Huard Leapfrogged Morris for More Snaps And Here's Why
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The first reaction was the University of Washington quarterback competition took a subtle but an interesting turn against Portland State.
After starter Michael Penix Jr. did all of the heavy lifting against the Big Sky visitor, taking 54 snaps and helping put up 45 points in three quarters, he turned the ball over first to Dylan Morris and then Sam Huard.
Morris, last year's starter, received a lone series consisting of seven plays.
Huard, however, went out for two drives and 13 plays, guiding the Huskies to their final score in a 52-6 victory at Husky Stadium. He completed both of his passes for 24 yards and got sacked once, while Morris hit on 1 of 3 for 15 yards.
Should we have read anything into that greater delegation of playing time?
While Penix has a clear edge as the starter, was young Huard now positioning himself to pass Morris as the backup in the Husky quarterback hierarchy?
Not necessarily, insisted UW offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who decided in advance, if everything fell into place, how game time would be doled out in consultation with coach Kalen DeBoer.
"We had a discussion leading into the game with coach DeBoer and I that, if we got in a situation where we were fortunate enough to get the game under control, getting Dylan more game reps was not a priority because Dylan has played a lot of football and Sam obviously hasn't," Grubb said. "If we got in a position where Dylan had a series or two, then we were going to get Sam in there for mechanics."
Illustrating how Huard remains a work in progress, Grubb noted how the redshirt freshman failed to get the offense properly lined up a couple of times and fumbled a snap on another play.
Obviously, there's a lot more to quarterbacking in a detail-oriented DeBoer/Grubb offense in a primetime role than being heavily recruited and throwing a nice spiral.
"[We] just see things he needs to get cleaned up," the offensive coordinator said of Huard. "I know Sam will keep working on that."
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