Empty the Call Sheet (Nov. 10)
Yogi's weekly Sunday newsletter written each week on the plane home from his game
Giants go down, storylines emerge and Oregon just continues to win. And what’s up with the QB position?
Hello from the sky as I’m flying back from calling another close game, this time for FS1. This week had Guy Haberman and myself in Kansas City and our perch was as good as it gets in football. We stood at the 50-yard line at the home of the reigning Super Bowl champions, as Kansas took down the #17 Iowa State Cyclones. It was a game that had so many elements. Iowa State scored on a 99-yard drive to start the game only to watch Kansas respond and take a 31-13 lead into halftime and hold on for a 45-36 win.
LA native Jalon Daniels was incredible and looked like the potential Heisman dark horse he had become 2 seasons ago before injuries shut down his 2023 season early. In addition, we watched Devin Neal set school record after school record. He arrived as a local product from Lawrence High in Lawrence, Kansas and after bypassing the NFL last off-season he returned to KU to leave a legacy. He easily did that becoming the all-time leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and 100+ yard games on Saturday afternoon.
Speaking of legacy – the legend of Dillon Gabriel continues to shine. The Oregon Ducks QB became the NCAA record holder for total touchdowns as he ended his Saturday with 180 in his career. Let’s think about that for a moment.
180 touchdowns!
That’s 180 celebrations, 180 moments when the crowd rises, 180 moments when the opposing crowd is silenced and most importantly, 180 moments when Gabriel was able to celebrate with his teammates at UCF, Oklahoma and now, Oregon. He won’t be a part of another 180 touchdowns in college football but he is guiding the most consistent team in the nation.
Speaking of QBs, I went to dinner with my former Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko and quarterback trainer Justin Hoover on Thursday night. They are both residents of Kansas City and close friends. Tyler was the best teammate I ever had as a player and Justin is as good of a human as I’ve ever met. We went to a hip spot in KC and for 3 hours caught up on life, family and the state of the QB position. It was fascinating listening to Tyler, who was one of the nation's most covered recruits, gave my favorite post-game interview of all time and started in the NFL. He is the son of a coach and oozes all things quarterback. Naturally, he’s the CEO of a leadership company.
Hoover is a phenomenal husband, father and coach. He also lives the QB position as the founder of Spin It QB where he trains NFL, college, high school and youth signal callers.
Hearing the perspective those two have of the position was absolutely enlightening. While we lamented about the state of the game and the transient nature of the position with the transfer portal and NIL driving much of the sport we all love, we also had a lengthy and thoughtful conversation about the actual development of the position.
While we all agreed that we are a golden era of the position, we also dove into a few truths around the position. After watching big games Saturday night and on this flight back to LA, I had to share a few with you:
The QB has more influence now than ever before, in and outside of the locker room. That is a good thing but without a solid community around them, that influence can be mismanaged.
QBs are developed in high school at an incredible rate, with knowledge around the position at an all-time high.
QBs can stall to develop in college too, as they are often not given the time to develop based on the ability to transfer when playing time dwindles or the staff seeking a replacement.
QBs, no matter what, will meet adversity at one point or another. You can’t run from it, even if you try.
The people around QBs always mean well, but often are clouded by their own judgment and perceptions of the quarterback landscape.
In a week where we heard about Miller Moss no longer being QB1 at USC, we also saw Cam Ward and Miami go down to Georgia Tech. It’s wild that former USC Trojans and Auburn Tiger LB Romello Height forced a Ward fumble with 1:36 left in the game to end the perfect season for the Hurricanes. We also watched former USC quarterback Jaxson Dart, while injured, lead Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss squad to an incredible home win over Georgia, where Carson Beck was sacked 5 times.
Where there were undoubtedly many other elite or challenged performances from QBs around the country on Saturday night the performance of big name QBs, backup QBs (hello Brandon Rose) or transfer QBs, I can’t stop thinking about the most challenging position in sports.
So as the landing gear opens up and we touch down back on the West Coast, I’d ask you to think about your favorite team’s QB. Maybe he is in the Heisman conversation like Shedeur Sanders. Maybe he’s in the midst of a breakout year like ASU’s Sam Leavitt. Maybe he never lost faith like Cal’s Fernando Mendoza. Heck, maybe it’s John Mateer, who you might imagine that is who you’d be if you were playing major college football! Or maybe it’s Miller Moss.
Whomever it is, I just ask you to remember that the quarterback position is the most competitive and complex position in sports and whether you are praising that young man or blaming him, I’d bet he is giving the position everything he has.
A few other takeaways from this weekend:
The Cougs are rolling, but will need some help to make the CFP. We will dive into that Monday on the Y-Option podcast.
The Ducks continue to roll. With one more win they have all but clinched a CFP berth.
Speaking of clinch, Indiana is in if they split their final two games. At Ohio State and home against Purdue.
DeShaun Foster has the Bruins playing well. Year 1 for any head coach is a challenge and he has kept his team playing with enthusiasm and physicality. They dominated the line of scrimmage for the majority of their Friday night game against Iowa. Not sure how many saw that one coming…
Speaking of the line of scrimmage, UW struggled mightily against Penn State in PSU’s most complete game of the B1G season.
Congrats to Justin Wilcox as his Bears get their 1st ACC win in this new era. They only had to travel to Wake Forest to get it…
If I had to vote today, Kenny Dillingham should be the Big 12 Coach of the Year. I know a ton of people want Deion Sanders to win it, and I get it, but this was an even larger rebuild.
With Georgia, Miami, LSU, Pitt and Iowa State losing, what does the College Football Playoff landscape look like? Personally, it’s not the 12 best rosters, it’s the 12 best teams. I hope the committee sees it that way too.
Do style points matter? The Washington State Cougars rolled Utah State and went to 8-1 with their lone loss at Boise State with half of their defense injured. What say you CFP Committee?
Finally, I’m wondering what you think the Pac-12 would look like this year if realignment did not occur? Would WSU, ASU or CU be the second best team? If the Cougs were 11-1 in the regular season and then lost to Oregon in the title game would they get into the CFP? Let’s discuss at @YOptionfb.
I’m off to our son’s flag game. We are playing a night game under the lights and the squad is fired up. Let’s hope their OC can find a few first downs…
Much love and thank you for the constant support!
Yogi
Even though I’m a Coug fan, I don’t know if Wazzu would be second place in the old Pac 12. They have played just a bit better than their opponents, except Boise State, but the schedule is much easier. It’s nice to dream, though. Go Cougs!
What if "realignment did not occur?" I figure Nick Saban still retires and De Boer leaves UW, but Smith stays at OSU. So, second place in that PAC-12 is probably between WSU and Colorado, based on their current records, and I'd add OSU with Smith still in place and fewer out-transfers.