Recipe for Success: QB Stability

Tyler Russell enters the year as the clear cut #1 quarterback. Dak Prescott hasn’t even seen the field, and there is no doubt this is Russell’s team. If he can make it through the year with out getting injured or benched, history shows us this will be a good year for State.

2011 (7-6) – Chris Relf had 11 starts and Russell two. But Relf only threw for 51% of the team’s passing yards…and Russell had to enter the game in several critical situations.

2010 (9-4) – Relf maintained the starting job the entire year. Russell came in sparingly to get experience, but was not counted on to win games.

2009 (5-7) – Tyson Lee started all the games…how I don’t know because he got knocked around a lot. He was only quasi-effective though and threw 14 INTs to his 4 TDs. In the biggest game, the Egg Bowl, Relf took over and led State to an upset win.

2008 (4-8) – Croom started the year vs. LA Tech by alternating Wesley Carroll and Tyson Lee each quarter. Dumb start, and eventually Carroll’s poor play gave way to Lee who started 8 games.

2007 (8-5) – Michael Henig came in as the starter but played horribly: 9 INTs to 1 TD. Josh Riddell played a little in the South Carolina game but got injured for the year. Luckily true Wes Carroll was there to catch the team, starting the final 9 games…but even he had some struggles down the stretch and Croom put Henig back in.

2006 (3-9) – Henig broke his collarbone in the first game of the year, which gave way to Tray Rutland who promptly tore his ACL or something. Omarr Conner had to switch back to QB from WR where he muddled through the next 5 games before Henig could play again.

2005 (3-8) – Omarr Conner started the first 8 games and played a mediocre quarterback. Michael Henig took over for the final three games and played a little less than mediocre except for the Egg Bowl where he was able to successfully hand the ball off to Jerious Norwood in a 35-14 Rebel beatdown.

2004 (3-8) – Conner started nine games that year but had a few injuries that cost him some games. Kyle York had to take over when he did.

2003 (2-10) – Kevin Fant holds some MSU records from this season because we were behind and he had to throw so much. I guess you could say there was QB stability in this year….but the team was horrible and doesn’t compare to 2012.

2002 (3-9) – The season got started off on the wrong foot when Fant got a discount on some tires and Kyle York had to start at Oregon as a freshman. From there Fant and York played. Fant more than York, it was bad.

2001 (3-8) – Wayne Madkin entered the season already MSU’s all-time leading passer. However, he couldn’t lead the team on to bigger things and Kevin Fant eventually took over and threw for 300 more yards than Madkin.

2000 (8-4) – Stability. Madkin was the man all year, with Fant the backup.

1999 (10-2) – This is probably the exception to the rule. Wayne Madkin was the starter all year long, and threw for 77% of the passing yards, but as we all know Matt Wyatt had to come in a few times and save the day – Auburn and Kentucky as you may remember. But Madkin was more talented while Wyatt was the experienced senior…a unique but successful combo.

1998 (8-5) – As a true freshman Wayne Madkin took over early and never looked back. Wyatt was the backup.

That’s about as far back as I feel like going. Getting tired at this point. But what you see here is the last 14 years of MSU football. Only 4 times did State have QB stability, and there were 3 winning seasons. 10 times they didn’t, and there were 7 losing seasons.