Is it former Heisman Trophy Winner and National Champion Tim Tebow, could it Big 12 Champion Quarterback and Heisman candidate Colt McCoy or does Pac 10 Champion and human bowling ball Jeremiah Massoli earn the honor?
All three have had stellar careers and should be playing on Sunday but is it possible an unknown could have surpassed them?
Lets look at the unknown, Boise States Kellen Moore and see how he measures up. First we will use a recent Idaho Statesman interview to examine his skills as he breaks down 5 plays and finish up looking at his 2009 stats
The following interview is from the Idaho Statesman Newspaper dated 12-27-2009
What Kellen sees
We wanted to know how Boise State sophomore quarterback Kellen Moore makes such quick, proper decisions - so we went into the film room with him. He broke down five plays for us. Here's what we learned:
TOMMY WHO?
The situation: First-and-goal at the Tulsa 8-yard line, first quarter.
The routes: A wide receiver and tight end on each side of the formation run 5-yard in routes (wide receivers) and flag routes to the back corner of the end zone (tight ends).
The expectation: All week, the Broncos planned to throw to the field (wide) side - the left side of the formation.
The routes: A wide receiver and tight end on each side of the formation run 5-yard in routes (wide receivers) and flag routes to the back corner of the end zone (tight ends).
The expectation: All week, the Broncos planned to throw to the field (wide) side - the left side of the formation.
At the snap: The outside linebacker on the field side doesn't blitz. Instead, he drops into coverage and takes away the in to Austin Pettis. That allows the cornerback to sag and take away the flag to Kyle Efaw. Moore eliminates those two options in about a second.
The decision: Moore turns to his right, thinking about the other 5-yard in. But for the first time all week he thinks of something else - his roommate, tight end Tommy Gallarda, on the flag route. That was never a consideration in practice.
"At that point, it's kind of a feel thing," Moore said.
Moore throws high and outside and Gallarda makes a nifty catch.
Result: Touchdown.
TIME TO TAKE A SHOT
The situation: Second-and-15 at the New Mexico State 47, first quarter.
The routes: A wide receiver on each side runs a 10-yard out. A slot receiver and tight end are available over the middle if the Aggies play zone.
The expectation: The Broncos hope to hit a 10-yard out and get into a manageable third-down situation. However, Moore reads man-to-man coverage when the Aggies chase the shifting Broncos receivers and spots the cornerbacks lining up nose to nose with the receivers. That's an automatic adjustment - both wideouts convert their routes to go routes down the sideline.
At the snap: Moore already knows he's going to throw to Titus Young, who is locked in a 1-on-1 battle with All-WAC cornerback Davon House. Moore's job is to disguise his intent. He stares at the safety in the middle of the field for three steps and gives him a little pump-fake. That's just enough to freeze the safety and keep him away from Young, which is critical because Moore is throwing to the short side of the field and the safety doesn't have far to go.
The decision: It's an easy one. It doesn't matter that House is matching Young stride for stride. "Sometimes, you've got to take a shot," Moore said.
Result: Touchdown.
PETTIS SOARS FOR SIX
The situation: Third-and-7 at the Louisiana Tech 12. Boise State leads 30-28 in the fourth quarter.
The routes: Austin Pettis, lined up to the left, runs a skinny post. Slot receiver Tyler Shoemaker, who is on Pettis' side, clogs up the middle. Titus Young runs across the formation to the left on a shallow crossing route.
The expectation: Moore and Pettis hooked up on skinny posts for touchdowns repeatedly this season. Leaving the huddle, that's where Moore wants to throw. He checks the cornerback, who could take away the route with inside leverage. Instead, the cornerback is playing off and straight up. "I already know Austin's going to win this matchup," Moore said.
At the snap: The only remaining concern is the safety on Pettis' side. He could plug the throwing lane. Shoemaker's job is to draw that safety away. "You're watching this guy the whole entire time," Moore said. "As soon as he takes this little hip turn to make an attempt toward Shoe, you've got (Pettis) 1-on-1."
