Smith vs Chriss. Who’s QB1?

Cougar Football
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Here we go! It’s about that time y’all, Spring Game next Saturday!

Thought I’d do a little write up about our potential QB1. Donovan Smith or Zeon Chriss? Why either guy could win. I want to focus more on the positives side but will talk a bit about the areas of improvement each need to work on and why it might lead to the other winning the job. Sorry in advance this is going to be a long one :sweat_smile: had a lot to say.

Zeon Chriss QB1?

  • Played two seasons at Louisiana (2022-23)
  • Appeared in 12 games
  • Completed 111 of 168 passes for 12 TDs and 1,331 yards
  • Completed 66% of passes and averaged 110.9 passing per game
  • Rushed for six touchdowns – all coming during 2023 season
  • During 2023, completed 102 of 153 passes for 1,222 yards

The argument for Zeon Chriss will be two things. One he’s got a head start on smith(injured), and two, his ceiling. Starting with the first one, it is no small thing that Smith is not able to fully participate in spring practice. Even though Smith can still do everything but throw. Those live reps and building chemistry with the OL and skill positions is very important. Chris gets a big head start taking all of the first team reps in the spring.

Moving on to play ability, Reason #2: Chriss is ELECTRIC! The only player I can really compare him to is Lamar Jackson. No I’m not saying he will win the Heisman or future nfl MVPs. But he has that same mold. He’s super fast and quick, he can take it to the house at any moments with his legs. His running ability is what can separate him from Smith. I know Smith very mobile and good with his legs but not like this.
https://x.com/chrismoxley19/status/1705760057097592945?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ
It’s a game changer for Chriss. You have to game plan for another offensive element when he’s on the field. You look at Chriss’ stats and say 1200 yards 11tds 5TOs in 6 starts is decent but is it big12 championship good? Well with a guy like Chriss you have to account for the ground game.

  • 79.3 rush grade (PFF) ranked 17th nationally among quarterbacks
  • Rushed for 492 yards (61.5 per game; 6.7 per carry) and six touchdowns
  • One of three FBS QBs with 5+ rushing TDs, 450+ rushing yards and 6.5 yards per carry
  • 6.7 yards per carry ranked second in FBS among quarterbacks (min. 50 attempts)

500 yards rushing and 6 TDs on the ground, now you are talking about a 1700 yard 17 TDs 5 int in 6 starts as a freshman? Thats about 280 yards and almost 3 TDs a start, that is really impressive and that’s schools like South Carolina, TCU, and UCF wanted him.

Passing wise Chriss has an absolute Canon. He can really sling it. A lot of why I compared him to Lamar is because of his arm strength. They even have that same flick of the wrist for better or worse. Like Lamar early Chriss does have a problem staying in the pocket and going through progressions, also like early Lamar, Chriss throwing motion(that wrist flick) can lead to some inaccuracies in the short and medium game. But for some reason they can throw the most beautiful deep ball you have ever seen 60 yards down field lol.

https://x.com/fraryandsmith/status/1711428029874950547?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ
https://x.com/miguezmatt/status/1644146867872096256?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ
https://x.com/ragincajunsfb/status/1718382233625497804?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ
https://x.com/fraryandsmith/status/1720885326883795127?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ

  • One of 22 QBs to complete 75% of passes alongside 3 passing TDs, one rushing TD and no interceptions in a game (Oct. 7 vs. Texas State)
  • Over his final four games: 52 of 79 (65.8%) for 627 yards with nine total TDs and 1 INT
  • One of 8 QBs to complete 70% of passes (min. 20 attempts) while throwing for 150 yards and rushing for 100 yards (Sept. 16 at UAB)
  • One of 7 QBs to complete 20 passes, post a 75% completion rate, rushing for two TDs and pass for 225 yards (Sept. 23 vs. Buffalo)

https://x.com/statsowar/status/1762973203050451158?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ
Chriss lead all G5 QBs in downhill completion rate.
https://x.com/cfbfilmroom/status/1747318031611519353?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ

In conclusion for Zeon Chriss. If you told me that his mind has grown and caught up with his body and talent. Then I could 100% see him being our QB1 opening day and leading us to a really nice season. Chriss just has to continue to grow, he has all the talent in the world, I just think it’s a matter of when not if.

