BOCA RATON – Daniel Parr’s recent success in games hasn’t done much to close the gap between him and starting quarterback Jason Driskel.
“There’s a reason why Jason is the starter right now,” FAU offensive coordinator Travis Trickett said. “Daniel is developing. Daniel is going to be a great player. He’s not there yet.”
Parr led FAU to a touchdown on his lone drive against Marshall on Saturday – one of the three touchdowns the Owls posted against the Thundering Herd.
Two of his last three drives found the end zone for the Owls, dating back to the game against Charlotte.
How much of a difference Parr’s insertion into the lineup made is a matter for debate. In the drive against Marshall, Parr completed two of three passes for 24 yards. Six rushing plays covered the remaining 65 yards, the final one being Devin Singletary’s 48-yard touchdown burst.
The Owls inserted Parr into the game for the third possession of the first half in each of the past two games, allowing him to operate under a limited playbook. He also played three series in the second half against Charlotte.
“If he was six for eight on the drive [against Marshall] and was boom, boom, boom, boom boom, with the momentum really dictated by him, yes, absolutely we would maybe say coach, probably want to stick with him this next drive,” Trickett said.
While Parr is improving, so is Driskel.
With a potent running game increasingly carrying the FAU offense, Driskel played efficiently on Saturday, completing nine of 17 attempts for 151 yards and one interception. For the season, Driskel’s passing efficiency rating sits at 115.7, which ranks 95th nationally among the 111 qualified passers.
Against Marshall Driskel also carried the ball eight times for 57 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown run.
Trickett said Driskel made a big step forward against Marshall with hits “decision making and being a little bit cleaner on things, and being a little bit more self disciplined on things.”
At the moment Driskel’s understanding of the offense continues to give him a significant advantage over Parr’s arm strength.
While Parr is experiencing success, his current playing time is more about development as it is a push for the starting spot.
“No, right now Jason is the starter, Daniel will continue to get series,” Trickett said. “Daniel improving would kind of maybe (bring about) that discussion, but that also depends on Jason.”
Kalib Woods, FAU’s leading receiver, says it doesn’t matter which quarterback is in the game.
“Sometimes I won’t really know who’s the quarterback until I’m switching sides of the field and I run past, and I’m like, oh, that’s Driskel or that’s Parr,” he said.
So are we really to trust the decision making of the coaching failures Trickett and Partridge? I’ve got nothing against Driskell. He appears to be a solid young man and committed soldier to his coaches. He is a product of the incompetence of the coaching staff. Neither Driskell nor Parr has a chance to succeed in this inept system.
But can you win with a QB rated 95th out of 111? Let me explain that rating. Only 16 QBs have performed more poorly than Driskell and 94 have performed better. Certainly, Parr needs a real opportunity to prove he could be better than 95th. If you have seen both perform, Parr is the superior passer and leader.
Why can the RBs get break away runs when Parr is under center? Because the defense has to respect his ability to pass downfield and fall back in coverage opening the opportunities for the run and the pass.. Driskell rarely passes more than 3 yards beyond the line of scrimmage so the defense can play within10 yards of the the line of scrimmage closing both running lanes and short pass routes. Are you reading this Trickett? You may learn something.
Driskell is a good young man which may be his weakness as he simply follows directions and performs within the Trickett box. But he is not the talent to lead a D1 team to success. Parr has the skills, the smarts, and the winning experience. This claim he is not ready is poor judgement on Trickett’s part.
FIRE TRICKETT NOW!!!
Think about this….in summer camp we heard that the QBs were equally ready to be the starter. Then suddenly, hours before the first game, Parr doesn’t have the grasp of the offense and Driskell is better prepared. 7 weeks later the same excuse is used.
Someone, likely Trickett, is getting some “reward” for starting Driskell.
NO OTHER COACH IN FOOTBALL; HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE OR PRO; WOULD LOSE 6 STRAIGHT GAMES WITHOUT MAKING A CHANGE AT QB UNLESS THERE WAS SOME PERSONAL GAIN FOR THE COACH IN KEEPING THE SAME QB.
FIRE TRICKETT NOW!!!
I am not seeing the improvement in Driskel. If completing 9 of 17 passes and throwing an INT is improving then I’m speechless. On top of being the 95th ranked passer, and losing how many games? With as much experience as he has now, you must have better results.