The decision: The Bulldogs have opened the door for Pettis. But Moore's decision-making isn't done. At times, he threw this pass low to protect the ball. This time, he's still worried about the safety and goes high. Pettis makes a leaping catch as the ball sails over the head of the safety, who would have at least broken up the pass if Moore hadn't adjusted.
Result: Touchdown.
CHECK THAT - FAST
The situation: Third-and-8 at the Nevada 27, second quarter.
The routes: Two guys run routes to the sideline to Moore's left. A third is available over the middle on that side.
The expectation: If Nevada lined up in its base defense, Moore could hit Titus Young on a 10-yard out or Kirby Moore on a flag route. However, the Wolf Pack show a different look - three deep safeties, designed to take away the big play.
At the snap: Moore already has ruled out three of his five options because of the sagging defense. He has one downfield option left - and that requires the middle safety to move out of position.
The decision: Moore looks at the middle safety - he doesn't budge - and immediately dumps the ball to tailback Doug Martin, the check-down receiver. Martin was the fifth option when the play was called, but Moore has made him the second option. "Sometimes, you just let that guy get the ball in space," Moore said.
The result: A 9-yard gain and first down. Three plays later, Martin caught another check-down pass for 16 yards on third-and-9 to set up a touchdown.
GET RID OF IT
The situation: Third-and-10 at the Boise State 37, third quarter against Idaho.
The routes: A comeback to Moore's right or an in to his left are the best options. Tight end Kyle Efaw runs a crossing route to the left.
The expectation: The comeback is the preferred throw.
At the snap: The Vandals sit in a zone and take away Moore's first two options. The defensive linemen twist and confuse the offensive line, getting two guys free to pressure Moore. Moore looks at Efaw, but a defender is sitting on his inside hip just waiting for the chance to intercept him.
The decision: Moore throws what looks like a bad pass but actually is simply a throwaway - wide of Efaw into the blue turf. "It's third-and-10, you've really got nothing," Moore said. "You can take a chance and try to hit this (receiver over the middle), but if you get hit and the ball flails, then they've got the ball on the 40-yard line."
The result: Incomplete pass and the Broncos punt. Moments later, they get the ball back with excellent field position and score a touchdown.
How do these 5 plays qualify Moore as one of the best quarterbacks for 2009, lets examine his stats.
Moore stands 6 foot tall and weighs in at 187 lbs. was hardly recruited out of high school. He has average speed and is not known for his scrambling abilities, let alone like an ability to run through players and drag tacklers into the end zone like Tebow and Massoli.
Look at his passing stats for 2009.
YEAR 2008.. CMP 281.. ATT 405..YDS 3486.. CMP% 69.4..YPA 8.61..LNG 80.. TD 25. INT 10.. SACK 13..RAT 157.11
Year 2009..CMP 254.. ATT 392.. YDS 3325.. CMP% 64.8.. YPA 8.48.. LNG 67.. TD 39.. INT 5.. SACK 5.. RAT 167.35 These stats are from ESPN
Who is the number #1 quarterback for 2009? When it comes to passing efficiency and touchdowns to interception ratios......Kellen Moore. Moore is a sophomore with a record of 25 - 1 and currently resides as #60 on the winningest college quarterback list.
How does Moore do it? Look back at his interview, he spends alot of time in the film room studying the defenses and he knows his own play book inside out.
Moore makes it a point to know where his receivers are on every play and how to make adjustments to every defense he sees.
Being a quarterback who is a student of his own play book and how to read defenses doesn't mean you will lead your conference in passing efficiency but look at what it did for Kellen Moore.
See how Kellen Moore puts it altogther this Monday January 4, 2010 on Fox at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl against one of the nations toughest defenses, the TCU Horn Frogs.
Check out our quarterback training videos at Quarterbacks see our most popular reading the defense video Quarterback Coverages, Keys, Reads, and Progressions
