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Topic: some love for Nathan Rourke

Topic: some love for Nathan Rourke

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brucecuth
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some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 7/5/2019 9:37:42 AM

From the Athletic:

1. Which QBs are we not talking about enough?

Clearly, the first name that stands out is Rourke. He’s been a second-team All-MAC selection the past two years for Ohio and is a true dual-threat quarterback who just keeps getting better. Rourke threw for 2,451 yards and 23 touchdowns while finishing among the top 15 nationally in passing efficiency. And he rushed for more than 1,000 yards (excluding sacks) and 15 more scores. He led the Bobcats to wins in six of their final seven games last fall and is close to becoming the school’s all-time touchdown leader. He was already pretty efficient as a sophomore (7.26 YPP), got even better last season and ought to become more of a national name this fall.

The Athletic also points out that Nathan ranks third among all returning QBs in yards-per-play at 8.79.

Rufusbobcat94
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 7/8/2019 8:56:55 PM

brucecuth wrote:

Nathan Rourke is one good year away from being one of Ohio's most successful QBs-and if he can win a MAC title this year, he'll just about be a lock for GOAT.

Last Edited: 7/8/2019 8:57:16 PM by Rufusbobcat94

ytownbobcat
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/27/2019 10:08:11 AM

I have never seen a more masterful and dominate offensive player in 50 years of watching Bobcat football.
We are the envy of our conference for this young gentleman.

bobcatsquared
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/27/2019 11:12:56 AM

He's been running the ball the last 3 games like a man possessed, who doesn't want to go out on a losing note. "Get on my shoulders, boys, and let me carry you to the MACC game."

bshot44
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/27/2019 10:59:31 PM

bobcatsquared wrote:

He's been running the ball the last 3 games like a man possessed, who doesn't want to go out on a losing note. "Get on my shoulders, boys, and let me carry you to the MACC game."

Something Tyler Tettleton severely lacked after that Miami loss in 2012.

SBH
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 8:30:23 AM

bshot44 wrote:

bobcatsquared wrote:

He's been running the ball the last 3 games like a man possessed, who doesn't want to go out on a losing note. "Get on my shoulders, boys, and let me carry you to the MACC game."

Something Tyler Tettleton severely lacked after that Miami loss in 2012.

Broken ribs will do that to you.

Kevin Finnegan
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 8:44:11 AM

Two things about Rourke:

1) Whether he's the best or not in OHIO history, he will certainly go down as my favorite to watch. He's incredibly entertaining.

2) I can't believe, as much as he's run over the last two and a half years, that he has been able to stay relatively healthy. QB injuries seem to have dogged us in the past, but Rourke has been quite resilient. I'll be sad when he takes his final OHIO snap.

L.C.
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 10:30:51 AM

SBH wrote:

bshot44 wrote:

bobcatsquared wrote:

He's been running the ball the last 3 games like a man possessed, who doesn't want to go out on a losing note. "Get on my shoulders, boys, and let me carry you to the MACC game."

Something Tyler Tettleton severely lacked after that Miami loss in 2012.

Broken ribs will do that to you.

+1
After the hit against Marshall, Tettleton ran a lot less.

2013 was also a clear evidence of the importance of the people around him. Without the excellent offensive lines of 2011-12 Tettleton was a lot less effective. Rourke has been blessed with three very good lines. This year it was a little worse at the beginning of the year, and Rourke got sacked and chased a lot (and was less effective), but the line continued to improve, and as it has, Rourke's productivity has soared. Rourkes QBR (which included runs as well as passes) was only 36.5 against Pitt, 22.0 against Louisiana, and 52.6 against Buffalo, but the last three games have been 75.9, 86.8, and 93.0.

finnOhio wrote:

I totally agree; Rourke has been a pleasure to watch. I love his attitude as well as his playmaking.

The fact that Keszei moved to WR tells me that either Mischler, or Kurtis Rourke, or both, are quite good. I will miss Rourke as well, but I think he will be followed by someone who will be good, too.

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” ― Epictetus

bobcatsquared
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 10:51:42 AM

L.C. wrote:

I will miss Rourke as well, but I think he will be followed by someone who will be good, too.

The new QB(s) next year will have the luxury of having every RB, WR, TE and most linemen return next year. Not a bad situation to walk into. It would be nice to win a couple of remaining games by a large margin so the backups at QB can get some game experience this year.

OhioCatFan
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 10:52:15 AM

SBH wrote:

bshot44 wrote:

bobcatsquared wrote:

He's been running the ball the last 3 games like a man possessed, who doesn't want to go out on a losing note. "Get on my shoulders, boys, and let me carry you to the MACC game."

Something Tyler Tettleton severely lacked after that Miami loss in 2012.

Broken ribs will do that to you.

