Potential Starting Quarterbacks for Kentucky Wildcats in 2010

The Kentucky Wildcats football program does not have the best in-conference record over the past 15 years. As a matter of fact, they have the second lowest winning percentage against SEC opponents during that time. However, one thing Kentucky has done is attract and develop NFL talent at the quarterback position. Ever since the ‘Air Raid’ days of Hal Mumme in the late 90’s, Kentucky has been blessed with stability and talent at that important position. It began with Tim Couch, then the hefty lefty, Jared Lorenzen, came to town. After that was Andre Woodson. All three of these men were multiple year starters and NFL-caliber talents. In this long article, we dive into the discussion of what to expect during the 2010 season for Kentucky’s quarterback position.

Joker Phillips, the head coach at Kentucky, had a recent interview during the SEC Media Days, and he commented on the Wildcats’ ability to attract talent at that position:

What you’re seeing in the high school ranks, you’re seeing more athletic quarterbacks. You’re not seeing a lot of the pro-style quarterbacks. High school programs are using the spread, and therefore the type of quarterbacks that are out there that are pro-style, which is what — we are not a two-back pro-style offense. We are more of a one-back spread pro-style offense. There’s not a lot of those type of quarterbacks.

We’ve been able to attract those types of quarterbacks because of the style we play. We’re not a big zone-read team, which you need more of an athletic quarterback. We’re more of a hard play-action, let the runningback be the guy that gets you the yardage on the ground.

The very next question in the interview addressed the importance of the quarterback position and the need to have a play-making QB. Here is Joker’s response:

It’s important to have play-makers. You know, if you look at 2007, we were one of the top offenses in this league, we had a play-maker at every position. Play-maker, two or three at receiver, the number one tight end, a back that was a really good player in this league, a quarterback that could make plays. It’s important to have play-makers.

We feel like we got two dynamic players. We feel that there’s a couple other guys that are close to being those type of players that we had in 2007.

It’s important that your quarterback now — we are three years removed from Andre’ Woodson, so it’s important that our quarterbacks are winning games for us instead of just managing games. That’s what’s happened the last couple years.

Our quarterback situation, we use it as a positive because we got two quarterbacks that have won in this league. One was a true freshman last year that won on the road at some tough places that Kentucky hasn’t won in a long time. We feel like we have two guys that can win in this league. We have a really talented freshman that is just excited about competing against those guys.

Somebody asked earlier about Andre’ Woodson separated himself in his year in the summer. Did any of our quarterbacks this year separate? The thing we had in that year of Andre’ Woodson, he separated himself because we didn’t think the backup quarterback was competing as hard. This year, all three of those guys are competing. I don’t see the separation being as drastic as it was in 2006.

I think Kentucky cannot go wrong with any of these quarterbacks. All three could be successful in leading Kentucky this year. Let’s turn to some of the major Kentucky blogs to get their insights on the quarterback competition.

First, from this article on A Sea Of Blue (whom I had the opportunity to interview a few weeks ago) we learn more about the challenge of selecting the starting quarterback and how Mossakowski has made up ground in the competition:

In his first season as “The Man,” Phillips though, finds himself facing more than a few challenges. The most glaring being which player will gain separation from his teammates in the race for the starting quarterback position. With senior Mike Hartline (802 passing yards in ’09; 6 TD’s), sophomore Morgan Newton (706 yards passing; 6 TD’s), and redshirt freshman Ryan Mossakowski neck-and-neck, heading toward a photo-finish in a fight to take starting snaps under center, Phillips’ starting nod resolution might be the most crucial decision he makes this year.

I must add this one caveat concerning the quarterback challenge: I’m very impressed with Mossakowski’s ability to make-up ground. After missing last season due to a shoulder injury suffered his senior year in high school, Mossakowski is now considered to be even in the race with Morgan Newton, who started eight games last year, and only slightly behind senior Mike Hartline. Impressive indeed, and perhaps indicative of things to come.

