I'm just wondering what part of the QB system was messed up before Dawson arrived. We used a 2-QB system the first year out of necessity while redshirting a potential future starter (Towles). Last year, Towles underperformed but the flashes of good play were apparent, so we kept the redshirt on Barker at all costs because he would have benefitted from an additional year.
When Stoops and Brown came in they presumably wanted to go with some kind of ball control passing game. At least that is what Brown's offensive background suggested. Smith could handle it but 2012 proved (at least to me) that Whitlow could not.
I think all of us knew that Whitlow was a misfit in a passing offense. Yet Whitlow was installed as the #2 guy if Smith went down, which he did. When you are in the situation they were in (i.e., needing to show "improvement" from the past years)
you simply cannot red shirt a guy that can help you win a game. My opinion at the time (and I still believe it) that they should have gone with Towles as the #2.
Well, after Whitlow gets the majority of 2013 snaps and helps produce a 2-10 season they see the light and ask him to move to TE...and he transfers. With Smith still out and Whitlow gone the inexperienced Towles takes over at QB in 2014. Stud QB recruit Barker is red shirted despite a fairly modest season long performance by Towles (leading rusher that year).
Hypothetical question here: might Towles have been better in 2014 if he had played in 2013 (which ended up being a throw away year anyway).
With a year in the saddle Towles is the obvious QB choice for 2015 but despite more pedestrian passing performance
Barker and the supposedly good Phillips never sniff the field until Barkers gets 2 starts at the end of the year.. Why not give Barker or Towles a planned series in the first half of every game to see how they perform? If it is a planned approach it will not be the proverbial QB controversy and games are usually not won or lost in the 2nd quarter. Besides you have to get the #2 guy some legitimate experience if #1 goes down.
So Towles and Phillips both transfer out at the end of 2015 defaulting the job to the so far less than special Barker and creating the current situation of a very shallow QB roster.
To sum up, playing Whitlow early was a mistake which cascaded through the following year with his transfer. The QB problem was then exacerbated by the failure to play either Barker or Phillips as Towles struggled through 2015. I'm not sure how the staff could have messed up more.
IMO, the problem was wayyy to much focus on red shirting for the future when the focus should have been "we have to do what we can to win a game or two now". Nobody red shirts a player that can help you now. All JMO.
Peace
