Frog Film Room: Foster the People

Foster Sawyer was a four star recruit in the class of 2014 out Fort Worth All Saints, who held offers from 12 Power Five schools, including Alabama, Baylor, OSU, Ole Miss, and UCLA. The 6'5", pro-style QB just plain didn't lose in High School, as he led the Saints to back to back SPC Championships in 2012 and 2013. In two years as a varsity starter, he threw for nearly 6,000 yards, 79 touchdowns, and only ten interceptions - made all the more impressive by the fact that he rarely made and appearance in the fourth quarter of games during the regular season.

Even as a high schooler, Sawyer was given a lot of freedom at the line to change plays and make calls. A true pocket passer, Sawyer actually moves quite a bit better than he is given credit for - something Frog fans saw on Saturday - and does a really great job of throwing on the move. Check out this play from his senior year of high school, as he escapes the rush, rolls out away from the defense, and delivers an absolute dime to the end zone on the move:

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His arm was a never a question - he can make all the throws and has quite a bit of zip on his spiral. One former QB I know, who played against him in high school, actually told me "I knew he was a DI player because of how tight a spiral he threw. I have never seen a high school QB who's ball rotated like that". Along with that perfect spiral and strong arm is a great touch too, as you can see in the way he drops the ball perfectly in to his receiver's hands, who never has to adjust on the ball on this play:

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Foster was recruited before Cumbie and Meacham signed on at TCU, and while he knew both through the recruiting process - as both were at schools the pursued him prior to coming to the Frogs - many thought he fit better in to the "old offense", where he would be expected to sit in the pocket, make good, quick decisions, and only run as a last resort. Well, with the installation of the Air Raid, the read option has become a linchpin of the offensive game plan, and the QBs ability to use his feet effectively often determines the team's success. Sawyer is no Trevone Boykin, and he's not even Grayson when it comes to elite feet, but he is a much more effective runner than he's given credit for. A capable scrambler and a great mover in the pocket, he can pick up yardage on the ground when the need arises.

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His eight rushing attempts for 34 yards isn't the kind of thing that makes the Sports Center Top Ten, but it was good enough to keep drives alive and keep the defense on their heels just enough to allow him to make plays and put the team in position to score.

It's one thing to do these things in high school, where he was surrounded by talent that was often at a considerably higher level than his opponents; and to have that same level of success in college, where every player was the best of their college team. He hasn't had many chances at TCU, but he made the most of his biggest one to date against Kansas, and displayed much of what made him such a highly sought after prospect.

With only one completion in his seven pass attempts, it's easy to overlook the success Sawyer had in his four drives against the Jayhawks. But with the team's, and really the whole stadium's, energy lacking, the young QB stepped up to lead the Frogs on scoring drives three times in four attempts when the game was on the line, injecting life into the players and the fans. The life that had been sucked out the stadium when Boykin limped to the locker room, that appeared dead and buried after drive after drive stalled through two quarters, that seemed never to return after an interception early in the third quarter, came roaring back when number 12 stepped on the field. It's obvious that he has that "it factor" - that unidentifiable something extra that the great ones have - that has carried Boykin to so much success and has Foster poised for something special. Maybe it won't translate in to the career of his predecessor - he will be in a battle this off-season to not only wrest the starting nod from Kenny Hill or the Mule but to stave off the other for the backup job if he fails - and let's be honest, Deuce is likely a once in a lifetime talent anyway, but it might be enough to give his squad a chance on the road Saturday in Norman, against all odds.