Love Kay been telling everybody that will listen that he can play in the NFL guy is really good!!!

(11-24-2013 11:35 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  Kay and Pike are the two best UC Quarterbacks of the last decade and probably longer. Their careers are almost mirror images of each other. Both never played a full season with Bearcats. Blame it on injuries, coaching, or bad luck but those are two guys that could have owned the record books if they played more. Pike against Pitt in 2009 and Kay in the Belk Bowl last year proved they had what it takes to make the big play when everything was on the line. True toughness and great Bearcats.

I would throw in Ben Mauk as well (I think he was a transfer from Wake Forest). I remember he had a horrific broken arm injury before coming to UC and he had a visible surgical scar but he played tough for UC. Here's how past UC QBs compare for a few season records (I added Kay's current stats through the Houston game):

Passing Yards Season
1. 3,543 Gino Guidugli (2002)
2. 3,272 Greg Cook (1968)
3. 3,121 Ben Mauk (2007)
4. 2,902 Zach Collaros (2010)
5. 2,831 Danny McCoin (1986)
2,797 Kay (2013)
6. 2,704 Gino Guidugli (2003)
7. 2,633 Gino Guidugli (2004)
8. 2,573 Gino Guidugli (2001)
9. 2,520 Tony Pike (2009)
10. 2,430 Deontey Kenner (1999)

Passing Touchdowns Season
1. 31 Ben Mauk (2007)
2. 29 Tony Pike (2009)
3. 26 Zach Collaros (2010)
26 Gino Guidugli (2004)
5. 25 Greg Cook (1968)
6. 22 Gino Guidugli (2002)
22 Kay (2013)
7. 19 Tony Pike (2008)
8. 17 Danny Barrett (1982)
9. 16 Gino Guidugli (2001)
16 Tom O’Malley (1949)


Passing Completion Percentage Season (Min. 100 Att.)
1. .750 Zach Collaros (2009)
.703 Kay (2013)
2. .642 Danny McCoin (1986)
3. .630 Brendon Kay (2012)
4. .626 Eric Vibberts (1994)
5. .624 Tony Pike (2009)
6. .614 Gino Guidugli (2004)
.614 Tony Pike (2008)
8. .609 Dustin Grutza (2006)
.609 Ben Mauk (2007)
10. .608 Troy Bodine (1983)

(11-24-2013 10:51 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  I can't get passed how Kay looked early in the year. He sailed a ton of passes and just did not look healthy. There was a lot of chatter about him being injured. I think health is probably the main reason he did not win the job from day 1.

Yet they brought him in to run draw plays and QB sneaks in the Purdue game. Which makes zero sense if the kid is hurt.

Seemed like once the staff switched to a wide open offense in the 2nd half of the USF game, the light clicked on for Kay from there on. He did struggle before that under the other system.

Vertical is his strength. Asking him to be an under center game manager in a "power" offense was nuts.

(11-24-2013 03:04 PM)Racinejake Wrote:  Seemed like once the staff switched to a wide open offense in the 2nd half of the USF game, the light clicked on for Kay from there on. He did struggle before that under the other system.

FWIW, a recent SI story featuring Auburn's resurgence had two things of note:

1) Gus Malzahn and staff did not review any of the previous seasons film

2) After Malzahn departed as OC under Chizik, Chizik tried shifting to a power run based offense. Paraphrasing a quote from an opposing coach, he didn't understand why he was switching to a power run offense for a bunch of guys recruited to play in a spread offense.

(11-24-2013 03:04 PM)Racinejake Wrote:  Seemed like once the staff switched to a wide open offense in the 2nd half of the USF game, the light clicked on for Kay from there on. He did struggle before that under the other system.

Could it be that he was still hurting and not ready? I'm just guessing. I know he wasn't ready for the Illinois game.

(11-24-2013 06:39 PM)ctipton Wrote:  

(11-24-2013 03:04 PM)Racinejake Wrote:  Seemed like once the staff switched to a wide open offense in the 2nd half of the USF game, the light clicked on for Kay from there on. He did struggle before that under the other system.

Could it be that he was still hurting and not ready? I'm just guessing. I know he wasn't ready for the Illinois game.

Kay did not start the Illinois game and then the Gran playcalling was still very questionable after Kay came in to replace Munchie.

(11-25-2013 12:16 AM)vabearcat Wrote:  

(11-24-2013 06:39 PM)ctipton Wrote:  

(11-24-2013 03:04 PM)Racinejake Wrote:  Seemed like once the staff switched to a wide open offense in the 2nd half of the USF game, the light clicked on for Kay from there on. He did struggle before that under the other system.

Could it be that he was still hurting and not ready? I'm just guessing. I know he wasn't ready for the Illinois game.

Kay did not start the Illinois game and then the Gran playcalling was still very questionable after Kay came in to replace Munchie.

This may amaze you but I am well aware who started the Illinois game. Or maybe just by happenstance Mr. Legaux was taken off on a stretcher that game? I simply said that Kay wasn't ready for the Illinois game.

Yeah, I would imagine a backup quarterback under a new staff, who was injured enough to not practice all the time, might be a tad unprepared when he gets tossed into a game after an injury to the starter.

It is just a darn shame that this team, with this year's schedule, had to have the combination of a coaching staff change and Kay's injury to start the year.

Can you imagine if Tuberville and this staff had started a year earlier and Kay had been fully healthy?

I feel Switching from power to spread had the same effect for Grutza.

(11-25-2013 07:32 AM)Bruce Monnin Wrote:  Can you imagine if Tuberville and this staff had started a year earlier and Kay had been fully healthy?

