davis was as good as any we’ve had, two SWC conference championships and Cotton Bowl win over #4 Maryland. He didn’t throw much in the veer – but he could have.

Andre Ware and the R&S put up some great wins and won Heisman Trophy; tough to top that. He was recruited to run the veer; I wonder how he would have done in the current offense with the current defense. Pretty good I’d say.

Case and the air raid put up all kinds of records that will last a while – and had an undefeated regular season.

Greg Ward is great in this offense and is tough – really tough. Can’t say enough about the kid.

So, which of your children do you love more than the others? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

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Danny Davis has to be up there near the top as well.

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Lol…i love my youngest more than my oldest but dont tell him.

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Every NCAA passing record- Case. We aren’t talking about best team. So wins aren’t very important in the argument. Case never played with a great defense. Ward is playing with a top ten defense last year and the number one rush defense this year.

Case is second, he is the all time passing leader, but playing 6 seasons helps."
You can’t play 6 seasons. He had a redshirt and a medical redshirt. He played four seasons.

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Sorry. Case did NOT play 6 seasons. That’s the excuse that all the stat haters provide. He was also not given a ton of respect due to the conference we played in. Otherwise he would have been in NY as a legit Heisman contender.

I saw from the mid 80s on and would call it as follows:

  1. Case
  2. Andre
  3. Kilingler
  4. Ward
  5. Kolb

Until this season is over, I hesitate to move Ward up for 2 reasons:

  1. Our D is potentially the best in our history. At a minimum since the 70s. Since the 70s, we haven’t had a team built around defense until now and that helps make it that much easier for the offense.

  2. Regardless of the other night, I hesitate to move Ward higher. He was outstanding throwing the other night but he still has plenty of room for improvement there when it comes to consistency.

All that being said, this is a silly argument to have. you can’t complain about any of them. It’s a ridiculous abundancy of wealth.

It is impossible to compare but it is an interesting way to retrospect through the ages. Every QB mentioned was their best in their time. Keep in mind that there is a common denominator in all of our dominant Qb’s. We were/are always playing against the odds. In the early SWC days uta and atm always tried to slow us down. Just note that these probations were “precisely” timed from uta, atm and the ncaa. That culminated with Andre winning the Heisman even though he was NOT on tv. Just imagine if that team had the recruits they wanted. The same can be said about David. I will argue that without the probation we would have been a National Champion contender for many years. Just ask yourself how many National titles Mr. Yeoman or Pardee could have won without these probations. We will never know. That is the most frustrating part.
Kevin, Case and now Greg play(ed) in G5 conference but again they excel at their position. I just wish that Greg had an extra year. I have mentioned it he is far exceeding my expectations and looks as if he has a ton of progression ahead of him and the NFL given the right team is not a so distant option. Now the transition to the NFL is very deceiving. The NFL tells everyone that it is the most advanced sports league in the World. I will argue that this is complete bogus. Just look at the so called experts and the actual success in the NFL. I have mentioned it many times. 95% of NFL Coaches make the same mistakes over and over again and…they get fired. They pick a QB thinking they can “mold” them to THEIR playing concepts. Bill Walsh, imo best NFL Coach of all time personifies my example. He picked Joe Montana for the way he was playing at Notre Dame. He saw in him because of his QB style and what made him successful in College the perfect QB to play his system. He did not try to change Joe. He perfected him. Patrick brings Andre and the Lions. Fontes not only ruined Andre’s career but more importantly he made him doubt/question himself. Just think for a minute if Andre had played for the Oilers with Mr. Pardee at the helm? That is right Moon is in the HOF. Mr. Pardee saw Moon as the perfect QB for his system because of the ways he played. Let’s just see how many NFL Coaches this year will get fired because they “ruined” another QB?
Let’s look at Case. How many teams have used him in an offense that made him great at UH? None, that is pure insanity. Why won’t you use a hurry up offense with him? The Rams had the entire off season to build an offense around it. Goff played a hurry up & spread offense. Gurley? He would love to play in that system. Case excelled at it in School? Again and again pure insanity. I will also add and that is crucial for any QB they need a dominant OL/Schemes. How many NFL teams make it a priority? Many say they do but how do they manage the salary cap with that vision in mind? Belicheatcheatchik is a master at it.

Nonsense.

If Ward wins another conference championship this year, imo he has to be in the top 3.

Ward still has room to grow as a college QB.
This is a question to revisit after the postseason.
He isn’t the best ever yet, however right here, right now, he is the man for our time.

QBs are leaders, so for me, it is about wins, conference championships, and bowl wins.

  1. Danny Davis; 2 X SWC Champ and Cotton Bowl Champ (should have two Cotton Bowls ND), #4 & #10 AP poll finish, and 23-10 as a starter.

  2. Case Keenum; 2 X CUSA Champ appearances, 2-2 in bowl wins, a 40-15 record and a #18 finish. All time leader in major statistical categories and 2nd team AA.

T-3) Kevin Kolb (a very close 3rd - Keenum’s record and stats are the only reason he is higher); 1 X CUSA Champ, 0-3 in bowl games, and 26-24 as a starter.

T-3) Andre Ware; Heisman Trophy #18 AP and #14 AP finishes, 0-1 in bowls, 18-5 record.

Greg Ward Jr is not done, but…

He already is 1 X AAC Conf Champ, 2-0 in bowl games (1-0 in major bowls), 23-2 as a starter, #8 AP poll finish, and has set the record for rushing TDs by a UH QB. If he wins another conference championship, another major bowl game, and finishes in the top 3 of Heisman voting; he will be the greatest in UH history. If he wins a National Champioship, you can’t even argue it.

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“If HE wins a national championship.” HE isn’t winning anything. THEY are. Team sport. The guys around you make a huge difference.

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  1. Ware, because of the hardware

  2. Keenum because he was a cold as ice comeback king who absorbed that offense and willed that team to win after win at a time when our lack of defense meant every single possession was a must score possession… oh and he was napalm to the record books.

  3. Ward for the big game dominance. I’m not sure a QB has performed better on big stages at UH. Maybe you older guys can argue that. Also, he was forced to absorb a complicated offense and purge Levine staff habits insanely fast. All bets are off if we take home another major bowl ring with Ward at the helm.

Don’t be a douche. You know what I mean.

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