Taters gonna Tate
I am very happy for Tate!! This kid has stuck through so much with his team and himself. I bet he sure was glad that he didn't transfer and stayed the course. Hopefully he can be a mentor to anybody else that EVER thinks about leaving this team (I thought the banner was enough).
He help great poise. Sure he made some bad reads and kept looking down field rather than go to the tight end but he got the job done. Tate helped us to a victory that most thought was inconceivable.
Also very nice to win a game with the Defense on the field!!
GO BLUE!! BEAT PURDUE!!!
November 7th, 2010 at 9:59 AM ^
Last year I remember him frequently saying, "I never get nervous".
November 7th, 2010 at 10:05 AM ^
Especially when it looks like for the next 2 years our starting QB will miss a significant amount of playing time because he can't take the pounding.
We have a two-QB offense by circumstance, not design.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:16 AM ^
make that 3 QBs. Devin Gardner is going to be a monster in 2012
November 7th, 2010 at 10:19 AM ^
i was literally going to start a thread on this (something i almost never do) but you just beat me to it. i truly hope he remains his final two years as well. so far he has said as much.
it takes an entire team to be successful; not just the starting lineup on Sept 1. injuries are a part of the game. that's why team's list a two-deep. i hope those take notice that if you don't crack that starting lineup on day 1, you will most definitely get your chance to prove yourself at some point - if you stick it out.
the team. the team. the team.
thanks tate for another patented comeback.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:25 AM ^
I think senior Denard might disagree with you.
Seriously though, I can't remember a time I've felt this confident in ALL our quarterbacks.
November 7th, 2010 at 11:04 AM ^
Just in time for the 2012 Showdown in Texas against Bama. I can see several players on both sides of the ball being monsters that year.
November 7th, 2010 at 11:40 AM ^
...it's nice to consider that by that point Alabama won't have an answer for our Big Ten speed.
November 8th, 2010 at 10:44 AM ^
Both tate and denard will be seniors in 2012, plus gardner should be more than capable of running the offense by then. Who to play by then? I feel bad for anyone playing that offense, no matter who is running it.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:27 AM ^
Was there a specific play that caused him the concussion/dizziness? Up in the stands we didnt know what was going on, so I was kind of surprised when I heard why he was held out.
November 7th, 2010 at 11:47 AM ^
Cheap shot helmet to helmet hit after the tackle. There was a personal foul penalty. The player that did this needs to sit a game. Illinois played dirty the entire game. Typical Ron Zook jet ski shit.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:30 AM ^
Rich Rodriguez has always stated (and stated it many times) he wants at least two QB's he can win with and to swap the other in when the first gets nicked up.
Looking at what he's recruiting, he's trying to have a QB in each class that could be the starter.
I know that the Lloyd Carr had 3 or 4 QB's, but I did not know their names beyond the clear 4/5 star starters, who were always separated by 2 or more years, thus creating a situation where he had to start true Freshman in the last 4 years of his career.
Tate and Denard is completely by design from the very beginning.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:30 AM ^
We have a two-QB offense by circumstance, not design.
This is not true. Rodriguez deliberately uses a two-qb system due the nature of the offense that leads to the qbs taking lots of hits and high risk of injury. Fact is Robinson is playing at a very high level that lends it to one qb now.
November 7th, 2010 at 1:37 PM ^
I beg to differ - it ABSOLUTELY is by design. How many times has RR said he wants to be able to win with all the QBs (down to Gardner)? And how many times has he said they want competition at every position?
RR wants 2 deep at every position because any player out there can get hurt at any time. The program will not be where RR wants it to be until the point in time when a player goes down to an injury and it never has to be asked, "Now what do we do?"
One of many reasons why RR is an excellent coach.
November 7th, 2010 at 2:58 PM ^
RR wants to have two QBs ready to play at all times, but that doesn't exactly mean he uses a two-QB system. This isn't like Brady and Henson in '99. He always has a clear-cut #1 guy.
November 7th, 2010 at 12:43 PM ^
Football is a violent game no matter the position, but Denard was taken out by a cheap helmet-to-helmet shot by an Illinois player. That kid should have been ejected from the game and should be suspended by the conference.
And didn't Rodriguez recruit boh Tate and Denard in the same class? How does that equate to "not by design"?
November 7th, 2010 at 10:18 AM ^
Also props to RR and Magee for being able to adapt the playbook on demand if Denard indeed gets banged up
November 7th, 2010 at 1:16 PM ^
It's nice that IL didn't respect Tate's legs too. I seem to remember all kinds of open space when Tate kept it.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:20 AM ^
to have a backup QB that can come in and win us games. Due to the lack of injury update on Denard as the game played out, I was actually wondering if RR brougth in Tate because we had been shredding Illinois on the pass all day. Not trying to start a QB controversey or even suggest Denard isn't THE guy, because he is, I'm just saying I had 100% confidence in Tate when he came into the game. It reminds me a bit of Major Applewhite at Texas when he lost the starting gig to Chris Simms. Different situations, but both Tate and Major have that 'moxy' to come in and finish games out. GO BLUE!