I'd like to believe that, if this scenario occurred, Kay would have started from day 1. But I don't think the evidence suggests this assumption is 100% foolproof.

(11-24-2013 11:35 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  Kay and Pike are the two best UC Quarterbacks of the last decade and probably longer. Their careers are almost mirror images of each other. Both never played a full season with Bearcats. Blame it on injuries, coaching, or bad luck but those are two guys that could have owned the record books if they played more. Pike against Pitt in 2009 and Kay in the Belk Bowl last year proved they had what it takes to make the big play when everything was on the line. True toughness and great Bearcats.

The past decade would also include Gino G. and Zach Collaros. Imagine the numbers Gino would have put up playing BK's system? Zach was hurt in both 2010 and 2012. Zach missed on game in 2010 (Syracuse) but played signficantly injured in every game after USF that year. His broken ankle at the WVU game is very documented.

We had some great QB's this past decade.

(11-25-2013 08:28 AM)JPBearcat3 Wrote:  

(11-25-2013 07:32 AM)Bruce Monnin Wrote:  Can you imagine if Tuberville and this staff had started a year earlier and Kay had been fully healthy?

I'd like to believe that, if this scenario occurred, Kay would have started from day 1. But I don't think the evidence suggests this assumption is 100% foolproof.

Forget an extra year...can you imagine how differently Illinois and USF may have gone if we had actually installed this spread offense in the spring and at Higher Ground rather than the power offense dreck that they wised up and discarded after going to Oxford and Tampa and looking like Don Treadwell was back in C Paw gear?

This spread has been installed on the fly this season. They have done a great job with it. Unless next year's QBs are incapable of running this offense, if we go back to the pie in the sky power game, these guys need to be drug tested.

(11-25-2013 09:19 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(11-25-2013 08:28 AM)JPBearcat3 Wrote:  

(11-25-2013 07:32 AM)Bruce Monnin Wrote:  Can you imagine if Tuberville and this staff had started a year earlier and Kay had been fully healthy?

I'd like to believe that, if this scenario occurred, Kay would have started from day 1. But I don't think the evidence suggests this assumption is 100% foolproof.

Forget an extra year...can you imagine how differently Illinois and USF may have gone if we had actually installed this spread offense in the spring and at Higher Ground rather than the power offense dreck that they wised up and discarded after going to Oxford and Tampa and looking like Don Treadwell was back in C Paw gear?

This spread has been installed on the fly this season. They have done a great job with it. Unless next year's QBs are incapable of running this offense, if we go back to the pie in the sky power game, these guys need to be drug tested.

Agree, with the above. Only thing different I would like to see next season is the following, RDAIV used in a role that fits his skill set while another running back becomes our go to power guy when we need 1 or 2 yards. Right now that guy seems to be a former QB.

(11-25-2013 09:09 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(11-24-2013 11:35 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  Kay and Pike are the two best UC Quarterbacks of the last decade and probably longer. Their careers are almost mirror images of each other. Both never played a full season with Bearcats. Blame it on injuries, coaching, or bad luck but those are two guys that could have owned the record books if they played more. Pike against Pitt in 2009 and Kay in the Belk Bowl last year proved they had what it takes to make the big play when everything was on the line. True toughness and great Bearcats.

The past decade would also include Gino G. and Zach Collaros. Imagine the numbers Gino would have put up playing BK's system? Zach was hurt in both 2010 and 2012. Zach missed on game in 2010 (Syracuse) but played signficantly injured in every game after USF that year. His broken ankle at the WVU game is very documented.

We had some great QB's this past decade.

Zach was playing in the CFL in 2012.

^^ err.. typo.. meant 2011.

I posted this on another board but I'll say it again here: Whether we play ND in NYC or a low level SEC team in Birmingham we'd better enjoy it. Starting next year unless we go undefeated and finish as the highest ranking G5 school we will be stuck with playing MAC and CUSA schools in our bowls.

Folks better make a bowl trip to see us a P5 school while they can. This might be the last time for awhile.

Yep.

Birmingham would be a bit of a kick in the gut if we finish top 3. At least this time it would not be 3 days before XMas like it was in 2007.

(11-25-2013 09:48 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  

(11-25-2013 09:19 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(11-25-2013 08:28 AM)JPBearcat3 Wrote:  

(11-25-2013 07:32 AM)Bruce Monnin Wrote:  Can you imagine if Tuberville and this staff had started a year earlier and Kay had been fully healthy?

I'd like to believe that, if this scenario occurred, Kay would have started from day 1. But I don't think the evidence suggests this assumption is 100% foolproof.

Forget an extra year...can you imagine how differently Illinois and USF may have gone if we had actually installed this spread offense in the spring and at Higher Ground rather than the power offense dreck that they wised up and discarded after going to Oxford and Tampa and looking like Don Treadwell was back in C Paw gear?

This spread has been installed on the fly this season. They have done a great job with it. Unless next year's QBs are incapable of running this offense, if we go back to the pie in the sky power game, these guys need to be drug tested.

Agree, with the above. Only thing different I would like to see next season is the following, RDAIV used in a role that fits his skill set while another running back becomes our go to power guy when we need 1 or 2 yards. Right now that guy seems to be a former QB.

I seem to recall that TT said on his last radio show that they were in search of a 230lb running back for one of the last scholarships, so I still suspect a long term transition is underway.
Kay running the spread right now is such a thing of beauty because he's probably the most accurate and patient QB I can remember seeing at UC in a long time. Have no idea how Kiel or Coney would fare in the same setup.