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.
Against Eastern Washington Miller was both efficient & explosive. His completion % was 72 and he had three more catchable passes that the receivers weren't able to handle. So he could have been north of 80% with 200-some yards and maybe a third touchdown.
If he can copy/paste that into every week of the season then he will put the doubt to bed and go into his second senior season with plenty of professional prospects.
Beyond just the percentage, he spread the ball around excellently with 10 different receivers getting a chance throughout the game. Along the way he displayed the necessary zip to make defenses think-twice about selling-out to stop the ground assault.
In a much smaller sample his understudy continued to be an 'incomplete.' Of his three measly throws, one was completed, for two yards.
Pragmatically, there shouldn't be overreaction to what either of the quarterbacks did, because it's just one game against a team that has a history of not be the stoutest on defense.
But it's well within the realm of possibility to think that Payton is just the new Quincy Patterson. That can work most weeks in an offense like NDSU's with all the talent that is around him - but would be a letdown considering the buzz that was generated when he chose the Bison.
Maybe opportunity is the missing component for him but he will have to make more of the drop-backs & roll-outs that he does get, to get an increased number of chances.
To put a bow on it, Saturday afternoon at the Purple Palace was encouraging & discouraging, which is good news for both types of viewers of the glass.