Recently, my esteemed colleague Garrett Hinners argued that former Blue Raider Dwight Dasher is the greatest quarterback in school history.

Respectfully, I think he’s dead wrong.

The greatest quarterback is not Wes Counts or Clint Marks, nor is it Kelly Holcomb or Jonathan Quinn, whose NFL careers may seem to give either an edge. For those living in the past, the greatest quarterback is not Marvin Collier or Teddy Morris. That was a different era of football. A different time. The future is here and the answer is right in front of us. The answer, of course, is Brent Stockstill.

Two seasons into his Blue Raider career, Stockstill has broken records and surpassed the legends before him. Among Blue Raider QB’s, his combination of accuracy and arm strength are unmatched. His footwork and mechanics are flawless to boot. Those things aside, there’s no question as to the level of Stockstill’s leadership acumen and his ability to guide the team during turmoil. He checks all the boxes, while Dwight Dasher did not.

The statistics back this up as well.

To be fair, one must account for Dasher’s 1,647 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground, as his abilities as a dual-threat quarterback made him unique.

No doubt Dasher was an incredible athlete who carried Middle Tennessee to its only bowl victory in the FBS era. His performance during the 2009 was nothing short of remarkable, but that one season does not, by itself, make him the greatest quarterback in Blue Raider history.

Indeed, when Dasher’s total offensive production is compared with Stockstill’s, Dasher’s 5,036 yards of total offense and 50 touchdowns over his last two years under center are substantially behind Stockstill’s 7,615 yards of total offense and 63 total touchdowns.

To be sure, my friend suggests one must win to truly be great. True, the great ones often win, but the number of rings, however, does not determine greatness - if this was the case Trent Dilfer should be considered a greater quarterback than Dan Marino! While the great ones, particularly at quarterback, have a way of elevating the play of their teammates, there are certain things beyond their control.

In 2009, Dasher had the support of a stingy Blue Raider defense allowed only 23.7 points per game and a defense that allowed opposing offenses to score more than 30 points only three time during the season. The 2016 Blue Raider defense was far more generous, allowing opposing offenses to score more than 30 points ten times and allowed an embarrassing 34.4 points per game.

In other words, if the 2016 edition of the Blue Raiders defense held up their end of the bargain, the Blue Raiders would have won ten games, a bowl win, and Stockstill would already be heralded as the undisputed greatest quarterback in history.