We can all focus on the tough and disappointing loss to
Georgetown Saturday or we can leave the problem-solving to this very new
coaching staff and focus on what I think is the best news of the year so far
for the Lions.
I hope you’ve all noticed we have a really good quarterback.
There were high hopes for junior Skyler Mornhinweg when he transferred to Columbia from Florida
earlier this year. I would argue that despite the 0-2 record, he’s surpassed
those expectations.
Some of this shows up in the stats. Mornhinweg may not have
a TD pass yet and he does have two INT’s, but he also has a 70% completion rate
and has run for two TD’s on the ground.
Some of this does not show up in the stats, like the gutsy
way we’ve all seen him play through the first two weeks of the season, the
quick release and accuracy in his throws, and the way he’s been improvising and
keeping plays alive when the first two or three options break down.
In short, Mornhinweg has done all the things we hoped to see
from former Columbia transfer QB Brett
Nottingham and more. That is not meant to be a slam on Nottingham, it’s
just meant to emphasize how much Mornhinweg has already delivered.
He’s a real dual threat QB, and has shown better consistent
passing ability than recent Columbia QB’s like M.A. Olawale and Sean
Brackett. Olawale was bigger and faster, but didn’t have Mornhinweg’s
accuracy. Brackett was much faster, but also didn’t have Mornhinweg’s accuracy
or his better relative size. To be clear, Mornhinweg hasn’t delivered the wins
that Olawale and Brackett did yet.
It’s not clear if Head Coach Al Bagnoli will continue to
make Mornhinweg share the QB duties with sophomore Anders Hill as we head into Ivy play. Hill has played well,
especially running the ball. But he left the Georgetown game after getting
injured early and it’s not clear yet what his status is. As good as Mornhinweg
is, I like the idea of giving him a bit of a rest and protecting him from
injury from time to time.
But in many ways, Mornhinweg’s real debut is this Friday
night at Princeton. The Tigers will be heavily favored and their potent offense
will get most of the pregame attention. Mornhinweg has a chance on a national
TV stage to show what he can do against Ivy competition. I like his chances.
5 comments:
One question: we pressured and sacked the Fordham QB all afternoon, yet we never touched the Georgetown QB. What adjustments did the Georgetown OL coach make to keep his QB on his feet? We stacked up the run petty well but didn't seem to pressure the QB at all.
Georgetown had a game tape to review while Fordham came into the game cold having no idea how Columbia would line up.
With his 21/25 passing against Fordham, I believe Mornhinweg set the all-time single game Lion completion percentage record, formerly held by Archie Roberts.
Allie
We've had many, good QBs and still lost because the qb and any other position can't do it alone. You need all of them.
Too early to judge yet. Hard to believe Bags can't get this fixed. He just started and obviously has to be given time. Maybe the whole year. Si be it. But we should hope for gradual mprovement now and expect some consistent competence by next season,
Bags did a great job getting these transfers- now he has got to light a
fire under the football team and get them to play "lights out"! We need bodies flying around the field!
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