Congratulations to the Hawks, who were selected by Northeast Conference (NEC) coaches to be members of the All-NEC teams. Tight end Tyler George, guard Mike Hunchak and linebacker Dan Sullivan were all voted to the First Team All-NEC. Wide receiver Tristan Roberts, guard Dino Molina and defensive lineman Chris Luma were each named to the Second Team All-NEC.
One notable name was missing: fifth-year senior quarterback Kyle Frazier.
The two quarterbacks chosen ahead of Frazier were Wagner’s Nick Doscher and Duquesne’s Sean Patterson.
Usually passing yards, passing touchdowns, interceptions and completion percentage are a good way to measure a quarterback’s play.
Doscher threw for 1,669 yards, 13 touchdowns, one interception and completed 54.5% of his passes. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is very impressive. However, he completed just over half of his passes. That’s the best quarterback in the NEC? Ehh…
Patterson amassed 2,359 yards, 17 touchdowns, 10 picks and completed 58.1% of his throws. The yardage and touchdowns make a strong case for Patterson to make one of the All-NEC teams. Ten interceptions isn’t bad, but isn’t great either. A completion percentage of 58.1 is an improvement over Doscher, but still is not top of the line.
Now, lets take a look at MU’s man under center. Frazier threw for 2,431 yards, 17 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a completion percentage of 67.4.
Of the four main categories, Frazier has thrown for the most yards, tied with Patterson for most touchdowns and has far and away the best completion percentage.
Another way to judge quarterbacks is by their team’s success. Advantage here goes to Doscher. Wagner won the conference, going 7-1 against NEC foes. Frazier placed the Hawks third, going 4-3 in the conference. Duquesne and Patterson went 3-5 in the conference and finished sixth.
In head-to-head matchups, Frazier has the most impressive resume. He carried the Hawks into Staten Island to defeat Wagner 38-17. Less than two months later, he took the Blue and White to Pittsburgh and defeated Duquesne 28-27. Apparently, beating these two quarterbacks on their home fields was not enough to sway voters in Frazier’s favor. Wagner defeated Duquesne 23-17 in the second week of the season.
So lets take a quick overview at what we have so far. Among the three, Frazier’s team was second best, but defeated both of the other two at their home field. The Hawks’ quarterback threw for the most yardage, touchdowns and the highest completion percentage by a landslide. Frazier is tied for second in passing interceptions.
The three quarterbacks are very similar with their rushing stats. Doscher averaged 44.1 yards per game with five touchdowns. Duquesne’s Patterson averaged 19.6 yards per game and scored five touchdowns. Frazier ran for 23.1 yards a game and scored three touchdowns.
Every week during the season, an NEC Offensive Player of the Week is selected. Doscher won the award twice for Wagner. He won it on October 1 and November 5.
Patterson claimed the title once, for the week of October 22.
Frazier was named NEC Offensive Player of the Week three times. He won on September 10, September 24 and October 15. No one else in the conference won the award three times.
Put all of the numbers together and this is what it boils down to:
Doscher totaled 2,198 yards, 18 touchdowns, one interception and a 54.5 completion percentage. His team finished first in the conference and he went 1-1 against the other top quarterbacks. He was named NEC Offensive Player of the Week twice.
Patterson totaled 2,575 yards, 22 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 58.1 completion percentage. His team finished sixth in the conference and he went 0-2 against the other top quarterbacks. He was named NEC Offensive Player of the Week once.
Frazier totaled 2,662 yards, 20 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 67.4 completion percentage.
His team finished third in the conference and he went 2-0 against the other top quarterbacks. He was named NEC Offensive Player of the Week three times.
The stats are right in front of you, and you can make the decision.
It’s hard to believe that the NEC coaches did not see Kyle Frazier as one of the best two quarterbacks in the conference.
