SEC quarterbacks take center stage Saturday.
Four of the league’s best square off in two games that will help shape division races, the most important being Jalen Hurts leading No. 1 Alabama into Knoxville to face Joshua Dobbs and No. 9 Tennessee.
What better place to start the Week 7 edition of pressing quarterback questions and answers.
Question: Can Josh Dobbs expect to rally the Vols against Alabama?
Answer: That’s not a practice approach. When Alabama gets a lead, it tends to keep it.
The Tide have lost just 10 games in the past eight seasons. They never led in two of those losses. In the other eight, they blew double-digit leads just four times, and only twice did an opponent escape a deficit larger than 14.
Dobbs has made a habit this season of rallying the Volunteers to victory. He nearly did it again last week, erasing a 21-point deficit to force overtime at Texas A&M.
History shouts that won’t be possible Saturday.
Question: Speaking of Dobbs, are dual-threat QBs really Alabama’s Kryptonite?
Answer: Johnny Manziel gave this misconception life, but it’s based more in myth than reality. The simple answer is there really isn’t an offensive blue print to beating Alabama. Mobile QBs like Cam Newton, Manziel and Nick Marshall toppled Nick Saban, but so did pocket passer Stephen Garcia.
No full-time SEC QB has beaten Saban twice. So whatever they did the first time wasn’t necessarily repeatable. In five of the Tide’s 10 losses, the winner threw for fewer than 250 yards. Six times, the winning team failed to rush for more than 150 yards.
If you’re looking for a key, it’s when Alabama has the ball.
Alabama had at least 2 turnovers in nine of its 10 losses.
Question: Jalen Hurts has been a tremendous protector of the football. Given that previous stat, does that bode well for the Tide on Saturday?
Answer: Yes. Hurts has thrown just 2 interceptions this season. That’s the fewest of the eight SEC QBs who have attempted at least 150 passes.
Turnovers shorten fields, and that’s the best way to beat Alabama’s defense.
Tennessee has forced 13 turnovers this season. Not only can it not lose the turnover battle Saturday, it has to take advantage of whatever mistakes Hurts makes.
Question: Last year, Chad Kelly and Brandon Austin combined for 810 yards passing and 9 touchdown throws. Can Austin Allen step in and provide another shootout?
Answer: Matching last year’s numbers is a bit much to request, but a pair of 300-yard days certainly is possible.
Allen is second in the SEC with 1,632 passing yards. Kelly is third with 1,596, but in one fewer game. There’s an excellent chance both pass leader Drew Lock on Saturday.
It helps, too, that both defenses are just middle-of-the-pack against the pass. Ole Miss already has allowed two 300-yard games this season. Arkansas gave up 377 to TCU.
Question: Jacob Eason completed 5 passes for 29 yards last week. How big is his bounce back Saturday against Vanderbilt?
Answer: It’s almost as if the SEC consulted Eason on the schedule, because this game offers the perfect opportunity to rebuild confidence.
Vanderbilt has allowed 399 and 291 yards to the only opponents that attempted more than 31 passes against them.
Georgia has regained its running mojo, so Eason might not get 31 attempts Saturday. But he needs at least 25, with 250 yards to show for them.
Chris Wright is Executive Editor at SaturdayDownSouth.com. Email him at cwright@saturdaydownsouth.com.
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.