Then this article from the Wildcat Blue Blog gives more insight into the problems since Andre Woodson graduated and what can be expected out of Mike Hartline:

Kentucky has seen a sharp decline in QB play since Andre Woodson graduated following the 2007 season, and most of that can be attributed to expected starter Curtis Pulley’s departure from the team just prior to the first game of the 2008 season. Mike Hartline performed admirably a through a tough 2010 campaign and was having a solid year before sustaining an injury against South Carolina. Statistically, this was his best outing to date, and most fans felt as though Kentucky would have probably won the game. Hartline will enter spring practice as the most experienced QB on the roster, but will have to fend off two of the most heralded recruits Kentucky has brought to Lexington in recent memory. Hartline may not have the physical tools Newton or Mossakowski possess, but he has moxie which can be just as important. Many people forget that Hartline was in a heated competition with Pulley before his dismissal, so he can definitely play. What he lacks in arm strength, he makes up for in experience, knowledge of the offense, and decision making. Counting him out of the QB competition would be extremely premature, and he could be considered the favorite to win the job if he is fully recovered from his injury.

Next, from this article by Larry Vaught, we read that even players on the Kentucky team are not certain who will start at QB:

Kentucky redshirt freshman tight end Jordan Aumiller insists he has no better idea than any UK fan about who might be the starting quarterback next season.

“It’s such a whole different level to be a starting quarterback in the SEC versus in high school,” Aumiller said. “There is so much more to learn and so much more at stake. Your skill set has to be so good. In high school, if you can just throw okay, you can play quarterback.

“In college, you have to not only know every route, but you have to know what your linemen are doing, what the defensive linemen are doing and what coverage the defense is in. It’s a lot more technical and that means so much more goes into evaluating who the starting quarterback will be. But they are all good players. That’s the good thing for our team.”
Aumiller says all three of the quarterbacks — Mike Hartline, Morgan Newton and Ryan Mossakowski — have strong points.

“Newton, I think he is the most athletic out of all of them, and everybody knows that,” Aumiller said. “He has the biggest arm but I think he can still work on his short game and some little things.

“Him and Mossakowski still have a lot to learn compared to Hartline. I think Hartline is the best leader.

“Mossakowski is good at short passes and throws with a lot of touch. He’s probably the most quiet out of the bunch. Morgan and Hartline kind of overshadowed him last year, so he has kind of been quiet. It will be interesting to see if Hartline gets the starting job or not and how this all ends up playing out. Players probably are not as concerned as the fans, though, because we have confidence in them all.”

I also enjoyed this article from Wildcats Thunder Blog, which discussed the factors of being a successful quarterback:

Experience

Experience plays a big factor in to being a successful D1 shot caller. The quarterback has to be used to the speed of the game which is completely different and much faster than all other levels of play, with the obvious exception of the NFL. Senior Mike Hartline has the obvious upper hand in this area by being the starter as a sophomore in the 2008 season and taking half the snaps as a junior in 2009 alongside true freshman Morgan Newton.

Football IQ

The quarterback must be able to ready the opposing teams defense pre-snap and during duration of the play to make good decisions. They must be able to pick up on the defense’s tendencies, read blitzes, read coverages and find holes in zone defenses, know the mismatches outside, know when to audible out of the current play based on the defense’s alignment and front, etc.

One obtains this vast knowledge by years of experience, film study and scouting report on the opponents tendencies and blitz packages, and practice. Having a good football IQ and being able to read the defense will translate into good decisions throwing the ball down field and audible out of the original play to a different pass play or even a running play to obtain yards based on the alignment tendencies of the defense.

Athleticism

A D-1 quarterback has to be able to make things happen when things do not go his way due to a blitz breaking through his protection or even just his protection breaking down on a 4 man rush. Morgan Newton has the obvious upper hand in this area over Hartline and Mossakowski. Newton can scramble and make things happen with his arm, and also tuck the ball away and make things happen with his legs.

The War

Joker Phillips has given this seasons Kentucky team a military theme and rightfully so with the war going on to become the Wildcats General under center. Kentucky fans be prepared to see 3 different quarterbacks during the course of the 2010 season.

And in conclusion, we read an in-depth analysis from this article on Kentucky Sports Radio of the three candidates and what they expect from the quarterback position in the 2010 season:

Mike Hartline: 6-6, 206 Sr. Canton, OH (Glen Oak)
With his long, lean frame, it’s only natural that the senior quarterback has become such a lightning rod for Kentucky fans in his time with the Cats. Hartline is far and away the most experienced player in the quarterback derby, as he enters fall camp for the 5th time, and has 21 games under his belt. Hartline has had his moments. He was named the most outstanding player in the Cats’ 2008 Liberty Bowl victory over East Carolina. He also provided Kentucky’s lone win over the always delightful Bobby Petrino, with two 4th quarter touchdowns against Arkansas in 2008. But Hartline has also been inconsistent. His career interceptions surpass his career touchdown passes. (16 to 15.) And with his age and level of experience, one has to wonder if he has already maximized his ability, while the younger competitors have significantly higher ceilings.

