Enough is enough: Time for a change

Mike Vivenzio / Sports Editor

It’s five games into the 2004 season, and already fans are being reminded of the last year of the Al Seagraves era: a great running game and no passing game. Freshman starting quarterback Kye Hamilton has not been impressive to say the least. While he has completed a high percentage of his passes – 60.5 percent – the rest of his numbers are far less impressive.

Through five games, Hamilton has only thrown for 483 yards, an average of 96 yards a game, not exactly earth-shattering numbers from a starting quarterback, and definitely not enough to keep the team competitive if it falls behind, which Elon tends to do. While Hamilton completes more than 60 percent of his passes, he only averages seven yards a throw. He’s been relegated to throwing a majority of screen plays and dump offs. He has not proven he can throw the ball downfield. There have been many occasions this season when sophomore wide recievers Anthony Crews and Josh Crawford have beaten their men deep down the sideline and instead of leading his receiver and putting the ball in front so the receiver can run under it, Hamilton has left the ball too short, letting potentially easy points slip away. Most of Hamilton’s eight interceptions have occurred when he has tried to throw the ball down field, more than 20 yards. Either he does not have the arm strength to throw the deep routes or he is underestimating the speed of his two receivers. But, when you have two receivers with the speed of Crews and Crawford, there is no excuse for not airing it out. These are two of the fastest receivers in the conference and neither one has a reception of more than 20 yards.

Back to the interceptions. Eight in five games is not a statistic any fan or coach wants to see. Especially when, in the game against Wofford last weekend, three of the four interceptions were tipped at the line of scrimmage. One reason this could be is that Hamilton may be too small to see over the line. While he is listed at 6-foot-1, it is a very generous 6-1. Hamilton’s stature could hinder his success at quarterback in a collegiate system. By comparison, Crews threw 16 interceptions total last year, as of right now Hamilton is on pace to throw at least 20.

Hamilton did have one very good game, though, against the Delaware State Hornets. But let’s face it, Delaware State is not a good team and definitely cannot be compared to any other team in the Southern Conference. Another fact to note is that in the game sophomore running back John Taylor ran for 145 yards an average of six yards per carry. The Hornets were so concerned about stopping the run that Hamilton was able to exploit them with the deep ball.

While I do respect head coach Paul Hamilton’s decision to start his son at quarterback, it may be time for a change. Last week’s game may have shown though that coach Hamilton has no intentions of entertaining the thought of a quarterback change. Hamilton left his son in all game even though he threw four interceptions. Hamilton never let another quarterback take a snap.

Sophomore backup quarterback Wes Pope should be allowed at least to have a chance to lead this team. Pope, who is listed at 6-3 and 225 pounds, fits the quarterback mold much better than Hamilton. The knock on Pope has always been his inability to read defenses, but he will not get any better at that unless he gets the game experience. While he is not as mobile as Hamilton, it is evident that the team did not want an incredibly mobile quarterback when they moved Crews to receiver.

It is time for a change. Hamilton is not getting the job done, and while he is only a freshman, I wonder how much longer the team is going to stay behind its leader. Fans expected a turnaround from last year to this year, and so far they have not gotten their wish. This weekend will be the true test. Elon plays the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, a team that allows 55 points per game. Elon should be able to put the ball in the end zone, especially through the air. This should be the last chance for Hamilton to keep his starting job; if he does not pull a win out this weekend, someone else should be allowed a chance to lead the Phoenix to victory.