Who replaces KJ at wildcat

[McLoofus 35,182]

10 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

I will say this, I won't compare Gatewood to Newton as a total QB, but as a short yardage specialist, he really could be the next Tebow or Netwon as a freshman. I would not be sad at all to see him have some red zone packages including some from the Wildcat formation. 

That would be awesome. And exactly why I mentioned Trey Burton. A bit smaller than Joey at 6'3 235, but not by much. 

His stats as a freshman in 2010? 32 catches, 75 rushing attempts, and 6 pass attempts for 642 yards from scrimmage. As a junior in 2012? 18 catches, 29 rushes, 4 passes and 3 kick returns for 399 total yards. His 2017 postseason stats with the Eagles? 1 catch, 1 completed pass for a touchdown. Came to UF as a running back, is now entering his 5th year as an NFL TE.

I hope we're still repping him at QB, but I'm starting to buy him having packages for sure. Somebody even mentioned in the "Barrett's moving" thread that Joey might be repping at WR specifically to work him into a WC package. (Apologies to that poster for not remembering who you are.) I didn't buy it at the time, but I'm starting to. 

[doc4aday 1,887]

I would have both Willis and Gatewood polished enough that either one could come in and run the wildcat. Each one brings something different to the table and each could be dangerous if the wildcat is polished and ready for business. Gatewood's size will present a headache to defenses trying to defend him. Willis' speed could pick up quick yardage and could open up the field for the offense to get in gear. I hope Chip & Gus uses the hurry up offense much more this season than last. When this is working smoothly, our offense is extremely difficult for any SEC team to contain effectively.

[Zeek 16,617]

Chandler Cox obviously 

Dude can spin lol

[tigerman1186 537]

The BIG question is...who is going to replace him in the backfield???? KJ was a special player and they don't come every day....he did have a nose for the goal line....tough as nails...plus the be the RB at AU, you have to carry the ball 25+ a game....run pass routes...and block a blitzing LB....do we have anyone that can do this right now??? I hope so...

[bigbird 60,369]

25 minutes ago, tigerman1186 said:

The BIG question is...who is going to replace him in the backfield???? KJ was a special player and they don't come every day....he did have a nose for the goal line....tough as nails...plus the be the RB at AU, you have to carry the ball 25+ a game....run pass routes...and block a blitzing LB....do we have anyone that can do this right now??? I hope so...

Notice how many runs are in between the tackles as well as how many of those are 6+ ypc.

[JDUBB4AU 5,102]

Derek Brown 

[McLoofus 35,182]

10 hours ago, bigbird said:

Notice how many runs are in between the tackles as well as how many of those are 6+ ypc.

You know could be sitting at 1,000 yards by mid-October and folks would still be clamoring for a "power back".

I think we lose some things with KJ leaving- I was a big fan of his back when he was just a struggling indie band, unlike this new crowd that only started showing up after he had that hit single and signed with a major label- but I also think we can gain a lot in the big play department. That starts with KMart and Whitlow IMO, with Miller providing a Barber-esque presence (something we really could have used last season). 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

13 hours ago, bigbird said:

Notice how many runs are in between the tackles as well as how many of those are 6+ ypc.

I don't know how anyone could deny his ability to run the ball... but he's got to get better at protecting Stidham or he's still a liability. 

[JDUBB4AU 5,102]

13 hours ago, JDUBB4AU said:

Derek Brown 

Would love to see him catch a pass or run the ball. Just to get fans excited and have some fun 

[aucanucktiger 1,789]

I hope true frosh Harold Joiner gets a serious look at Wildcat - not only for his 6'3" 220 lb RB shotgun-formation hands ability (and he's at least as good as KJ at the jump pass), but also to keep our future (Malik) from getting unnecessarily injured. Joey has the size but getting pounded at the goal line is not going to make him a better QB, IMHO.

[Win4AU 4,052]

I gotta believe Gus is more concerned with Joey learning the base offense before throwing him out to the wildcat formation.  Maybe later in the season or next year.

