FSU Football: Evaluating the quarterback situation moving forward

The blowout loss to Clemson was hard to watch, but could provide FSU football with invaluable information about each quarterback, moving forward.

There weren’t many positives to draw from Saturday’s blowout loss by FSU football to Clemson – hardly any in fact. The defense got picked apart by their first-team, the offense never really got anything going, and both quarterbacks struggled against a very good defense. The loss seemed inevitable and the disparity between the two programs was accurately displayed in the final score.

However, amidst an abysmal team-performance, I do think we were able to gain some invaluable data on each quarterback. I understand why some are upset with the constant rotation of Blackman and Hornibrook. In a perfect world, FSU would have one clear cut option at quarterback. We know this. But as we can clearly see, FSU’s current status as a program is far from ideal and the situation at quarterback is not “perfect.”

The vast majority of the time, I would prefer a definitive starter at the quarterback position. But, given the unique circumstances FSU has at quarterback, I think the approach we saw on Saturday taught us a lot about Hornibrook and Blackman, respectively.

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Think about it: the game was virtually over by the first quarter, so the coaching staff really didn’t have much to lose by swapping the quarterbacks as much as they did. By doing this, the coaching staff was able to get a pretty good look at how each guy performed against an elite defensive unit. They were also able to observe how each player reacted to being benched and then put back in the game, numerous times.

I think both Blackman and Hornibrook reacted well to being replaced in favor of the other, and each showed maturity towards the situation. Unless one of these guys clearly distinguishes himself as the starter, I would imagine we will keep seeing both quarterbacks, moving forward. So, the fact that both players are handling this tough situation with maturity is for sure a good sign.

I also think this constant rotation at quarterback shows that the coaching staff was trying anything they could to get a spark from this offense. This game was all but over very early on; I think the fact that the coaching staff kept trying different looks was a sign that they had not given up and were still fighting.

Though overwhelmingly outmatched, I don’t think this team ever stopped fighting. Even when the game was clearly decided, I never saw this team quit. This could not be said about last year’s effort.

The fact of the matter is, no matter if you are pro-Blackman or pro-Hornibrook, these two quarterbacks are both limited and are going to give you a similar product on offense. Blackman showed what his floor could be, and it was very bad. And Hornibrook’s physical limitations were pretty glaring against an elite defense. Neither of these quarterbacks is going to give you elite output over the course of the season. They just aren’t.

So, the more we can learn about what each  guy does well and does poorly, will only aid this team later in the season. Because, if there is one thing we did learn Saturday, its that we are definitely using two quarterbacks moving forward. Whether we like it or not.