Weekly Dose of Quotable Quotes

With Evan Sharpley getting his first start on Saturday, the Nasties crew thought that it would only be appropriate to focus the weekly segment on his BC performance (courtesy of BGS) and his press conference (found at und.com).

As always, performances look a little different on TV than they do in person. Perhaps the score for once being close this year, I was simply more excited when Sharpley was in and it looked like we had a chance. After re-watching his performance, I discovered a few plays from the second half that I seemed to have blocked out of my memory:

1. During a string of 6 straight incompletions, Sharpley dropped back in the pocket only to find two BC defensive linemen already on top of him. In an effort to avoid the sack, Evan got rid of the ball, but it is easy to see that if the BC cornerback that the ball was thrown didn't have feet for hands, the pass would have been picked for a touchdown. Lesson: getting rid of the ball is good, but there are times when it is better to take the sack.

2. A few attempts later, Sharpley pulled a Clausen and stared down a receiver (Kamara) on a fly route. The safety moved over and Kamara was covered so tight that he was losing circulation in his extremities, but the ball was still thrown to him. Lesson: I respect Sharpley trying to make plays, but there is such a thing as too risky. I still don't think that this mistake is as bad as Clausen's because in Sharpley's case, the pass was ten yards longer, attempted in the endzone, and he was at least able to avoid underthrowing his target, making for a much more difficult interception.

3. Armando Allen cannot pick up a blitz. This doesn't have a lot to do with Sharpley, but does explain why he faced a little more pressure than he needed to. In a funny turn of events, linebackers were juking Allen out of his shoes. Lesson: sigh... with Aldridge still banged up, expect to see Travis Thomas in more on passing plays...

4. There were a couple passes thrown that flat out missed their targets. He wasn't throwing the ball away or being heavily pressured, but the balls landed ten yards away from the nearest receiver. Lesson: maybe it was a route running miscommunication, but don't throw the ball to nobody.

Do I still think Sharpley should start against USC? Absolutely, and here's why: pocket presence and play making ability. When BC's ends came screaming off the edges, Sharpley had the confidence (and ability to take a hit) to step up in the pocket, avoid the rush, and deliver a clean ball. This is what quarterbacks are supposed to do, but when a linebacker shoots the B gap or one of the D-tackles gives pressure up the middle, Sharpley still possesses the 'escapability' to rollout and make a play. Two prime examples from the game are his completions to Schwapp and Carlson; both instances appeared to be heading towards disaster, but he found a way to take a chance and get it done, and its this intangible that I like about Sharpley.

When asked about his improvisation, Sharpley responded, "when things break down, you just go back to your instinct of football and make a play." He went on to say that the speed of the pass rush is much faster in the college game, and it takes some time to adjust to. Hopefully Clausen will realize later on in his career that he can't out run defensive ends; it seems here that Sharpley's two years of experience are paying the biggest dividends.

On the transfer note, a reporter asked Sharpley how he was able to remain confident and work through the difficulty of not seeing much playing time by the start of his junior year. Sharpley gave thanks to his family and friends for giving him a lot of support and confidence throughout his career as a non-starter. Lesson: if you see a football player around campus, give him a hug, these guys need assurance every once and awhile too.

Go Irish. Beat Trojans.