Views from the bottom of The Hill: The offense doesn’t have it together
October 20, 2020
After the game against the University of Alabama-Birmingham, I think it is safe to say that the reason this WKU team hasn’t been able to get the ball rolling was not Tyrrell Pigrome.
Fans have been calling for a change at the quarterback position for the last couple of weeks and finally got it, and the question I ask you is what did that move prove? Has anything changed?
No.
The problem this Hilltopper team faces is an all around issue. In every aspect of the game Saturday, WKU was outplayed by UAB and put up less than their normal average amount of points (18.6) that they have this season.
The defense has been struggling all year. The highly touted offensive line this team is supposed to have hasn’t shown up this year, and the running game is basically nonexistent, averaging 108 yards while the opponent is at 200 a game.
The point is, although the quarterback play hasn’t been the best it is far from Pigrome’s fault, and this game showed that. Now the guy has a turf toe, which doesn’t make it any better.
Kevaris Thomas went 16 for 35, totaling 162 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions against the Blazers. For the past two games, he’s thrown for 310 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions on 47% completion.
Pigrome has thrown for 559 yards with six touchdowns on 59% completions, but the big number is he’s thrown zero interceptions this season. None.
Besides the game against Marshall, he’s taken care of the ball exceptionally. Thomas obviously has the better arm, which is why I think fans have been clamoring at the chance to see him start a game, but at the same time, Pigrome is the better decision-maker and protector of the ball and doesn’t try to force certain throws that don’t need to be thrown.
It seems like each player has a different playbook when they are on the field. With Pigrome, the offense plays very timidly and conservatively, while with Thomas the field gets spread out with more shots being taken downfield and that’s when the play-calling has to come into question.
The quarterback has to take more of the load when the run game isn’t up to par. It feels like the running scheme this year is to run laterally more than to run parallel down the field. What has changed in a year to the point that Gaej Walker goes from averaging nearly 100 yards a game to getting 20 a game?
It’s also hard to expect great passing numbers when there has been a lot of turmoil in the receiving core with Lucky Jackson graduating last year and Jacquez Sloan and Jahcour Pearson leaving the program this year, who were supposed to be the number one and two receivers in this offense.
The inexperience on the field has shown throughout the season whether receivers are falling while running routes, running the wrong routes, or when the quarterback scrambles they’re sitting there watching him and not moving to find open space.
The overall question is, what has changed from last year to this year on why this team isn’t playing up to expectations?
With 80% of the starters returning at the beginning of the season, it shouldn’t be as sloppy as it is, but one thing for certain is the fault or pressure of the season’s downfall can’t be put on the shoulders of the quarterback.
Men’s basketball beat reporter & columnist Kaden Gaylord can be reached at [email protected]. Follow Kaden on Twitter at @_KLG3.
