Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
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SALT LAKE CITY - Let's have a little fun with numbers while looking at Utah's quarterback situation.
Compare two quarterbacks - quarterback A through 21 games has a 65% completion percentage, while quarterback B is 60% through 20 games. Quarterback A averages about 225 yards per game, while quarterback B 219 yards. QB A has 29 touchdowns and 17 interceptions; QB B has 31 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, mind you with one less game played. QB A record in games with significant playing time, 13-8. QB B record is at 14-6.
I'll give you a few seconds to think about who these quarterbacks could be. Okay I'll help you out, the quarterback A is the all time winningest quarterback in Utah football history, Brian Johnson. Quarterback B is the much maligned, oft injured Jordan Wynn.
For a little clarity on the numbers I picked, I decided to leave out Johnson's senior year, the Sugar Bowl year, because frankly that was a special year and he was a fifth year senior. I also left off his true freshman year because the stats then were only in clean up time. As for the records you may notice they are a little different from the official records. I decided to include games that they may have not necessarily started (Johnson against UNLV in 07 and Wynn against Wyoming in 09), because those were games they left a significant impact on.
So comparing Johnson and Wynn you should notice some similarities between the two. The yards per game are close, the TD/interception ratio is fairly similar, and the record is within a few games of each other. Why do I compare these two? Well, there is another stat that is interesting - missed games. Johnson missed 17 games due to injury. Wynn to this point has now missed 12 games.
Talking to Ute fans either in public or online they have contracted what I like to call Brian Johnson syndrome towards Jordan Wynn. People may forget that even Brian Johnson was getting booed off the field in that historic 2008 season against both Oregon State and TCU. Some fans were even calling for him to be replaced, regardless of how successful he was statistically and record-wise. You talk to people now days and they will only talk about the Sugar Bowl and that 13-0 season for Johnson. In regards to Wynn a common response I get from fans is, "You know I'm not sold on Wynn," or "I'm not a Wynn guy." The response I usually give back is "look at the numbers".
Brian Johnson did have a couple inherit advantages over Wynn when he took over the starting spot in 2005. First of all he had a year to sit and watch and learn from Alex Smith, the eventual number one overall pick in the NFL draft. It also didn't hurt that he was also learning from Urban Meyer and Dan Mullen on that dominate Utah offensive coaching staff. Going into 2005 it was his job all the way, there was no competition. His first year starting he also had an experienced offensive coordinator in Andy Ludwig. Now we all have varying opinions on Ludwig but that first year Utah's offense put up big numbers. Contrast that to Wynn. He was thrown into the fire as a true freshman quarterback when Terrance Cain couldn't get the Utes in the end zone consistently, so virtually no tutelage at all. Wynn's offensive coordinator was just as inexperienced as him with Aaron Roderick.
Another common and very legit concern about Wynn is the shoulder injury, particularly to his throwing arm, which makes another interesting comparison to Brian Johnson; Johnson underwent a serious surgery to repair a damaged shoulder as well. With Wynn everyone wants to complain how the velocity just isn't there anymore. If people remember correctly, Johnson, after his shoulder injury, was much more of a dink and dunk passer as well. His arm wasn't the same either.
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Without a doubt a major reason people doubt Wynn like they do are the two major losses to TCU and Notre Dame. He was shaky against TCU, but who on that team wasn't? Notre Dame was probably the game you can lay most on his shoulders, albeit his right one was torn up at the time. In South Bend he wasn't able to consistently drive the team up and down the field, and penalties by the offensive line didn't help him that game either. Even with those two losses, bad as they were, people forget about his first true start against New Mexico when he had almost 300 yards. Granted it was New Mexico, but 300 yards in your first division one start is impressive. His first TCU game he put up more points against the Frogs that year than any other team. They also forgot about his gutsy performance against BYU that year as well, leading the team back from a double digit deficit to force overtime in Provo. Not to forget the MVP bowl game performance against Cal, the Iowa State massacre, and the epic comeback against San Diego State.
The moral of this story is pretty simple; people need to let Wynn write the final chapters in his story. If he gets injured again and never is able to finish his career, then so be it. Even up until that historic final year of his career, Brian Johnson had the same stigma. Can he stay healthy? Is he reliable? Can he win the big games? We all know how he finished his story. With another year of experience, and another year getting his throwing shoulder healthy, not to mention two more years of eligibility, Wynn has the possibility for a similar ending, especially with Brian Johnson being his quarterback coach, who has been there and done that in virtually the same circumstances. Ute fans have lived in stage one of Brian Johnson syndrome with Jordan Wynn. Criticize him while putting up good numbers and winning games and disappointed he isn't perfect.
Like Johnson before him, hopefully Wynn can give Utah fans the second part of that syndrome - perfection, or a Pac-12 conference championship.
Shane Roberts is a producer/writer for the U Fan Cast on TheUFanCast.com, a Utah-centric podcast that gives a voice to the fan. Twitter: @Shane_U_FanCast
