Speight vs Rudock: a statistical comparison through 7 games

It will be even better after this week.

Last year State was vulnerable to the deep ball.  Every team they beat was either not smart enough or skilled enough to exploit that.  Unfortunately we played them before Rudock really got locked in.  If we had played them just a few weeks later, I really do think we would have won comfortably.  Oh well.

 

This year they're vulnerable to the everything.  It should go better.

hello, Heisman!

I'm on the record as being pessimistic about Speight's ability to mirror Rudock's improvement, since I feel that Rudock needed time to gain comfort in the offense and re-assert play he was already capable of, where Speight is younger and has yet to prove able to play at that level.

But his bye week comments and his performance Saturday were everything I could want. So there's hope for me.

It is interesting that this cutoff is right after the MSU game last season. Rudock was a big reason why that game was close enough to lose in the first place, stopping a number of drives that could have given us a cushion. That's his low point of the year right there.

Though it's also worth noting that in the next game Rudock got knocked out against Minnesota and Speight finished the game. We remember what happened there.

Nice comparison. Even if Speight is better just because we have a better running game, our overall offense is better and that is what is most important.

Holy less passes thrown Batman!!!

Do we have one of these every week?

I asked this last time and I don't think you responded. Where are you getting this DoS from. I'm quite confident it's not 18th in the country.

Ruddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddock*

I don't forsee a 2nd half for Speight that compares to Rudock. Last season, we needed to rely on Rudock to move the ball. 

This year, we're so balanced it's unreal. Throw in the fact that we have games against Maryland, IU, and Iowa, which could all be over by halftime, and I don't see Speight putting up anywhere close to the numbers Rudock did. 

His passer rating will still be sky high, he just won't have the gaudy numbers to back it up. 

Gotta update your thru 6. States W-L thru 6 is 7-0.

Those SOS numbers make no sense to me. Utah and Colorado are comparable if we're being generous to Colorado, BYU and PSU are comparable, MSU and Wisconsin are comparable, and NW was better than anyone else on this year's schedule so far.

Let's not forget... Jake was a 5th year Senior with tons of experience. Wilton is a RS SO at the halfway point of his first season as a starter.

I'm not saying one is better than the other. I think both will have done a very good job captaining the ship during 2 of the best seasons UofM has experienced since the Carr era... But if there is an argument to be made now... Well then, I'd expect Speight to only improve and gain more poise and confidence as time goes on. I don't think it's far fetched to see him becoming the best QB in the Big Ten next year and possibly even the country. Sure his throwing motion looks a bit strange, but that's something you can deal with and overcome at the college level, especially with plenty of talent around you. Just ask Tim Tebow.

So Speight is better than Rudock was in every statistical catergory through seven, and he's a sophomore. No bad at all.

Surprising to me to see that Rudock had double Speight's passing yards and attempts and slightly better percentage, 20:13 td's, yet still had lower qb rating. Must be the 9 interceptions to Speight's 2.

At least the calls to start O'Korn have died down. Speight is doing a really good job.  O'korn seems to tuck and run at the first sign of pressure, which isn't always a bad thing, but I think he overestimates his speed and what kind of yardage he can get that way.

Remembering Rudock and watching Speight this season makes me wonder if Harbaugh is less a fan of athletic ability than he is intelligence and football IQ.  Now that's just an impression, and there's not really any statistics that can prove such a claim, but whatever Harbaugh's approach, it's working. I also would not be surpised to see Speight as a round 2 or 3 NFL draft pick in a few years.

 

When Speight is interviewed in street clothes, you can see that he is a pretty huge guy with massive shoulders.  Physically I underestimated how muscular he actually is.  He is also very well-spoken, humble and analytical. 

Hopefully Speight gets to the level where he is no longer compared to Rudock. I'm sorry but Rudock was an average quarterback. Speight is our best option now and continues to play smart. I know I've been hard on him during games but nobody wants him to do as well as I do. We have a special chance this year and so much is riding on Wiltons shoulders. I hope he continues to improve and keeps winning games.