Tate Forcier: Best Freshman in the Country
First of all, somehow I doubt that I'm going to be getting many contrary opinions to the title of this post. That said, I do have reason to post this, namely that ESPN has decided to give equal hype to Matt Barkley after his performance against OSU.
This is stupid. I'll grant that OSU has a superior defense to USC and OSU is a big test for a freshman's first road game but seriously:
Barkley: 15/31, 195 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 7 Rush ATT, 8 YDS
Forcier: 23/33, 240 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 13 Rush ATT, 70 YDS
The only thing that makes them remotely comparable is their game-winning drives (although Forcier faced more defensive pressure, with a lot less time).
Also, Forcier did this missing his top receiver for the whole game, and his third receiver for part of the game. Barkley racked up yards by passing to Williams downfield and McKnight on a screen.
Note: Reading over this, I realize I'm probably overreacting to Sportscenter's tendency to give unwarranted credit to anyone halfway decent. ESPN is annoying.
September 13th, 2009 at 12:42 AM ^
Lets see what they say about Air Forcier compared to Barkley.
September 13th, 2009 at 1:13 AM ^
I heart Air Forcier.
September 13th, 2009 at 12:46 AM ^
I think what Barkley did was pretty impressive too. Right after the Michigan game on ESPNEWS, Kordell Stewart and Shaun King both named Tate on their Heisman watch list (seriously or not). So, I think Tate is actually getting the better individual praise.
September 13th, 2009 at 1:04 AM ^
Barkley and Forcier both seemed to have an uncanny cool with the game on the line. The stat lines are a place to start comparison I suppose, but the game winning drives were phenomenal. Neither QB expressed any seeming nerves or fear.
They're just 2 games into their careers... either way, I'm so happy we have Forcier. During the game today, I just was impressed by what this kid can do. Forcier and the O stepped up and made plays.
September 13th, 2009 at 12:59 AM ^
But OSUs defense is far and away better than ND. So the comparison is difficult.
September 13th, 2009 at 1:02 AM ^
On that last drive for the TD, Barkley just basically either handed the ball to McKnight, or dumped it off to him and let him figure it out. He did make one or two nice touch passes, but really didn't do too much. It seemed like USC was in a position to be up by a lot more if they had an experienced QB in there.
I'll give him props though, he went into the shoe on national television during primetime and didn't make too many mistakes.
September 13th, 2009 at 1:02 AM ^
Its not really fair to compare their stats. They were in different situations and they have different expectations as far as how much of a load they are meant to be carrying. Forcier might be better than Barkley but you can't really say he's better just because he had more impressive stats in one particular game against a worse defense. I think we'll have to wait a few weeks at the very least before we can even start to compare them because 2 games is not nearly enough time to judge a player's full ability.
September 13th, 2009 at 1:06 AM ^
Who cares they both played great how about we laugh that Forcier is playing incrediable and TP is playing well not very good!!!!!
11-25 180yards and a pick
September 13th, 2009 at 1:23 AM ^
Michigan wide receiver Darryl Stonum (22) celebrates with quarterback Tate Forcier (5) after Forcier scored a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game againstith Notre Dame, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, in Ann Arbor. Michigan upset No. 18 Notre Dame 38-34. (AP Photo/Tony Ding).
Yes, ESPN used the word: againstith.
September 13th, 2009 at 1:40 AM ^
Maybe Holtz was writing the byline anonymously?
September 13th, 2009 at 1:43 AM ^
Tate got a helmet sticker on CDF, and Barkley did not. They gave the credit to the USC O-line.
I can't even comprehend how excited I am about the program right now!