Evaluating talent apparently is not a Brent Guy specialty.
How else would you explain his comments about Boise State quarterback phenom Kellen Moore? Short-term, acute amnesia? Lunacy? Spite? In his weekly press conference with the Utah media, Guy approached the topic of Moore and the Bronco offense, and he had very few good things to say about the WAC's leading passer.
They have veteran receivers and a running back that help out the freshman quarterback. They make that guy a lot better. He is certainly a good player but he is not the veteran guy like they had before. They are still play-calling to help him and put pressure on the other guys and not the quarterback.
Ouch. Are we sure he wasn't talking about Nathan Enderle by mistake?
Guy's comments show a blatant disregard for the best pure-passing quarterback in the WAC and maybe the best pure passer in all of the West Coast. Moore has been downright sensational in his first eight college games. He has over 2,000 yards passing, 18 touchdowns, and a quarterback efficiency rating of over 160. And Brent Guy thinks he's no Taylor Tharp?
Whatever make-believe world Guy is in living in must not get KTVB or ESPN because anyone who has watched Moore play knows that he is more than just a game-managing quarterback. He has single-handedly carried the Bronco offense through most of the season. He pretty much won the Oregon game with his golden left arm. And he makes grown men's knees wobble every time he drops back in the pocket. Grown men, Brent Guy! Grown men!
How then could a fellow conference coach be so wrong about the best quarterback in the conference? It wasn't as if Guy mixed up a few meaningless statistics or mispronounced Moore's name. It was more like Guy didn't even know Moore's name. He referred to him as "the freshman quarterback" and "that guy," and we're more than a little surprised that he didn't drop the classic "what's-his-face."
Even if Guy had addressed Moore directly, it's not like his comments would have carried any more credence. Everything he said was pretty much wrong, especially in the eyes of blatant Bronco apologists like us.
- "They have veteran receivers and a running back that help out the freshman quarterback." Yes, the veteran receivers sure were helpful when they were suspended for the opener and suspended indefinitely for the rest of the season. Austin Pettis and Vinny Perretta have been around all year, but Moore has shared the ball plenty with every receiver under the sun. Kyle Efaw much?And don't even get us started on "the running back." If the Bronco ground game has helped out Moore so far this season, we would like to see proof.
- "They make that guy a lot better." Or vice versa. Actually, definitely vice versa.
- "He is certainly a good player, but he is not the veteran guy like they had before." Are you referring to Taylor Tharp? Jared Zabransky? Moore will have better numbers than both of them before all is said and done.
- "They are still play-calling to help him and put pressure on the other guys and not the quarterback." We're pretty sure Guy just made this statement up. We were under the impression that the entire playbook was at Moore's disposal. Now we are under the impression that Guy is an idiot. We have been under this impression before.
Fortunately, there is a silver lining to Brent Guy's dark, snubby raincloud. All Moore has to do in response to Guy is do what he does every week: throw for over 250 yards, pass for three touchdowns, and have a seat on the sideline in the third quarter when the score is 35-0.
Then, maybe Brent Guy will remember his name.
Read more: Utah State press conference quotes [USU Aggies]