Donovan Smith QB1?

No need for an intro, you are all very familiar with Smith by now. I know Smith, like early Tune is a very sensitive subject on this board haha. Some of you don’t want him at all, some think he’s just average, some really like him. I really don’t know the general consensus on how coog fans feel about Smith. I just know it feels very similar to the early days of Tune.

I know I have said this before but they just feel so similar. Now whether or not Smith ends up as good as Tune is tbd. But like early Tune Smith is very inconsistent. it’s always up or down, 1 good half one bad half, 1 good drive one bad drive. Cant seem to put its all together, BUT you know it’s there. That’s the big advantage Smith has over Chriss is that we have seen him do it before, at a REALLY high level. A lot of Smiths best games aren’t just really solid games against G5 opponents like Chriss, they are elite games against P5 schools and he looks like an NFL QB. For Smith it’s about keeping those highs up and getting rid of those terrible lows he has. QB coach Bell said Smith was a big reason he came here. There are a lot of guys who believe in smith, they see what he can become.

Highs:

  • 64.5 completion % ranked third in Big 12
  • Fourth in Big 12 in completions per game (21.33) and passing TDs (22)
  • 14.7 points responsible for per game ranked 24th nationally
  • Seven games with 20+ completions
  • One of eight Power 5 QBs with 250+ completions, 2,500+ passing yards, 20+ passing TDs and 5+ rushing TDs
  • One of four UH QBs (Case Keenum, Clayton Tune and Greg Ward Jr.) in last 20 years with 250+ completions, 2,500+ passing yards, 20+ passing touchdowns and 5+ rushing scores in a single season
  • Six games with 20+ completions, 225+ passing yards and 2+ passing touchdowns were tied for fifth-most among Power 5 quarterbacks
  • Four games with a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown ranked 16th most among Power 5 quarterbacks
    Clutch gene
    https://x.com/tcobernrrs/status/1712659351289094164?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ

https://x.com/rollin_raiders/status/1568778328852631555?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ

https://x.com/big12conference/status/1720942292284915967?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ

https://x.com/redraidernation/status/1568803719642218500?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ

When he’s decisive he’s really good

https://x.com/big12conference/status/1715849751264985427?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ

https://x.com/cfbonfox/status/1723499595685130681?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ

Big time throws!

https://x.com/big12conference/status/1723503804702728422?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ

https://x.com/uhcougarfb/status/1715850837363151272?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ

https://x.com/uhcougarfb/status/1725993855873401027?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ

https://x.com/uhcougarfb/status/1715842973949165710?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ

https://x.com/uhcougarfb/status/1705757340509598052?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ

https://x.com/uhcougarfb/status/1720900892658921522?s=46&t=vr92CENP84_1akCtfW3ehQ

In conclusion for Smith, like I said earlier, it’s about making the lows disappear. Get him to a point where we know he’s AT LEAST not hurting the team. I hope Fritz and bell are the guys to get him to be more consistent. It’s starts with the mechanics. Smith has got to be more disciplined with his mechanics. A lot of you think it’s about him being inaccurate, but we have seen smith make every throw, so we know he can do it. But if you watch the tape most of Smith inaccuracy issues are when he isn’t being disciplined with his mechanics. Throwing side armed or off his back foot. Not squaring up. His talent can only take him so far, this ain’t high school.

I think Smith would excel in an offense like Fritz. Run first ground and pound. Likes to use QB designed runs. A lot of play action and quick decisions looks. Loves that “run run run then play action and deep shot”. Doesn’t have to stand in the pocket and go through a lot of reads. Fritz’s loves fast WRs and he wants to get the ball out quick, simplify the game. That’s what will help Smith the most.

My overall prediction is that Smith wins out. Even tho Chriss gets the head start, I think smith will be just as caught up to speed with the play book, and he already has built a chemistry with most of the offense. I think his experience will win out, and I trust Fritz’s with him to deliver a really nice year. I think Chriss will still play this year in special packages and has a chance to be the QB next in line. (Might be a Howard/Johnson situation like at KSU)

Let me know what you think! #GoCoogs

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Well Done Sir.

