Desmond Howard, Jesse Minter agree on TCU QB Max Duggan being 'right-handed Tim Tebow'
Michigan Wolverines football has the “tall task” of facing TCU quarterback Max Duggan, former U-M Heisman Trophy winning wide receiver and current ESPN analyst Desmond Howard said on Get Up! Wednesday morning.
Duggan has completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,321 yards and 30 touchdowns but is also a threat with his legs. The 6-2, 210-pounder has rushed for 404 yards and 6 touchdowns.
The Horned Frogs haven’t lost in regulation this season and have mounted multiple comeback wins — most notably after trailing by 17 to Oklahoma State and 18 to Kansas State in the regular season. Duggan is a huge reason for that.
“I’ve watched this TCU team all season long, and they’re a very resilient team,” Howard said. “Max Duggan was the runner-up in the Heisman, and he’s the guy that’s the heart and soul of that whole team — not just the offense.
“They come and go as Max Duggan does. In the championship game, the Big 12 championship game, he almost willed his team to victory. He averaged 7.3 yards per carry, and that’s what Michigan’s going to have to contain.
“Contain his explosive plays in the running game. That’s where he can do a lot of damage, just those impromptu plays, you think you got him, you think he’s about to be sacked, and he just comes out the back end and runs for about 40 yards. He’s hurt teams time and time again throughout the season with his legs. He can throw the ball, he’s a legit dual threat quarterback.
“He really reminds me, because of his toughness and his mindset, of a right-handed [former Florida and NFL quarterback] Tim Tebow.”
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Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter caught Howard’s segment on ESPN, he revealed, and said he agrees with the assessment.
“He’s a really, really good football player, second in the Heisman,” Minter said Wednesday. “Desmond Howard, I was catching Sportscenter while I was working out, he called him the right-handed Tim Tebow, which is a pretty high remark.
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“I do see that. He’s a guy that makes everybody around him better. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to move the ball, to make plays. He puts his body on the line as a runner quite often.”
According to Sports Info Solutions, the Wolverines have seen opposing quarterbacks run just 39 times (excluding sacks and kneels), the least amount in the nation. They’ve gone for 272 yards (120th nationally) and no touchdowns. However, that average of 7 yards per carry ranks 113th in the land.
Minter admitted it’ll be a challenge for the Maize and Blue to stop Duggan’s dual-threat ability, but also that practice has helped prepare his unit.
“We see it every day,” Minter noted. “We go against [Michigan sophomore quarterback] J.J. McCarthy all the time in practice [with] as much good-on-good as we do. It’s great work for this type of guy.
“We’ve seen a couple [mobile quarterbacks]. Certainly not the last two passers [Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell] — they’ve been more sit-in-the-pocket type of guys, so a different type of test here.
“It’ll test our disciple as pass rushers, it’ll test our discipline in coverage, to be able to stay in coverage when he extends plays. It’ll be a great test, and one we look forward to.”