These are two different issues. Independently of any injury-related changes in his running, after The Brain Fart in Oxford (aka BFO) he clearly was a
different and not as effective QB. There was apparently a big mental component to his decline in effectiveness. Remember, the BFO was an attempt to run when he should have passed the ball out of the end zone.

The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org

bshot44
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 3:03:46 PM

L.C. wrote:

SBH wrote:

bshot44 wrote:

bobcatsquared wrote:

He's been running the ball the last 3 games like a man possessed, who doesn't want to go out on a losing note. "Get on my shoulders, boys, and let me carry you to the MACC game."

Something Tyler Tettleton severely lacked after that Miami loss in 2012.

Broken ribs will do that to you.

Not buying what you're selling about TT

I understand that broken ribs can slow you down ... but that happened vs. NM State during the beginning of the 2012 season.

How would that affect the 2013 season? And why did he have 14, 14, & 18 carries the last three games of the 2012 regular season?

The ribs are an excuse.

They came in loaded in skill players in 2013 (https://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/fball/spec-rel/081213a... )

And the offensive line you mentioned ... had two starters back.

Even with the holes on the line to fill ... Ohio was runaway favorite to win MAC East (sound familiar?)

And they went 7-6. Totally torpedoed in three of their last four by four TDs or more.

TT never carried the ball more than 6 times in a game that year.

Rourke has 34 career games ... and has less then 8 carries only five times (vs. Hampton, UAB, Howard, UVA & UB) .... one of those is because he got pulled ... one is because Ohio was getting blown out and had to throw the ball (UVA) ... and the other three are because Ohio was blowing out their opponent (UAB, Hampton and UB)

Sorry ... but TT was a shell of himself by 2013. Once the going got rough, he shut down.

Rourke is a different kind of leader. I've never seen him go thru the motions like TT seemed to be doing a lot in 2013.

colobobcat66
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 3:11:57 PM

bshot44 wrote:

L.C. wrote:

SBH wrote:

bshot44 wrote:

bobcatsquared wrote:

He's been running the ball the last 3 games like a man possessed, who doesn't want to go out on a losing note. "Get on my shoulders, boys, and let me carry you to the MACC game."

Something Tyler Tettleton severely lacked after that Miami loss in 2012.

Broken ribs will do that to you.

QB’s don’t call the plays. I have to feel that we’re missing something here. I thought I remembered that TT had some kind of shoulder injury-not sure it was 2013 though.

GoCats105
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 3:22:58 PM

colobobcat66 wrote:

bshot44 wrote:

L.C. wrote:

SBH wrote:

bshot44 wrote:

bobcatsquared wrote:

He's been running the ball the last 3 games like a man possessed, who doesn't want to go out on a losing note. "Get on my shoulders, boys, and let me carry you to the MACC game."

Something Tyler Tettleton severely lacked after that Miami loss in 2012.

Broken ribs will do that to you.

QB’s don’t call the plays. I have to feel that we’re missing something here. I thought I remembered that TT had some kind of shoulder injury-not sure it was 2013 though.

QB's don't call the plays, but they can make adjustments based off what they see on the field. I have to imagine TT had that kind of leeway but maybe not.

Also, when running the read option the QB can choose to pull it. He was much less reluctant to do so in 2013. Wasn't that the year Monroe coined BUTM (Beau Up The Middle)? We've all had gripes about Albin's play calls, but there's no way all of those were designed handoffs.

Last Edited: 10/28/2019 3:24:13 PM by GoCats105

L.C.
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 4:25:55 PM

bshot44 wrote:

First, his ribs weren't broken. He had an "undisclosed injury to his upper body." It was almost certainly a soft tissue injury, possibly to the cartilage around his rib cage. Whatever that injury was, it happened in the Marshall game, not against New Mexico State. He did finish against Marshall, but sat out the following week, against Norfolk State. The next two weeks, he had 7 carries for -2 yards against U.Mass and 4 carries for -2 against Buffalo. He did have 65 yards against Akron, but 30 of that was on one play, and then he had 14 yards against Miami. He was certainly not running to the same extent after the injury as before, even before the Miami game, but whether that was due to ongoing pain, or perhaps a fear of re-injury, I have no idea.

As far as linemen lost after 2012, Seniors lost were Skyler Allen, J.D. Bales, Eric Herman, and Vince Carlotta, along with Jordan Thompson. Also lost due to career ending injury were Bryce Dietz and Mark Smith, both of whom had started games previously.

I do agree with you that there was more to it. I believe that the abuse heaped on Tettleton after the Miami loss had a negative and long lasting effect on his attitude. I think he was well aware of the things being said about him, and I believe that the visceral hate that was posted after the Miami loss was beyond the pale, and I said so at the time.

To what extent these three factors each contributed to the 2013 result, I can't say, but I think they all played a part.

