Speight versus Rudock
September 22nd, 2016 at 11:22 PM ^
Thanks for the comparison. I think Speight has looked better in three games than Rudock did in his first three games. But the competition has been easier for Speight than it was for Rudock. Plus, Speight is throwing to a confident and veteran group of receivers. That wasn't always the case for Rudock.
September 23rd, 2016 at 1:13 AM ^
Is the competition easier? UNLV Oregon St and Utah compared to Hawaii UCF and Colorado. Oregon st went 2-10, Unlv went 3-9 and Utah ended 10-3. I say its very close to being even. I agree that Speight has more experienced players around him and better talent but hes a Junior and Ruddock was a 5th year senior. I just hope Speight continues to progress like Ruddock did
September 23rd, 2016 at 8:23 AM ^
So you think Colorado will finish 10-3, also it was a road game which makes it a tad bit harder.
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September 23rd, 2016 at 11:04 AM ^
He's saying they were a similar level of competition.
September 24th, 2016 at 12:53 AM ^
With a healthy Liufau and a weaker conference than usual (down Oregon [Hoke's tempo-allergic defenses come to mind] and USC), it certainly doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility.
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September 23rd, 2016 at 9:02 AM ^
Last year the whole team was learning the system. This year everyone - Speight included - already knows the system. It's really not a fair comparison to make. Personally by the end of the year, I don't think Speight will be where Rudock was at the end of last season.
I'd be delighted if he is at that same level, I just don't think it will be the case. Rudock was on fire at the end of last year.
September 23rd, 2016 at 10:40 AM ^
On defense - new system learning curve.
I agree that Speight has had a better first three games. We need to be patient and let this play out. We could be in good hands, but that may not matter if the o-line doesn't improve run blocking ability
September 23rd, 2016 at 10:33 AM ^
I thought those numbers seemed off so I checked Rudock's game log. I think the comparison is misleading. Rudock versus UNLV and Oregon State:
32-48 for 303 yards (6.3 YPA) with 1 TD and 2 INT
Each had a rough game (although @Utah was certainly a tougher spot than Colorado), but Speight showed far more precision and downfield passing against the weaker foes than did Rudock. Speight versus Hawaii and UCF:
35-50 for 457 yards (9.1 YPA) with 7 TD and 1 INT
Wilton may not reach the level Rudock hit late in 2015, but if the OL can protect better than last week, I expect he'll limit mistakes and make plenty of good throws. How the OL and QB fare in the games circled before the season (Wisconsin, @MSU, @Iowa, @Ohio State) featuring strong defenses will probably decide UM's fate. That and if our D can figure out the Buckeyes spread-n-shred.
September 22nd, 2016 at 11:22 PM ^
Played Utah and by tho
September 22nd, 2016 at 11:24 PM ^
Damn it
September 23rd, 2016 at 4:20 AM ^
Rudock was better at this time last year, IMO. We knew his issues and they were corrected in a few weeks. Speight just needs experience and by definition it's not something you can get a ton of quickly. Rudock had that coming in, he'd been hit and knew what the action felt like.
September 23rd, 2016 at 4:28 AM ^
Wrong. First 3 games were at Utah (10-3), and home vs Oregon State (2-10) and UNLV (3-9).
September 22nd, 2016 at 11:22 PM ^
Grant Perry didn't help Jake much in the Utah game last year. Also, the offensive line play is better. Speight will be fine, just needs more games under his belt.
September 23rd, 2016 at 12:28 AM ^
Oline is better? reread UFR
September 23rd, 2016 at 7:24 AM ^
Really? I was under the impression that our O line is the worst it's been in 10-15 decades.
September 22nd, 2016 at 11:23 PM ^
Speight's numbers are much better, even given the competition faced. These 3 weeks have been pretty comforting given that we were unsure of the new starting QB just a few days before kickoff.
September 22nd, 2016 at 11:52 PM ^
Pretty comforting is fairly bold. I think he is TBD right now. He left me uneasy at best after Colorado. There were at least 2-3 picks that were dropped by Colorado. If even one of those is caught or goes pick-six, game may have been totally flipped on its head.
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September 23rd, 2016 at 1:13 AM ^
I may be wrong, but I think the hit he took directly to his throwing arm in the 1st quarter affected his throwing significantly. After the game, he was wearing a massive ice pack. Hopefully it was just a stinger.
September 23rd, 2016 at 7:26 AM ^
Yes this happened, and it clearly affected his throwing ability. Harbaugh even said after the game that he gained a ton of respect from his teammates for playing through the pain. Why does everyone have such a hard time believing it?
September 23rd, 2016 at 8:14 AM ^
Right? And the last three quarters he played pretty well! 3/12 in the 1st, and finished the game 16/30 (minus the 1st qrt stats = 13/18)... He recovered from the God-awful first qrt very nicely.
September 23rd, 2016 at 8:23 AM ^
It's hard to discount Rudock's considerable game experience and his maturity once he started getting the system down. The advantages that Speight has in terms of two years in the system, considerably more practice with receivers outside of team practice, etc. is huge. That should tell you something about Rudock.
Once Rudock got the system down his bar was raised to levels that were historically high in our program. Will Speight get there this year? I have my doubts based on his level of experience, but that doesn't mean he can't be very solid.
September 22nd, 2016 at 11:24 PM ^
Let's see how Wilton does on the road. So far he's responded when adversity hits. The competition is going to get harder, I'm not convinced he's the man yet. Hopefully some of his passes Saturday were because he was injured...I thought he could have easily had 2-3 interceptions...late throws, with little velocity.