Whatever his faults Smith a handful when just running forward over guys w no delay.
Need that to win the close ones & should be his only called running plays.

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Yeah, I think Smith wins the job, but he has to make better decisions. if we have a losing record halfway or more through the season, I could see Fritz making a change.

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Donovan wins. The talent is there he just has to put it all together. I expect this offense to be more simple for Smith. Last year with Dana it felt like it would take 2-3 years for the QBs to get the offense down & being able to grasp the pre snap portion of it. More emphasis on running the ball allows more 1 on 1 coverage if defenders bite down which will help smith.

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How well he will be able to throw in the fall camp will what we will be watching very closely. The thing about shoulder injuries and surgery is you never really know how things will turn out. Two people with same physical makeup, same injury, same surgery, same recovery routine can have very different outcomes when it comes time to actually test it with real action throwing.

I also wonder about Smith and how quick his decision making under fire will be. This will be a new system for all QB candidates, so in that regard they are all on equal footing. Smith seemed slow in his decision making last season, but I wonder how much of that is his mental processing ability and how much was the complexity of Holgorsen’s system. I wonder how different and complex the system CWF will employ will be and how much it will tax the processing time of the various players.

I would love to see what the depth chart for QB’s looks like now with all of the QBs. It may have a big impact on who will hit the portal after this spring.

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Smith will come back from his surgery. Fritz gets a good look at Chriss and the other QBs during spring. I figure Fritz has plenty of film on Smith. IMO, a lot of Smith’s troubles came from the “clipboard guy” (alleged OC) and CDH’s sloth offense which was as predictable as sunrise and sunset. It will be great to see how Smith responds to the new staff and philosophy. I think Smith will start and he’ll have to play himself out of it.

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Really good report….top notch.

The clip where Chriss throws it 55 yards with the flick of the wrist is next level.

I think it’s a toss up.

Without the injury it’s Smith as QB 1, but this has given Chriss some time to play catch up and at least give himself an opportunity at the starting job.

I think it comes down to who looks sharper the last week or two before the opener.

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Great analysis!!

I,too, think that Smith is our starter.

We could have a season like 1979 where the starter is frequently replaced by the backup, who then engineers the willing TD drive. :football:

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Smith — 4 total wins last year. I’ve seen enough! Time to give somebody else a try! Just imagine the Texans have the same mindset to sticking with Davis Mills last year then we would never get to see how great CJ Stroud is!

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Smith is a lot like former Texans QB - Brock Osweiler. Great size and height and all the hype in the world, but the processing ability, running speed, and accuracy don’t live up to the hype. He’s not bad, he’s just average. We need an above average QB!

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Also something else to note. Smith got significantly worse after his injury. Dana said he got hurt during Texas game.

Smith through first 7 games before injury:
1,978 passing yards 16 TDs 4ints

Smith last 5 games after injury:
822 passing yard 6 TDs 9 ints

And the schedule actually got easier. We had Baylor, Cincy and UCF in that stretch. I think a lot of people are way too low on smith. In the middle of the year people were talking about how much he improved and how he was playing like one of the better QBs in the big12. Then he just played so poorly after his injury, he wasn’t even turning the ball over before he got hurt.

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He has so much talent man. Dudes like him don’t grown on trees. You said earlier this year that we paid a pretty penny for him and you weren’t wrong. He has that IT factor

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I’m going with Chriss. No reason other than I can’t get the imaginary image of smith driving into the lane and pump faking about 37 times out of my head.

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Whomever proves most accurate.

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I predict Smith wins the job and has a great season as this team’s leader.

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…after his injury… key words here.

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He had the ‘IT’ factor and played @ Louisiana? OK.

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Will depend on how the recovery from the surgery goes. From there getting his accuracy and timing down. Do we know when he can start throwing? And not soft toss, really letting a throw go.

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I’ve always been of the mind that ties go to upperclassman, but there are really very few ties. However, when reconsidering, if they are tied, giving the underclassman more experience may be best for the long run. But they pay someone else to make those decisions.

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Season starts off with Smith, by the end of the year it will be Chriss.

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