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Pressing QB questions (and answers) heading into Week 13
By Chris Wright
Published:
So this is it.
The 2015 regular season concludes Saturday with rivalry week.
Ten of the 14 SEC teams already are bowl eligible, and Missouri and Kentucky will try to join them.
Not surprisingly, the four not eligible have struggled with QB play all season. Which will be discussed, but let’s kick off Week 13’s most pressing QB questions and answers on a positive note:
1. Is Tim Couch’s SEC single-season record for passing yards in danger?
A: Absolutely.
Chad Kelly leads the SEC with 3,504 yards and is on pace to become just the third SEC QB to pass for 4,000 yards in a season. He’ll be locked in a shootout Saturday with the SEC’s No. 2 passer, Dak Prescott, so expect each to throw 40-plus times.
Prescott, who threw for 508 yards last week, has an outside chance to join Kelly in the 4K Club. He is 841 yards shy with two games remaining.
Kelly has at least two games remaining. (Ole Miss can still win the SEC West if it beats Mississippi State AND Auburn upsets Alabama.)
Wouldn’t that be something, that in a year in which we’ve heard so much negative talk about SEC QBs, two could top 4,000 yards?
Tim Couch’s SEC record (4,275 yards in 1998) definitely is not safe.
2. The season could end Saturday for Missouri, Kentucky, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Of the four, which is in the best shape moving forward?
A: If you believe in recruiting rankings — I prefer to use them as a general direction guide, not a map to Atlanta — only Vanderbilt and South Carolina are adding a touted QB recruit in the 2016 class.
Brandon McIlwain is a 4-star prospect from Newtown, Pa., the No. 15-ranked dual-threat QB in his class. He committed to South Carolina.
Deuce Wallace is a 3-star prospect from Tennessee, the No. 12-ranked pro-style QB in his class. He committed to Vanderbilt.
The good news for a lot of these teams is they played freshmen this season. So while in some ways it’s a case of you’re stuck with what you have, there’s reason to believe Kyle Shurmur and Drew Barker, for instance, will be much better in 2016 than in 2015.
3. Last season, every SEC school threw for at least 2,100 yards. Entering Saturday, Missouri and Vandy are two of the four still are shy of 2,000. Is this a blip or a trend?
A: It’s too early to definitively say, and injuries, suspensions, etc., impacted the passing games in 2015.
However, the the 2016 recruiting rankings also tell part of the story. (Although, again, be warned about rankings: Kyle Allen was a 5-star, No. 1 rated pro-style recruit in 2014).
Wallace and top-ranked Jacob Eason (Georgia) are the only two pro-style ranked passers heading to the SEC.
That’s a problem. You can’t sign guys like Treon Harris and expect them to turn into Danny Wuerffel with a little coaching.
The SEC is bringing in more spread, dual-threat QBs than pro-style QBs, and we see the result of that on Saturday. Couple that with facing NFL-type talent at every level on some of these defenses, and it helps explain the woeful passing of 2015.
Vandy and Missouri, specifically, are playing true freshmen. Both were touted 4-star pro-style QBs, but this league typically isn’t kind to freshman starters.
Two years isn’t enough to declare a trend — particularly when the top three are doing things rarely seen.
Kelly, Prescott and Brandon Allen are on pace to move into top 10 in single-season passing yards in SEC history.
4. Why isn’t Clemson Heisman candidate Deshaun Watson in the SEC?
A: It wasn’t for lack of trying. Watson, starred in Gainesville, Ga., and was the top-ranked dual-threat QB in the 2014 class.
Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee and Vanderbilt offered him a scholarship.
Watson even took unofficial visits to Georgia, Florida and Auburn after committing to Clemson early in his high school career.
His secret visit to Auburn nearly caused a panic attack in two conferences.
The SEC still gets to see him, of course. Saturday, Watson leads Clemson into Williams-Brice Stadium to face rival South Carolina.
After that? A potential playoff game against Alabama?
It could be worse, Alabama fans. Robert Nkemdiche committed to Clemson before flipping to Ole Miss. You won’t have to deal with him again this season.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
