Before the UNLV game, some fans (and media) convinced themselves that Donovan Smith would be in the Heisman conversation. And then, after one bad game, they were surprised that he would start at OU.
Indeed, there’s been a lot of talk online from UH fans about benching quarterback Donovan Smith in favor of Zeon Chriss or Ui Ale. It’s wishcasting, with fans pinning all the blame on Smith and hoping that what they saw on Saturday could be avoided in Norman. But a change at QB is not happening. And it shouldn’t.
Donovan was bad; he hurried and was also hesitant at times. There were numerous throws and decisions where he looked lost, and the team was 1/12 on third down with him in the game. No spinning that.
But a head coach with 30+ years of experience does not bench a quarterback for one bad game, especially in the coach’s debut. Way too many things went wrong – poor OL play, missing blocking assignments, penalties on crucial plays, receivers running the wrong routes, running backs going to the wrong hole, getting too cute in the run game, and an OC that abandoned the run way too fast – to think that a QB change solves anything. But Smith was not good. No question.
That said, Donovan has earned the right to start, and perhaps as importantly, the other two QBs are not ready. Some thoughts:
1. Zeon Chriss came to UH to contend for the starter’s spot. Head coach Willie Fritz told us a few weeks ago that Chriss would play in the UNLV game, and #2 received one series in the second quarter. It was a weird series – two penalties accepted, one on each team, one declined, and 30 yards gained on five plays. It was the most yards on a UH drive until late in the 3rd quarter, but Chriss did not attempt a pass.
Notably, Chriss did not get another drive in the game. In his postgame press conference, Willie said he was banged up in his drive and had to be taken out. Chriss was hit hard in the backfield on a quarterback draw during the final snap of that drive. He received treatment early in the week, and Fritz said on Monday that his backup QB was “better today than he was yesterday.” As of Wednesday morning’s practice, it was uncertain if Chriss could play this weekend.
2. Ui Ale had a fantastic drive at the end of the game, zipping it around the field with confidence. Ale made quick decisions and got the ball off on time. This week in practice, his ball looked better than it had since practice began.
But Ale looked good against a group of (mostly) backups at the end of a blowout. That’s quite a bit different than starting in an 83,000-seat SEC stadium. He’s not ready for that assignment. Ale had fallen behind Caleb McMickle in preseason reps before the freshman tore his ACL, but Ale answered the bell when called on.
I think a backup will get reps in the OU game, but I’m unsure if it will be Chriss or Ale. Either way, Donovan Smith and the entire offense deserve some time to correct the issues from last week.
News and Notes
After losing left tackle Patrick Paul to the NFL and center Jack Freeman’s eligibility being exhausted, there were always going to be issues on the OL. However, no one was prepared for the group to look as bad as they did against UNLV. Tank Jenkins has always been solid in the passing game, but stats from Pro Football Focus say he was one of the worst 10 pass-blocking guards in week one. David Ndukwe had the 3rd-best pass block score on PFF among all FBS tackles but was near the bottom nationwide in run blocking.
The three running backs that had rushing attempts – Parker Jenkins, Stacy Sneed, and Re’Shaun Sanford – combined for eight carries for 34 yards. Certainly nothing to write home about, but 4.25 ypc is okay. Running backs were only given four carries in the 49 plays when Donovan was on the field. That’s difficult to understand.
The offense cannot keep putting Donovan Smith in such bad spots on 3rd down. Thirteen of UH’s 15 3rd-down attempts were 5+ yards (eight were 9+ yards). Smith was 1/7 on third down for 21 yards, with two interceptions and a grounding penalty. He completed more passes to UNLV than UH on 3rd down.
Outside the right numbers, Donovan was 1/7 for 3 yards and an INT. Smith and Ale combined were 11/12 behind the line of scrimmage, with the one incompletion going for a pick-six. That play occurred because Peyton Dunn was called for holding on the previous snap.
Quickly: The 11 completions behind the LOS were half of UH’s total for the game…Joseph Manjack has scored six TDs in his last seven games…OU’s offense was 1/12 on third down last week vs. Temple (but 3/3 on 4th down)…No one had Joseph Kim as the second-leading scorer after week one. The back-up placekicker booted the PAT with Liam Dougherty holding.