Morgan Newton: 6-4, 235 So. Carmel, IN (Carmel)
It would have been nearly inconceivable to any football prognosticator to look ahead at Kentucky’s 2009 season and forecast that true freshman Morgan Newton would start eight games, would go 5 and 3 and would win 3 SEC road games, including starts at Auburn and at Georgia. It would have been entirely inconceivable (you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means) to learn that all of that occurred, and that Newton may not start the opener in 2010. Yet Newton struggled with his passing accuracy in costly late season losses, and in the Music City Bowl loss to perpetual Kentucky Bowl opponent Clemson. Newton was asked to do very little last season as the Cats went über-conservative in his starts. Yet his numbers were respectable for a true freshman. (Check the freshman numbers of Tim Couch and Andre’ Woodson if you disagree.) Newton completed 56% of his passes and threw 6 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions. In fact, his passing efficiency, which I believe is computed through a joint effort of NASA & MIT, is actually slightly superior to Hartline’s. 109.7 to 107.5. He also possesses the dual threat element Hartline lacks, having rushed for a net 130 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2009.

Ryan Mossakowski: 6-4, 221 Fr-Rs. Frisco, TX (Centennial)
Mossakowski is considered to be one of the more naturally gifted quarterbacks Kentucky has seen in many years. Despite a severe high school shoulder injury, he is blessed with a powerful arm. Like Newton, Mossakowski was a high school All-American who put up amazing numbers. For his career at Centennial High School, Mossakowski threw for 7,433 yards and 51 touchdowns. This was despite missing half of his senior season. Not limited to being strictly a pocket passer, Mossakowski also ran for 20 touchdowns in his prep career. Still, he had an up and down spring, and must dramatically increase the speed with which he makes decisions in the pocket, a limitation that is standard for young quarterbacks in major college football.

ANALYSIS
There’s no question that Joker Phillips would love to have an established quarterback with a death grip on the position entering the fall. That said, Kentucky’s quarterback situation is not as dire as the naysayers would have you believe. Hartline has limitations, but is a seasoned veteran who has won more games than he’s lost at Kentucky. Morgan Newton thrived in a season in which he was unfairly thrown to the wolves before truly learning how to play quarterback at the Division 1 level, and ended up on the coach’s 2009 SEC All Freshman Team. Mossakowski is a tremendous talent who was given the benefit of a redshirt year to fully absorb the offense and completely heal. The Cats also have the safety net of multi-talented stud Randall Cobb, who will certainly take multiple snaps at quarterback out of Kentucky’s Wild-Cobb formation.

So who will it be? It depends on the question you’re asking. Hartline may well start the Louisville game. There is no doubt that he knows the offense and can “manage the game” with more effectiveness than this challengers. He’s also 2-0 as a starter vs. the Cards. But Hartline’s arm strength, or lack thereof, reveals itself against top level competition. In his career against non-conference foes, Hartline’s numbers look very impressive. 62% completions, 7 TDs, 3 interceptions. Against SEC teams, however, those numbers look much more pedestrian. 52% completions, 8 TDs, 12 interceptions. I believe that this is because SEC defenses know Hartline cannot beat them deep, and thus they take away his short passing game and stymie the Cats’ passing attack. I truly believe Joker desires a wide open passing game, and Hartline will not ultimately give him the rifleman he needs at the position.

Mossakowski will be the favorite of the drunk guy who sits behind you in the stadium. That guy always likes the new guy because he hasn’t seen him screw up yet. He also read about Moss on the message board and heard he could throw a pigskin over them mountains Uncle Rico style. I, too, think he may be great some day, but he will not be a major factor this season barring injury.

Ultimately, I think the guy who gets the lion’s share of the reps will be Newton. Of course, he has the size, athleticism and pedigree. But more than anything, he has the non-quantifiable winning presence you need at quarterback. This same presence that led his high school team to multiple state titles led the Cats to historic road wins in Athens and Auburn. Obviously, he must improve his accuracy, but what true freshman major college quarterback doesn’t? If Kentucky is to exceed expectations, it must be Newton who gets them there.

There’s a lot of information in this long article. I hope you enjoy the depth of analysis on this topic from all those great blogs that follow the Kentucky Wildcats football program.

Share with us your thoughts and who you want to see as the Kentucky QB…