At 2-4, Husky Twitter is in full-on panic mode. Fans have been all over the “bird app” clamoring for a change from starter Dylan Morris, to the nation’s top quarterback recruit in the class of 2021, Sam Huard. During his press conference on Monday, head coach Jimmy Lake said, “We are nowhere near that point right now,” when he was asked if he was considering a quarterback change. So the question is… should Lake be thinking about handing the reins over to the true freshman? No.
Sam’s father, and former Husky quarterback, Damon Huard, has been very vocal about wanting to make sure that the team preserves his son’s redshirt. Now, while that shouldn’t be the be-all-end-all for the coaching staff, it’s something that should definitely be considered, since the older Huard is such a prominent voice in the Seattle media. But what should be a big factor in throwing the younger Huard into the starting role, is how he’s picking up the offense and progressing in practice.
These things can take time, especially depending on the complexity of the offense, and as Husky fans have come to learn, John Donovan’s scheme hasn’t been necessarily the easiest to pick up or execute. And with the way the season has gone so far, is it really worth possibly stunting the former five-star recruit’s growth by throwing him into the fire right away?
A lot of things can be better at the quarterback position. The second interception that Dylan Morris threw against UCLA during Saturday’s 24-17 loss on Montlake was a touchdown if he was able to hit Jalen McMillan in stride. Morris, who has an 8:8 touchdown to interception ratio on the year, has made some great throws this season, but he’s also made his fair share of ill-advised ones.
Taking out the 52 point performance over Arkansas State, the Huskies are averaging 17.8 points per game this year. As I believe I’ve made pretty clear in other articles I’ve written this season, that’s not all Morris’ fault. But as the quarterback, he has to shoulder some of the load for the team’s struggles, which just comes with the position. He has missed some open receivers in big spots, made incorrect reads, and has tried to force a lot of throws into tight windows.
With the way the season has gone so far, there’s no guarantee making a move to a true freshman, it doesn’t matter how talented they are, will be the answer for an offense that has struggled the way that Washington’s has this season. But, if the trend continues of ill-timed interceptions and drive-killing mistakes in key spots, Lake might want to consider giving graduate transfer Patrick O’Brien some reps to see if he might be able to run the offense a little more efficiently.
