WVU fans are patiently waiting to see who will take over the reigns as the Mountaineers’ new field general. But it doesn’t matter who the quarterback is in 2013. Some of you might be thinking, “Uhhh, what do you mean? I don’t want some Joe Schmo out there slinging the ball around.” But in reality, the way this offense is ran, Dana Holgorsen could flip a quarter to decide the quarterback and everything would be just fine.
Holgorsen studied under Mike Leach, who is known for being a revolutionary in the passing game. Leach helped bring the Air Raid offense to life in college football and Holgorsen has been perfecting it ever since.
At Texas Tech, Holgorsen worked with quarterbacks Cody Hodges and Graham Harrell. Both of whom put up outstanding numbers during their collegiate careers. Hodges led the NCAA in completions and attempts, and finished 3rd in passing yards in 2005. After Hodges, Harrell took over for three years, setting records while he was at Texas Tech. He threw for 5,705 yards and 48 touchdowns in 2007.
After leaving Texas Tech, Holgorsen went to Houston, where he took Case Keenum under his wing. Keenum threw for over 5,000 yards and over 40 touchdowns in both seasons under Holgorsen.
Next, Holgorsen went to Oklahoma State where he united with Brandon Weeden, who then became a starting quarterback in the NFL. Weeden threw for 4,277 yards and 34 touchdowns.
Then Holgorsen came to Morgantown. He turned Geno Smith into a potential Heisman candidate and an eventual 2nd round draft pick in a depleted quarterback class. Smith threw for over 4,000 yards and over 30 touchdowns in both seasons under Holgorsen.
The point is simple here. Holgorsen is an offensive master mind. Think back to the Orange Bowl with WVU and the famous “volleyball pass”. Announcers, analysts, reporters, and fans everywhere were amazed at such a simple touch pass. The play was simple. You send your fastest man around in motion, snap the ball and tap it to him. The key to the play was that if that receiver happened to drop the ball, it was an incompletion. Also, if that person, in this case it was usually Tavon Austin, took the ball 75 yards to the house, the quarterback was credited with a 75 yard touchdown pass. Stats soared off of just one little play.
So when you think about it, Holgorsen has taken no name type quarterbacks and built them a legacy, solidifying his along with it. It doesn’t matter if it’s Clint Trickett, Ford Childress, Paul Millard or even Holgorsen himself in at quarterback, this offense will produce numbers.