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September 23rd, 2016 at 7:28 AM ^
tighter windows at iowa will certainly be a test
September 22nd, 2016 at 11:31 PM ^
Harbaugh definently looks the best, and Brady
September 23rd, 2016 at 7:58 AM ^
At 52, not sure how well Harbaugh would hold up. Although his pocket awareness probably good enough he could avoid some of the hits.
And then Brady, I would have to believe after all the top level pro competition that he would be incredibly unbelievable. Would be interesting to see how good his stats would be. 90+% downfield success rate on Brian's chart?
September 22nd, 2016 at 11:32 PM ^
be looking at 4 or 5 int on the yr some drops by DBs r helping him look better
September 23rd, 2016 at 7:00 AM ^
Of course, by the same token, some drops by his receivers are making him look worse.
September 22nd, 2016 at 11:34 PM ^
Time will tell my firend. My guess is Speight will not match Rudock this year, but hopefully next year. Rudock was on fire late in the season and made the jump to an NFL type QB. The other thing Rudock had going was hurting the other team with his running. He saved the team many times with his wheels.
Don't take this as a knock on Wilton, but I think the Rudock jump last season was exceptional. Remember Rudock came to us as a "game manager" not a QB that would win games for you.
September 22nd, 2016 at 11:53 PM ^
Speight has been using his wheels though, his ability to extend plays inside and outside of the pocket with his feet this year is one of the best parts of his game in my opinion.
September 23rd, 2016 at 12:07 AM ^
Rudock was very good at that as well though.
September 23rd, 2016 at 1:34 AM ^
He's extended many plays by getting outside the pocket and looking down field appose to just running it.
September 23rd, 2016 at 9:11 AM ^
I feel like he should be able to toss it high up to Butt during a scramble situation just about every time (unless the play has run Butt to the other side of the field). Remember, Butt is always open.
September 23rd, 2016 at 7:37 AM ^
agreed though theres something to be said for QB able to pick up a 3rd and 9 or whatever with his legs. as long as speight can consistently move to throw and move the chains, its all good.
rudock made huge strides last year and ended up playing efficient ball, they were tough on 3rd down when it mattered and in the red zone - hopefully speight makes similar strides and can help his O convert 3rd downs and put up 6s bc thats key
September 23rd, 2016 at 9:13 AM ^
That's true but somewhat offsetting that is the fact that we have been able to be ahead of the chains - i.e. not facing too many third downs and when we do they are 6 yards or less and being converted at a high rate. Will need to keep increasing that efficiency to continue that against better D's though.
September 22nd, 2016 at 11:39 PM ^
I have no idea what to expect from Wilton this weekend.
September 23rd, 2016 at 12:10 AM ^
Utah was good. I have a hard time believing Oregon State and UNLV > UCF and Colorado though.
September 23rd, 2016 at 7:40 AM ^
It's more Utah >> Colorado.
Oregon state and UNLV is a push with UCF and Hawaii.
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September 22nd, 2016 at 11:40 PM ^
I have been skeptical about Speight but there is no reason yet to believe that Speight won't put out better numbers than Ruddock. Have faith everybody
September 23rd, 2016 at 8:36 AM ^
Rudock played a much tougher defense and had less weapons around him.
September 22nd, 2016 at 11:46 PM ^
Wait till he starts fighting with his right hand!
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September 22nd, 2016 at 11:51 PM ^
^^ +1 if I could from the ap.
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September 23rd, 2016 at 12:06 AM ^
Speight has been good in my opinion. The Colorado perfomance was an abberation we can chalk up to injury, and he was very steady in the first two games barring a few mistakes. The Colorado game defintely answered questions about Speight's intangibles for me though, we've already seen him come in cold off of the bench in a primetime game and win, now we've seen him play through injury as well. Hopefully this will help the team play for him even harder.
As for Speight's capacity to develop, this is only his 2nd year under a real QB coach. I'm not too familiar with the quality of QB coaching that Rudock received in Iowa, but I'm certain it wasn't worse than what Hoke's staff was giving to Speight. I think it's fair to say that we will certainly see Speight get better and better as he gets more experience, it may not be as dramatic as Rudock at the end of last year, but it will be there.
September 23rd, 2016 at 12:06 AM ^
I thought the UNLV game was definitely Rudock's worst performance of 2015; maybe there's something about the third game having bad juju for Harbaugh QBs?
September 23rd, 2016 at 12:09 AM ^
One thing that has been impressive about Wilton is his ability to manuever in the pocket. He looks like a good NFL QB at times, the way he sidesteps a rush, or steps up in the pocket. He is also pretty accurate with the football and will get even better with experience.
I think the shot that he took by that DB which caused the fumble...was a good thing for him in terms of pocket awareness.
September 23rd, 2016 at 7:51 AM ^
"He is also pretty accurate with the football"
I hear and read this phrase all the time these days to describe QBs. What else would he be accurate with, a frisbee? A golf ball? A shuttlecock?
September 23rd, 2016 at 8:51 AM ^
He could be accurate at identifying where the blitz is coming from, sliding protections, recognizing the need for and calling an appropriate audible, etc. Accuracy does not only refer to throwing something.
September 23rd, 2016 at 11:56 AM ^
True, true. But does anyone use "accurate" to describe how skilled he is at doing those things?
September 23rd, 2016 at 4:42 PM ^
Accurate making Pizzas. Accurate giving girls his number. Accuate at solving math problems. Accurate in describing how stupid your response is. Accurate in describing the redundancy in my inital post.