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.
For the first time this season we saw why it is vital to have a quarterback that can operate at a high level. It's something that football fans learn early on but can be taken for granted with the dominant run that the team has been on. Through three games it looked the question that Cam Miller had worked his way into during last season was going to be answered in a resoundingly-positive manner during this latest trip to Texas. By no means does the fourth game of the season sink that possibility
but it is worse for the ware this evening.
With just six possessions in the game, it was a unique challenge for all involved made all the more complicated by South Dakota scoring touchdowns on each of it's first three chances. Any of NDSU's great former quarterbacks would have had a tough time making good on that few chances.
The complexity increased even further as Miller threw the lone turnover in the game.
The throw was generally in the direction of a receiver but the outcome aside, it was much closer to the bottom than the top on the list of all his throws this season, past & future combined. He might not throw five worse than that the rest of the season. So yeah, hopefully it's an aberration.
But it can't be wholly swept aside just on that possibility.
As with the game as a whole, the one mistake also shouldn't be blown out of proportion. He rebounded from it to lead the team on three of the four second-half scoring drives which by definition is clutch. As efficient as he was the previous three games, it would be massive if he can add "clutch" to his resume during the two or three tight regular season games that are likely ahead!