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” ― Epictetus

bshot44
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 5:00:49 PM

L.C. wrote:

bshot44 wrote:

Agree ...

and as the injury ... this is where I found he was injured vs. NM State. Apparently came from Solich?

https://www.masslive.com/umassfootball/2012/09/injury_to_...

ytownbobcat
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 5:15:03 PM

This started as a thread about Nathan. You guys know that it is possible to like BOTH TT and Nathan and discuss how they have been a part of the Golden Era of Bobcat football.
I was disappointed in 2012 at Miami also but that does not define TT' career in my book. I think about the touch he had on those TD throws at Penn State.
Both are great examples of our program.

colobobcat66
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 5:22:59 PM

ytownbobcat wrote:

Amen.

Diamond Cat
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 6:46:33 PM

I have not seen many QB's able to be this elusive and make defenders miss right before impact. Special player and easily the GOAT in my time as a Bobcat.

BryanHall
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 6:59:26 PM

bshot44 wrote:

L.C. wrote:

bshot44 wrote:

Agree ...

and as the injury ... this is where I found he was injured vs. NM State. Apparently came from Solich?

https://www.masslive.com/umassfootball/2012/09/injury_to_...

Average Yards per Rush - 2012
Blankenship:5.1
Boykin: 6.0

Average yards Per Rush - 2013
Blankenship: 4.5
Boykin: 3.9

Objectively, it's hard to argue that the graduations on the OL didn't have a major impact on the 2013 team.

AlumDadDad
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 7:39:30 PM

Time for a stat-free emotional fan opinion. I miss Tyler and Beau. I already miss AJ. I know I'll miss Nathan. Here's hoping that we'll all miss Kurtis and O'Shaan most of all!

Last Edited: 10/28/2019 7:40:47 PM by AlumDadDad

L.C.
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 8:39:59 PM

bshot44 wrote:

Agree ...

and as the injury ... this is where I found he was injured vs. NM State. Apparently came from Solich?

https://www.masslive.com/umassfootball/2012/09/injury_to_...

Nice find. Interestingly, that describes and abdominal injury, not a rib injury. I could be confusing Sprague's injury with TT's, I guess. In any case, that's far behind us, and we need to worry about what is ahead.

AlumDadDad wrote:

Time for a stat-free emotional fan opinion. I miss Tyler and Beau. I already miss AJ. I know I'll miss Nathan. Here's hoping that we'll all miss Kurtis and O'Shaan most of all!

I agree. They are all Bobcats, and they all helped build the program we have. Let's hope for even better times ahead, and start those with a win over Fiami.

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” ― Epictetus

OhioCatFan
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 9:18:47 PM

ytownbobcat wrote:

I agree with this. In my previous post I was simply trying to point out that the "rib injury" was not the full story on TT's downturn. At least part of it, I think, was mental. As I recall, the downturn in his performance didn't start the next year, but the games in that same season following the Miami game. In saying this, I'm not saying that TT wasn't a good QB and a good representative of OHIO. It's just that the change in his performance after the Miami is one of the strangest things I've seen in my Bobcat Fan fandom.

bshot44
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/28/2019 11:00:50 PM

OhioCatFan wrote:

ytownbobcat wrote:

Exactly. It was a totally bizarre turn of events. He was so dominant for 2.5 yrs ... and the last 1.5 yrs he was nothing close to that.

I don't think his skills deteriorated ... just seemed he became disengaged at some point.

My point when this whole thread started is that Rourke is NOTHING like that. He's a gamer thru and thru ... quick to throw his team on his back when needed.

TT wasn't that towards the end ... whatever the reason.

Rourke will go down as the best Bobcat QB ever IMHO .... a MACC would only cement that.

I also think he has a very bright future in the CFL for years to come

Andrew Ruck
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/29/2019 8:42:03 AM

He is awesome. I am glad to see so many of us appreciate what we have. I only wish he was paired with some of our more talented (especially defensively) teams of yesteryear. I hope his brother ends up exactly like him.

Andrew Ruck
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Mark Lembright '85
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RE: some love for Nathan Rourke

Posted: 10/29/2019 10:12:53 AM

Andrew Ruck wrote:

Who knows, his brother might be better. I thought I read somewhere that his arm is a bit stronger than his brother's and he's taller. He might be more of a classic pocket passer than Nathan is.

Great thread and totally agree about Nathan and TT; Ohio is lucky to have had both as QBs. To each their own, I think TT was a better "pure passer" during the 2.5 dominant years BShot mentions than Nathan is, although Nathan has been a gamer for a longer period of time. TT was better in the bowl games than Nathan has been to date (please, that last game winning drive in 2011 against Utah State in the Potato Bowl was something special). Nathan was rather pedestrian in the Frisco Bowl; AJ and the O-line carried the day that day.

But, who cares; its all semantics anyway. I agree, if Nathan's able to carry this team to a MACC, he is probably the greatest QB in Ohio history.

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