[McLoofus 35,182]

9 minutes ago, Win4AU said:

I gotta believe Gus is more concerned with Joey learning the base offense before throwing him out to the wildcat formation.  Maybe later in the season or next year.

It's not going to happen this season, but the true "package QB" thing worked pretty much one time, right? In 2006 with Tebow? Out of curiosity, I looked up his stats that season. Bear with me here.

33 passes attempted and 89 "rushes" (scare quotes because sacks count as runs in college stats). Average those totals across 14 games and that's about 9 plays a game he was in on, and it's probably safe to say that he averaged 2.<something> runs for every pass attempted. He was essentially a Wildcat QB who threw more than other WC QBs.

Now, that was a completely different offense- not sure we've ever gone 4 wide in the Wildcat or ever will; I think we're much more likely to go jumbo- and definitely the exception to the rule, but there is at least a blueprint for bringing along a guy who is strong runner and not as strong as a passer in an offense by starting him out as a specialist/package guy. 

 

[Auburn2Eugene 2,317]

 I'd like to see Gatewood do it, but (prior to Willis last season) the last 2 true freshman DT QBs we have had that played packages as freshmen didn't turn out so well. Many say being thrown into the fire too soon is what killed Kodi Burns and  Kiehl Frazier. I personally still think being thrown into a pro style offense when he had only ran CGMs offense is what did Fraizer in, but what do I know?

Honestly KJ was great at the wildcat last season. But before last season it hadn't worked in years. Especially when you consider that everyone, their grandmother, and their dogs know what's coming as soon as we line up in that play. Every now and then, there is the triple reverse pass, a flea flicker, or the surprise pop pass, other than those 3 other plays, it's always a run...up the middle (or at least in the A or B gap.) If we are to be successful with that play, we have to have the ability to pass out of that formation. That's why I think if we HAVE to see the wildcat, let Boobie cover it since he was a high school QB and we would at least have a chance at completing a pass out of that dang formation. 

 

11 hours ago, McLoofus said:

You know could be sitting at 1,000 yards by mid-October and folks would still be clamoring for a "power back".

I think we lose some things with KJ leaving- I was a big fan of his back when he was just a struggling indie band, unlike this new crowd that only started showing up after he had that hit single and signed with a major label- but I also think we can gain a lot in the big play department. That starts with KMart and Whitlow IMO, with Miller providing a Barber-esque presence (something we really could have used last season). 

And I will believe Malik Miller is a SEC RB when he actually does something. Which he hasn't so far. I think you guys put waaaaaaaaaay too much stock in him. If he was even the smallest amount capable, he would of been used as more than a back up mop up duty RB. Not just the mop up RB, but the backup mop up RB

[lionheartkc 6,150]

15 hours ago, Auburn2Eugene said:

And I will believe Malik Miller is a SEC RB when he actually does something. Which he hasn't so far. I think you guys put waaaaaaaaaay too much stock in him. If he was even the smallest amount capable, he would of been used as more than a back up mop up duty RB. Not just the mop up RB, but the backup mop up RB

You need to catch up on some of the things Chip has been saying this Spring and also remember that he had a serious leg injury prior to the 2017 season. Not saying he's going to be the man, but saying you shouldn't write him off because of last year.

15 hours ago, Auburn2Eugene said:

That's why I think if we HAVE to see the wildcat, let Boobie cover it since he was a high school QB and we would at least have a chance at completing a pass out of that dang formation. 

If that's the qualification you want to go with, give it to Tolbert. He was a college QB... all be it a tiny college, but college none the less.

[AUsince72 11,084]

On 4/17/2018 at 9:47 PM, bigbird said:

Notice how many runs are in between the tackles as well as how many of those are 6+ ypc.

Oh I noticed.

Couldn't figure out why the coaches didn't notice....  

[bigbird 60,369]

1 minute ago, AUsince72 said:

Oh I noticed.

Couldn't figure out why the coaches didn't notice....  

Me either...

I prefer him over Whitlow, because it seems like Whitlow likes to dance and cut back a little too much. I've coached against KMart and know what he can and can't do.  I think he has been embarrassingly under utilized in his time at AU.

