While Penix Tops Nation in Passing, UW Prepares Other QBs
On the University of Washington campus, students gravitate to the Michael G. Foster School of Business and the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering.
They're places of higher learning, schools within a school, classroom settings that offer a chance to get ahead in life and can be really hard to get into.
This quarter, the UW has more high-end curriculum to offer — the Ryan X. and O. Grubb School of Quarterbacking. Michael Penix Jr., Dylan Morris and Sam Huard are serious students with a host of other players expected to pursue admission to this select group in due time.
While Penix currently holds down the starting job and leads the nation in passing, Morris and Huard have been relegated to reserve roles after losing out in a three-man fall competition. They have been left to develop their games under Grubb's tutelage, especially with Penix likely a one-and-done Husky.
When all of that happened, their big-picture choices were fairly straightforward back in August: hit the transfer portal or stick around Montlake and learn from the master in Grubb, someone who's building a fairly heady reputation now that he's at a Power 5 school.
Morris was a 15-game starter over two seasons and Huard an Apple Cup starter last season. Neither guy showed any inclination to back away from the challenge put forth to them at the UW, even if it personally felt like a step back.
"Those guys have done a really good job," said Grubb, while pointing out the difficulties of not being the starter. "I think it's hard to make progress and that was laid out and the challenge was put to those guys right when the starting quarterback announcement was made."
Morris, in particular, has responded well. A previous 15-game Husky starter, he was summoned late into the game at Arizona State, once Penix got roughed up and had to momentarily leave the field, and he responded with a clutch 15-yard completion.
His challenge to possibly regain the No. 1 job someday is to make much better decisions after leading the Pac-12 in interceptions (12) last season.
Huard likewise brings notable arm strength as a left-hander, similar to Penix, but needs to earn coaching-staff trust that he can get the job done with minimal mistakes on Saturdays.
With the season in play, it's tough for non-starters to get a lot of meaningful work in, though this bye week will afford them added opportunities, Grubb pointed out. The QBs often are left to scramble to get whatever practice reps they can each week.
Yet the Huskies are still working hard to have Morris and Huard make in-season progress.
"There's other inventive ways that we've tried to continue to develop those guys and they've both adhered to that," Grubb said. "Whether taking throwing reps on the side, meeting with myself extra, meeting with Mitch Dahlen our quarterback analyst or even meeting with Coach [Kalen] DeBoer on the side when he has time.
"Anything we can do to help the development of what we consider to be a really important position on the team — we really spare no expense on that."
Grubb keeps them heavily involved in the game plan each week and he likes what he's seen from each player in their involvement so far.
While those quarterbacks surely were disappointed in not landing the starting job, the offensive coordinator never had a sense that either one of them was entering ideas to leave.
It's helped that Penix currently leads the nation in passing yardage (366.75 per game) and the Huskies top all FBS teams in the same category (379.2), evidence they should stick around and hope to turn their newfound knowledge into high-level performance when the time comes.
"I never felt like they didn't believe, I guess I'll say that, prior to the proof," Grubb said. "I felt those guys were in the whole time. When Mike was named the starter, people asked about Sam transferring and I didn't feel that was the case; that those guys were in. ... The kids are human. Now that they see it that there's some success happening, they feel even more entrenched in the system."
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