November 7th, 2010 at 10:32 AM ^
I thought it was a package or situation sub based on the passing game success. I think some of the booing going on when tate went in for his second series was because people didnt realize the injury situation. Not sure if I'm for situational substitutions (Tate for pass heavy, Denard for run heavy packages) but it would be an interesting approach for one game or a bowl.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:22 AM ^
A side-note, but did anyone see this yet on Tate?
November 7th, 2010 at 10:24 AM ^
Like I said at the beginning of the year when some people were down on Tate, having him as a backup and capable of running the offense effectively (and probably being a better passing threat than Denard has been the past few weeks) would let this team win at least one game it probably shouldn't have this season. Good by him, and I'm extremely happy he was there when the team needed him.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:26 AM ^
Speaking of mentors, I bet Denard has been a huge mentor to Tate. If for no other reason than Tate watching Denard and how he always give deference to his teammates and makes everything more about team instead of himself. Just being around a person like that can be huge for a young man's (Tate) maturity and development.
Gotta love this young team and how they work together. And you have to feel good for Tate. He waited patiently, played team ball and was justly rewarded for it yesterday.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:28 AM ^
This was mentioned in earlier threads (though it's nice to have positive things repeated on the board rather than redundant negativity as in recent weeks), but I love that he mentioned how happy he is for the seniors to get to play in a bowl. Great to see the kid mature and put his own ego aside to focus on the team. I love our players.
November 7th, 2010 at 11:36 AM ^
But he still won't stop and chat with me in the cafeteria, WHYYYYYY
November 7th, 2010 at 11:51 AM ^
what he was eating on MGoBlog.
November 7th, 2010 at 12:03 PM ^
Tate did a great job leading the team to victory. I watched the game on TV, and no one knew why Denard was out. ESPN overdrive said he was benched in the highlight reel.
November 7th, 2010 at 12:28 PM ^
I was so happy at the end of OT but pissed at the end of regulation. I was around all these people cursing Tate -- for things like why is he taking so long to get the play moving, why hasn't he called time out, etc. I kept saying -- that's COACHING. Not the QB.
Tate is great. Period.
November 7th, 2010 at 1:24 PM ^
I love the home run threat that Denard brings, but I would like to see Tate play at least a couple series in the rest of our games. It would give their defenses more to deal with and keep Denard healthier to shred the defenses later in the game.
We have the best backup quarterback in the country.
Go Blue!
November 7th, 2010 at 2:10 PM ^
Remember Tate is only a sophomore as well. Certain things he gets criticized for will go away as he matures as well. This O requires great QB play. We are fortunate to have someone who can step in and play at a high level. Tate will get many more chances to contribute and I don't think he will disappoint.
November 7th, 2010 at 2:13 PM ^
I am glad Tate didn't throw in the towel. Where would we be without him?
November 7th, 2010 at 4:20 PM ^
The thing I hate about RR is that when one of his players is unhappy with his role he doesn't do anything to try to convince them to stick it out and eventually be in a position to win ball games for us. You know, like Lloyd always did.
/s
November 7th, 2010 at 8:57 PM ^
I love Tate and really admire how he has turned his attitude around and been a team player. That being said, Tate needs to do whats in his best interest and transfer. He's a quality starting qb who is unfortunately stuck behind an even more special talent. My dream scenario would be for Tate to stick around next year and we can redshirt Gardner (assuming he cant get a redshirt this year which I doubt he will get). After that Tate should transfer to a school where he can start and show what he can do. If he left I would not hold and resentment against him.
November 7th, 2010 at 9:34 PM ^
You should be neg banged into oblivion.
November 26th, 2010 at 2:32 AM ^
Care to elaborate on what makes it such a dumb opinion?
November 8th, 2010 at 10:13 AM ^
Jumpy Squirrel (Anybody who has kids who are Curious George fans knows where it comes from. )
Seriously, I know Tate is coming in off the bench, is less accustomed to opposing players actually wanting to crush him, and really, really wants to make the most of his time in the sun, but man does he skitter around and make jumpy decisions.
I'm actually glad that Tate took us into overtime though. He learned his lesson last year against MSU, and threw the ball away at least once when there was no play, and came through in the clutch: redemption.
November 26th, 2010 at 2:39 AM ^
tate is great kid. Lot of heart.