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

4 hours ago, bigbird said:

Me either...

I prefer him over Whitlow, because it seems like Whitlow likes to dance and cut back a little too much. I've coached against KMart and know what he can and can't do.  I think he has been embarrassingly under utilized in his time at AU.

People like to say he couldn’t be an every down, in between the tackles back, but he looked extremely solid on inside runs last year imo. Kmart should’ve gotten fed heavily in the SEC title  game, especially with KJ’s injury. In that game UGA has 4 RBs with 5+ carries, we had one. KJ had 13, Stidham had 9. Everyone else was below 5 carries. I really hope we learn how to balance the workload. I think we have the talent in place to do so

[AUIH1 1,515]

20 hours ago, bigbird said:

Me either...

I prefer him over Whitlow, because it seems like Whitlow likes to dance and cut back a little too much. I've coached against KMart and know what he can and can't do.  I think he has been embarrassingly under utilized in his time at AU.

Do tell?  I think this story can be told since Gus has been named HC. 

wde

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

The Wildcat at Auburn needs to become extinct. 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

22 minutes ago, WarDamnEagleWDE said:

The Wildcat at Auburn needs to become extinct. 

When it has a higher percentage of success than almost anything else we do on the field, why should it become extinct? I can think of very few times we ran it in 2017 where it didn't pick up the yards we needed or get us into the endzone. I mean, it didn't work 100% of the time, but what, outside of Cam up the middle, does?

[bigbird 60,369]

7 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

When it has a higher percentage of success than almost anything else we do on the field, why should it become extinct? I can think of very few times we ran it in 2017 where it didn't pick up the yards we needed or get us into the endzone. I mean, it didn't work 100% of the time, but what, outside of Cam up the middle, does?

It is too predictable.  If we gave it on the speed sweep every once in a while or maybe a boot action pass then it would be more effective. As is, it is fake the sweep power right.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

4 minutes ago, bigbird said:

It is too predictable.  If we gave it on the speed sweep every once in a while or maybe a boot action pass then it would be more effective. As is, it is fake the sweep power right.

While I don't disagree with anything you said, even with it's predictability it works far more often than it doesn't. I'd much rather see us expand on it than eliminate it.

Like I said in another post, put Tolbert back there. He was a QB until he came to Auburn and he's got the big body to will his way for a couple of yards. I think this year we also have the personnel to switch into it without substitution, which could give us the upper hand with some defensive packages. With Barrett in as receiver, it should allow for the speed sweep or a quick pass to him. Heck, if Gus would return to his old creative ways (or Chip show us he can be as creative), we could easily fake the sweep, toss it the other way to Stidham, and potentially hit a wide open receiver because they D sold out on the run. And, as we learned from his film, Stidham has played receiver, so if we have a back in there who can throw, we can send him out for a pass, too (as long as we don't tee him up to get hammered).  

[McLoofus 35,182]

11 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

While I don't disagree with anything you said, even with it's predictability it works far more often than it doesn't. I'd much rather see us expand on it than eliminate it.

Thank you

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

On 4/23/2018 at 10:29 AM, lionheartkc said:

While I don't disagree with anything you said, even with it's predictability it works far more often than it doesn't. I'd much rather see us expand on it than eliminate it.

Like I said in another post, put Tolbert back there. He was a QB until he came to Auburn and he's got the big body to will his way for a couple of yards. I think this year we also have the personnel to switch into it without substitution, which could give us the upper hand with some defensive packages. With Barrett in as receiver, it should allow for the speed sweep or a quick pass to him. Heck, if Gus would return to his old creative ways (or Chip show us he can be as creative), we could easily fake the sweep, toss it the other way to Stidham, and potentially hit a wide open receiver because they D sold out on the run. And, as we learned from his film, Stidham has played receiver, so if we have a back in there who can throw, we can send him out for a pass, too (as long as we don't tee him up to get hammered).  

Love to see expansion vs tossing it. Make the other guys have to think.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

How about Harold Joiner or Shaun Shivers.