NDSU's lineage of quarterbacking rivals any college in the country on any of the levels for both longevity & quality. Starting with Brock Jensen in the Division 1 era it was taken to another level, through Trey Lance's brief time as the slinger. Since that one+ season it has been a challenge to find one to take the baton & continue performing up to the level of the previous champions.
This season it will once again be Cam Miller & Cole Payton as the primary (& probably exclusive) ones to take the snaps. They have both proven their effectiveness as stressers to the opposing defense when called upon or given the chance to tuck the ball & run with it. But even in football of the 2023 vintage, quarterbacks running with the ball is a secondary function of the position. If one can't throw with efficiency & explosiveness then the ultimate goal will not be achieved.
And that is what this series of posts will focus on, how the quarterbacks handle the primary responsibility of the position on a game by game basis.
His third game of the season was Cam Miller's best and it's hard to imagine he will find a way to be better over the remainder of this season or if he indeed does come back for a super-senior campaign. 18 of 19 passes completed is incomprehensibly surgical!
The closest Easton Stick ever came to that was going 11 of 12 against South Dakota. Amazingly that netted the San Diego backup 307 yards while Miller finished with an even 200. Maybe that's why the efficiency wasn't recognized during the game, the completions were mostly for short gains. If he can be anywhere near that level of a game-manager against the Jacks then he will get that particular blemish off his record and set the stage for bigger things during the one-and-done time!
With their commanding lead, Cole Payton once again didn't have to do much as a passer and finished with a minuscule three attempts. Of those, two were completed and went for gains of 28 & 18 yards, so he was also very dialed-in to dissecting the Bears!
Between the two, 11 different targets were connected with so that's another headache for opposing defensive coaches to try and plan for. Of them all, Eli Green was the most popular for Miller with five targets, including the one incompletion, while Zach Mathis had one less grab. Being up 35 mid-way through the third quarter facilitated more guys getting on the field but it's heartening to know that the quarterbacks trust the ninth, tenth & eleventh members to close on opportunities!
With a week off upcoming the pair needs to do all they can to maintain that level of sharpness! Drops & tips will happen so the percentages and the lack of turnovers won't always be as good but it's indisputable that they are building toward the exact sort of offense they needed to have last season.
Five games til Brookings
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