A question in my chat on Wednesday and Pat Forde's story today about what makes a good college quarterback got me to thinking about another fun Big East debate: Who would you rather have at quarterback this season, Tino Sunseri or Geno Smith?
Lots of eyes will be on both this year. They're sophomores who will be starting for the first time on teams that are otherwise loaded with experience and talent. They will be operating about an hour's drive between one another for a pair of fierce rivals. Both players have the full support of their coaches despite the presence of some other options behind them.
Let's break it down a bit.
Pitt's Sunseri is a redshirt sophomore. He appeared in five games last season, though you'd be hard-pressed to remember any of his snaps. He has thrown 17 career passes, completing 10 of them, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
West Virginia's Smith is a true sophomore whose five games a year ago included considerably higher stakes. He had to take over for Jarret Brown early in the Marshall game and lead the team to victory. He also played the entire second half of the Gator Bowl against Florida State when Brown got hurt again, and he saw some key snaps in a tough road game at Auburn. In all, Smith finished 32-of-49 (65 percent) for 309 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Sunseri is listed at (cough, cough) 6-foot-2, but is closer to 6-foot. He can move around in the pocket and is the son of former Pitt All-American Sal Sunseri. He's got a stronger arm than predecessor Bill Stull and can make every throw.
Smith is listed at 6-foot-3, and West Virginia must have more accurate tape measures than Pitt. Like Sunseri, he's a good athlete and a student of the game who started all four years of high school, even calling his own plays as a prepster. Smith doesn't have the pure cannon of Brown, but puts far more touch and precision on his passes.
Let's talk surrounding cast. Sunseri gets to throw to Jonathan Baldwin and Mike Shanahan and has Dion Lewis and Ray Graham to take his handoffs. His offensive line is a little shaky up the middle, but solid on the edges.
Smith has Noel Devine as a security blanket and can throw to Jock Sanders, Brad Starks and Tavon Austin. He doesn't have the luxury of throwing it high and letting a tall guy like Baldwin grab it out of the air. But his offensive line returns intact from a year ago, except for right tackle.
I've given the slight edge to Sunseri this offseason because I like his receiving targets more and because of some lingering concern over Smith's foot injuries. But Smith seems to be perfectly healthy, and there isn't much to separate these two.
I'll have my ranking tomorrow. In the meantime, I want to know who you've got: Tino or Geno?
Lots of eyes will be on both this year. They're sophomores who will be starting for the first time on teams that are otherwise loaded with experience and talent. They will be operating about an hour's drive between one another for a pair of fierce rivals. Both players have the full support of their coaches despite the presence of some other options behind them.
Let's break it down a bit.
Pitt's Sunseri is a redshirt sophomore. He appeared in five games last season, though you'd be hard-pressed to remember any of his snaps. He has thrown 17 career passes, completing 10 of them, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
West Virginia's Smith is a true sophomore whose five games a year ago included considerably higher stakes. He had to take over for Jarret Brown early in the Marshall game and lead the team to victory. He also played the entire second half of the Gator Bowl against Florida State when Brown got hurt again, and he saw some key snaps in a tough road game at Auburn. In all, Smith finished 32-of-49 (65 percent) for 309 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Sunseri is listed at (cough, cough) 6-foot-2, but is closer to 6-foot. He can move around in the pocket and is the son of former Pitt All-American Sal Sunseri. He's got a stronger arm than predecessor Bill Stull and can make every throw.
Smith is listed at 6-foot-3, and West Virginia must have more accurate tape measures than Pitt. Like Sunseri, he's a good athlete and a student of the game who started all four years of high school, even calling his own plays as a prepster. Smith doesn't have the pure cannon of Brown, but puts far more touch and precision on his passes.
Let's talk surrounding cast. Sunseri gets to throw to Jonathan Baldwin and Mike Shanahan and has Dion Lewis and Ray Graham to take his handoffs. His offensive line is a little shaky up the middle, but solid on the edges.
Smith has Noel Devine as a security blanket and can throw to Jock Sanders, Brad Starks and Tavon Austin. He doesn't have the luxury of throwing it high and letting a tall guy like Baldwin grab it out of the air. But his offensive line returns intact from a year ago, except for right tackle.
I've given the slight edge to Sunseri this offseason because I like his receiving targets more and because of some lingering concern over Smith's foot injuries. But Smith seems to be perfectly healthy, and there isn't much to separate these two.
I'll have my ranking tomorrow. In the meantime, I want to know who you've got: Tino or Geno?
BIG EAST SCOREBOARD
Saturday, 12/17
Final Temple 37 Wyoming 15 Final Ohio 24 Utah State 23 Final San Diego State 30 Louisiana-Lafayette 32
Tuesday, 12/20
Wednesday, 12/21
Final 18 TCU 31 Louisiana Tech 24
Thursday, 12/22
Saturday, 12/24
Final Nevada 17 21 Southern Miss 24
Monday, 12/26
Tuesday, 12/27
Final Western Michigan 32 Purdue 37 Final Louisville 24 North Carolina State 31
Wednesday, 12/28
Final Toledo 42 Air Force 41 Final California 10 24 Texas 21
Thursday, 12/29
Final Florida State 18 Notre Dame 14 Final Washington 56 12 Baylor 67
Friday, 12/30
Final Brigham Young 24 Tulsa 21 Final Rutgers 27 Iowa State 13 Final Mississippi State 23 Wake Forest 17 Final Iowa 14 14 Oklahoma 31
Saturday, 12/31
Final Texas A&M 33 Northwestern 22 Final/OT Georgia Tech 27 Utah 30 Final Illinois 20 UCLA 14 Final Cincinnati 31 Vanderbilt 24 Final Virginia 24 25 Auburn 43
Monday, 1/2
Final 19 Houston 30 22 Penn State 14 Final Ohio State 17 Florida 24 Final/3OT 17 Michigan State 33 16 Georgia 30 Final 20 Nebraska 13 9 South Carolina 30 Final 10 Wisconsin 38 5 Oregon 45 Final/OT 4 Stanford 38 3 Oklahoma State 41
Tuesday, 1/3
Final/OT 13 Michigan 23 11 Virginia Tech 20
Wednesday, 1/4
Final 23 West Virginia 70 15 Clemson 33
Friday, 1/6
Final 8 Kansas State 16 6 Arkansas 29


You must be signed in to post a comment