Film Study: How the Aggies should take advantage of Kyler Murray's Braxton Miller-like skill set

How’s this for rich people problems?

Texas A&M University appears to print quarterbacks. Better yet, head man Kevin Sumlin has to have some secret lab where he develops them similar to the villain in that move Ex Machina, or something. So much so that we’re barely one season removed from some of the most exciting QB play we’ve ever seen in our great Southeastern Conference, when former Aggie QB Johnny Manziel dazzled with his brand of parking-lot football, and it seems as though they’ve introduced about 10 solid prospects in his stead.

Just this time last season the Aggies had the most talked about player in the country at the position in Kenny Hill after he debuted with a 44-of-60, 511-yard performance which was capped off with three touchdowns. But in typical we-have-a-secret-lab fashion, they were able to eventually let him collect splinters in his butt — despite him generating 23 TDs opposed to eight interceptions with a 66.7 percent completion rate — before he decided to turn on the Aggies just like how it happened in that movie. (You gotta see that movie, folks!)

But it’s easy to let someone go when your fetus concoction happened to be the No. 1-ranked QB, top-10 overall, in the country according to the reputable 247sports recruiting service, Kyle Allen. The 6’3″, 205-pound Allen immediately caught my eye when he got the call for a suspended Hill behind his arm talent, moxie and poise. And when offensive coordinator Jake Spavital recently compared him to the QB of my hometown Atlanta Falcons, Matt Ryan, I almost fell out my chair as I had been searching for a comparison for Allen for quite some time, and it was right on the wall of my office.

“I was talking to some NFL scouts just recently, and they all look at him as kind of as Ryan out of Boston College,” Spavital said (h/t to TexAgs.com). “He’s very consistent, he can make all of the throws, very accurate, very live arm. He’s got enough mobility to make things happen and scramble for a first down or a touchdown. You saw that in the bowl game, I ran him about four or five times, he got some decent yards on it and actually scored a touchdown.”

Now understand this: I’ve been a huge Ryan supporter since those BC days where I proclaimed his ability to deal from within the pocket and throw on the run would make him an eventual No. 1-overall pick. (Although he actually went second to my Falcons.)

While I need to see a lot more throws from Allen to formulate an informed opinion, my preliminary thoughts were that he, too, has the makings of a top-five draft selection and was in the perfect offense to show such as Sumlin’s modernized version of the Air Raid system would show off a variety of NFL-type throws when it’s all said and done with. That’s why I was miffed when I heard the Aggies were in play for the nation’s No. 1-ranked dual-threat signal-caller, a mere class removed from Allen, in Kyler Murray.

I became somewhat flabbergasted when insiders claimed Murray had no intentions on taking a redshirt and would be allowed to compete with Allen for the starting gig.

Huh? The SEC’s next great QB, coming off a true freshman season where he threw 16 TDs, seven INTs and completed 62 percent of his passes, could theoretically never see the ball again as a full-time starter in his stint with the Aggies? And when I heard comparisons of Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) and Manziel for Murray, I had to check it out for myself.

And they were right.

The 5’10”, 185-pound Murray was undoubtedly the most electrifying prospect I’ve evaluated and had the arm talent to back it up. And when the pair debuted against Arizona State, in a convincing 38-17 beat down of the Sun Devils, it became apparent that both deserve a chance to shine. But it really dawned on me watching Ohio State put the boots to Virginia Tech on Labor Day: Allen and Murray don’t need to be subbed for one another, they need to both be on the field at the same time.

OSU’s Braxton Miller, formerly the most electrifying QB in the country, reinvented himself as a gadget player which has allowed him to be on the field simultaneously with rocket-armed Cardale Jones. And as much hype as Miller received as a QB, it’s looking like it will continue as OSU finds ways to get the ball in his hands.

Imagine if Miller had gone through with the QB competition and had lost to either Jones or former starter J.T. Barrett? We may have seen him a total of five times in Wildcat situations opposed to him playing most of the contest and having the benefit of being in the flow of the game– like in the above sequence.

As it pertains to Murray and Allen, you get the feeling that having either on the bench for an extended period of time is like spitting in the wind — especially as it pertains to Allen. So why not find ways to get the ball in Murray’s hands via runs, reverses and a multitude of screens?

Just look at this kid in space; he could definitely have a Miller-like impact when you consider the wealth of talent surrounding him on A&M’s offense. How can you possibly key on one player with Josh Reynolds, Speed Noil, Ricky Seals-Jones and Christian Kirk filling out the receiving corps?

This kid has unreal speed and would drive coordinators nuts coming out of the backfield on Tosses, Sweeps and other plays designed to get him in space.

Can you imagine Murray on a Toss Reverse like this one from the St. Louis Rams’ gadget player Tavon Austin? Austin (5’9″, 174 lbs) and Murray are very similar in size and spatial awareness. Having Murray go in motion would send a seismic shift in the defense as a number of things could happen with Allen on the field with Murray.

In my opinion, Allen has the tools to be the next great QB in the SEC and could theoretically keep Murray in a reserve role until the dynamo becomes a senior; why would you not want to use his skill set alongside Allen in a myriad of roles?

It just doesn’t make sense to alternate QBs for the next two or three seasons when you can have the best of both worlds with Allen dealing from the pocket and hitting a wealth of targets that would include Murray.

Murray will always be a threat to throw — like in the above sequence — which would just be another headache for a defensive coordinator to worry about. And let’s not gloss over the commitment of the No. 1-ranked dual-threat QB of the 2017 class, Tate Martell, who has a style very reminiscent of Murray and Manziel.

Someone needs to check the A&M lab for the next QB they are constructing via cell replication.