You know we lost our starting QB, backup QB, starting RB and WR1 as well, right?
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- Thread starter InChristAlone
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Their starting QB >>>>>> trash >>>>> our starting QB though
EdmondPoke
Deputy
Yeah.. apples and oranges, as @cowboyinexile pointed out.
Their starting QB was arguably the number 1 QB in the portal (I didn't think he was, but plenty of analysts/recruiting sites seemed to think he was). We didn't really have a number 1 QB as he played one half of one game and the other threw 3 TDs all season. He's better than that, as I think our coaches/system let him down, but it's still not the same. Their WR1 declared for the draft. Ours transferred to Baylor. Their RB1 nearly doubled the number of yards our RB1 had last year.
Simply put, they were a team coming off a CFP appearance and looking to build on that. We were still trying to win a conference game. Our loses hurt way less and we signed a top QB transfer, the top RB transfer, and WRs that have history with our QB and the head coach. They got some decent transfers in as well but will need to build the continuity that we already have.
Indeed.
But did they reload? We reloaded but could only go up.
EdmondPoke
Deputy
Who knows? They got two receivers in the portal who were higher ranked in the portal than anyone we signed, yet those two combined didn't have the stats that Wyatt Young had last year in HCEM's offense and with Mestemaker at QB.
The way I see it, so take it for what it's worth, is that we have a much higher ceiling than ASU while they have a higher floor. In my opinion, they retooled while we rebuilt. We had 66 players transfer out and 53 transfer in. They had less than half the total transfers in/out and retained their coaching staff. However, we can't discount their YoY regression.
All that to say, I will be disappointed if we lose to ASU this year. With an unproven QB, trying to replace the 2nd most productive RB in the conference last year, and a middle-of-the-road defense that should largely be the same this year, I think we should win this game. We are a better program, even after the disaster that was the past two seasons.
It’s going to be interesting to watch what happens in Tempe. Dillingham might wind up being a guy that stays there and really builds something imo. He’s pretty fiercely loyal to the school and area and his family is all there.
EdmondPoke
Deputy
I do like Dillingham. I think he's a good coach and, by all accounts, seems to be an even better person. ASU is also a school that is set up to be a lot better than they have been. They have a massive alumni base, access to elite recruiting territories, and plenty of money. I think Dillingham could elevate them, but we'll have to see. They were 4-0 in one score games in 2024 and 5-1 in one score games last year. Either that's a testament to the culture he's built there over his first couple of years or it's a lot of luck that won't last forever. We'll have to see.
I may pull up for a Spring game.
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