If a head coach doesn’t have confidence in his starting quarterback, then he might as well not have any confidence in his team as a whole.

Ask NIU head coach Jerry Kill how he feels about starting DeMarcus Grady with regular starter Chandler Harnish injured, and he’ll tell you how confident he is.

He should be, because as much as fans might like to knock Grady for his subpar throwing skills, you can’t hide the fact that NIU’s offense sees nearly no drop-off when Grady is in.

For that matter, fans should stop worrying as soon as No. 3 takes the field.

I’ve never been in the stands for an NIU game in which Grady played that I didn’t hear people complaining. After Saturday’s game against Akron, I was asked by at least five fans (who didn’t stay the entire game) when Grady got pulled.

When, not if. The fans didn’t even question whether or not Grady would play an entire game.

It’s no surprise that NIU’s fan base is like this. With how much the spread offense has popularized the passing game in college football, nobody wants to see a team rush 54 times.
Nobody except me.

Consider these facts: Grady has yet to lose as a starter this season. The redshirt sophomore already has more rushing yards, 209, than Harnish, doing so on 19 fewer carries.

It’s no secret that when you plug Grady into the offense, he takes the MAC’s top rushing attack and makes it much more dangerous.

The difference between Harnish and Grady is clear: Harnish is a quarterback who can move with his feet and throw the ball, while Grady is a running quarterback who’s best bet to throw is a wide receiver screen.

There’s a reason that Grady has only attempted 32 passes this year.

But in NIU’s offense, that’s okay.

I’m not making a case for Grady to replace Harnish when he comes back. All I’m saying is that people have a tendency to vastly underestimate what Grady can do when given an opportunity.

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