dos Coogs: Should Clayton Tune Play Today?

There’s been some debate on The Veer this week about what Dana decides to do at QB in case of a blowout tonight. Everyone agrees you want to get D’Eriq King out of the game as soon as the game feels in hand. But what then?

Should Clayton Tune Play Today?

Ryan Monceaux – Because of atrocious decision-making by Major Applewhite and Kendal Briles last year, Clayton Tune was not able to take advantage of the four-game redshirt rule last year. 11 snaps at ECU in 2018 prevent him from being a redshirt-freshman this year. So did playing him in a meaningless bowl.

It’s a true testament to the last head coach’s recruiting and roster management abilities that he had just two scholarship QBs on the roster heading to 2019. Levi Williams is the QB you signed last December – he had no other offers. A 6’4″ QB from a 6A high school with no other offers! That was your game plan.

Dana released Williams from his scholarship in January and he signed with Wyoming.

But as far as it goes today, I think Tune needs to play. Get him game-reps, get him some film, and get Blackwell and Dana something to work with. I think his development is key: if the worst-case happens and King goes down late in the season then frankly, the season probably goes down with him.

Brad Towns – Hell no. Save him as long as you can. You get nothing out of playing him against a team like this.

If your goal is to redshirt him unless King is hurt, then you save him to play late in the year. Play against real teams and get real experience. Play the 3rd stringer today and let them get their feet wet.

Monceaux – Wrong. Tune needs that experience before he’s ready to be counted on late in the year (if that were to happen). He took 16 sacks in 2.5 games and was just 50% passing, which is why you should never put a true freshman in that position.

There’s no justification for decisions made late last year. He should have redshirted: Dormady could have come in vs. Tulane or Bryson Smith could have played the bowl.

Brad Towns – Major screwed that up. The only QB to redshirt last year was Quentin Dormady – the guy now starting at Central Michigan. Dormady played in the first two games (“played” … he took one snap at Rice) before bailing on the team early and quietly entering the portal (he announced his transfer location on December 11th). UH is eating his scholarship this year as he plays for CMU.

Monceaux The CMU student newspaper suggests Dormady was ‘finally healthy’ late in the year:

Toward the end of the season, Dormady began to make every throw he wanted in practice. His shoulder finally allowed him to do so. It impressed Briles and others on the staff.

If Dormady was healthy, he should have been the guy in the Tulane game. The staff should have had a plan for the possibility that King could be injured and the need to keep Tune’s redshirt. Major didn’t have a plan for it and he put the 2019 program in this position.

But now that we’re here, Tune needs the work early in the season.
 

Join GoCoogs For *All* Of Our Content

No one has broken more UH stories in the last year than GoCoogs.com. Our subscribers get breaking information first and always get the extra info you won’t see anywhere else.

Join GoCoogs

Join GoCoogs
Football Season Is Here!

GoCoogs takes Cougar fans beyond the game recap with premium content and exclusive stories you can’t find anywhere else.
 
The biggest inside scoops – no one breaks more UH football news than GoCoogs;

20+ pieces of content each game week – more than every other outlet combined;

NEW! Talkin’ Bout Them Cougars! – our new twice-weekly Cougar football podcast;

Film Room: analyzing the plays that turn the game;

NEW! Game breakdowns from former players;

Beyond the Box Score: our popular feature on the analytics of a game;

NEW! On This Day stories that take our social media series even further;

Profiles of current and former players and UH commits;

Our popular series: UH Glory Days;

Exclusive Q&As with players, coaches, and administrators;

Our subscriber-only message board, The Veer;

And more!

No one produces more quality HOUSTON COUGARS content than GoCoogs. This season, 75% of our content will be exclusively for our subscribers.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”#dd0000″ class=”” size=”20″] Did you know? GoCoogs is the only UH subscription website with special pricing for UH students & staff. [/perfectpullquote]

Become a subscriber now:

Annual Subscription – $89.99

Or you can subscribe month-to-month:

Monthly Subscription – $10.99
 

Once you subscribe to GoCoogs.com, you receive full access to our premium content. You also have access to the Veer, our private, subscriber-only message board.

The Veer forum is where we first post our insider scoops, news, and stats. GoCoogs subscribers have built a fun, drama-free community that allows for great, civil conversation among passionate Cougar fans. By having a completely private forum, we’ve eliminated trolling, outsiders, politics, and over-the-top profanity.

Subscribers also have access to awesome UH emojis, exclusively on the Veer, like these:

UH Emojis Available With A GoCoogs Subscription
A sample of the more than 100 UH-themed emojis available on the Veer

Get all of this for just $89.99! There’s no better deal for Cougar fans!
 

A great deal for UH students and staff

GoCoogs offers discounted subscription options for UH students & staff: either a monthly ($3.99/month) or annual ($29.99) subscription. These plans are only valid only when subscribing with a @uh.edu e-mail address.[footnote]We reserve the right to verify if students and staff are currently enrolled or employed at UH.[/footnote]

Students & Staff Monthly – $3.99 | Students & Staff Annually – $29.99

GoCoogs.com is the only UH subscription website with special pricing for UH students & staff.
 

*Please note: the promotional subscription deals above are valid for until August 31, 2019, and cannot be guaranteed after that. These are our most up-to-date subscription specials.

*By clicking Place Your Order, you agree to our Payment Terms. After year one, your subscription renews at the regular rate available at the time of renewal. Fall 2019 renewals will be for $89.99.
 

Recent Content