Week 12 SEC QB Power Rankings: Fabulous freshmen to the rescue
While this season has gone from bad to worse in the SEC at the game’s most important position, the future appears to be bright.
Four true freshmen started at quarterback this past Saturday, combining for a record of 3-1 and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 6-to-3. That’s not too shabby considering how they tend to play defense in this conference.
Making the biggest impression was Shea Patterson of Ole Miss. The plan all along was for the five-star phenom to redshirt this year, but once Chad Kelly was lost for the remainder of the schedule due to injury, coach Hugh Freeze rolled the dice. The Rebels were rewarded, as Patterson beat Texas A&M with some fourth-quarter magic.
Of the 14 QBs scheduled to start Saturday, it seems like half of them are interchangeable at this point — and that’s not a good thing. When flagship programs like Florida and LSU are excited about Purdue transfers … well, you know.
Here are my quarterback rankings entering Week 12. The leader is so far out in front that everyone else is playing for second.
14. Kyle Shurmur
Last week: 11
After finally getting out of the cellar a week ago, Shurmur again falls to the bottom of the rankings following a 26-17 loss at Missouri.
The lowest-rated quarterback in the SEC of the 12 that qualify, Shurmur was 17-of-29 for 252 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown for Vanderbilt and was intercepted twice. His TD-to-INT ratio is now negative for the season at 5-to-6.
Shurmur is also dead last this year with an average of 5.9 yards per attempt, which is reflective of poor accuracy and no downfield threats.
13. Stephen Johnson
Last week: 10
Despite putting a lot of points on the board in a 49-36 loss at Tennessee, Johnson had very little to do with it himself.
Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Kentucky has been running the ball well with Stanley “Boom” Williams and Benny Snell, but Johnson was only 12-of-29 for 192 yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT. It was his second start in a row completing 50 percent of his passes or less.
In seven starts, Johnson has failed to throw a touchdown pass five times. He’s averaging just 152.6 yards passing in those games, too.
12. Jake Hubenak
Last week: 7
Taking over for Trevor Knight, who will miss the rest of the regular season with injury, Hubenak was upset at home 29-28 by Ole Miss.
Hubenak’s numbers through the air weren’t too bad, as he was 16-of-27 for 213 yards with two scores and a pick, plus he added 30 yards on 9 carries. Texas A&M was missing something offensively, though. The explosiveness wasn’t there.
The Rebels got a lift after pulling the redshirt off Patterson. The Aggies might consider a similar move with Nick Starkel.
11. Drew Lock
Last week: 12
Nobody in the conference has thrown for more yards (2,811) than Lock. He’s also tied at the top for touchdown passes (21).
While most of his stats have been meaningless in 2016, at least he broke a five-game losing streak by defeating Vanderbilt. Lock played a pretty clean game, too: 22-of-37 passing for 294 yards with 2 TDs and 0 INTs.
Missouri finishes with Tennessee on the road and then Arkansas at home, so Lock is looking at 1-7 in league play unless he pulls an upset.
10. Jake Bentley
Last week: 8
After beginning his South Carolina career with three wins and a TD-to-INT ratio of 6-to-0, Bentley was a 20-7 loser at Florida.
The true freshman was 18-of-33 for 213 yards with no scores and his first pick as a Gamecock. Also, a lot of Bentley’s yardage came late in the fourth quarter with the Gators loosely protecting a three-touchdown lead.
For the first time, Bentley actually played like a kid who should still be in high school. Let’s see how he responds after his first defeat.
Last week: 14
Thrust back into the starting lineup with Luke Del Rio sidelined a second time, Appleby was sharp early in a win over South Carolina.
He didn’t have to do much after halftime, as Jordan Scarlett was running the ball effectively and his defense was shutting down the aforementioned Bentley, but Appleby finished 17-of-21 for 201 yards with a pair of scores and a lone pick.
Del Rio was really playing poorly prior to getting injured again, so it’s reasonable to think that Appleby starts the rest of the year.
8. Danny Etling
Last week: 9
LSU ran the ball 51 times for 390 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 38-10 beatdown of Arkansas. Etling’s arm got plenty of rest as a result.
Jeremiah Ledbetter (55) tries to get past a LSU Tigers blocker during the second quarter of the game Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports” width=”1654″ height=”1102″ /> Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
When he was asked to take to the air, the Indiana native connected on 10-of-16 throws for 157 yards. He may not have found the end zone, but he wasn’t picked off either. Etling was once again relegated to game-manager duty.
He’ll likely have to make more plays in the passing game with Florida coming to Baton Rouge. The Gators are excellent stopping the run.
Last week: 5
Even after a 51-3 shellacking at Alabama, Fitzgerald shouldn’t feel too bad. Not many passers have success against the Crimson Tide.
He did put together a horrid stat line, though. He was 10-of-33 passing for 145 yards with 0 touchdowns and 1 interception. Arguably the premier running quarterback in the SEC, he was held to 15 yards on 11 carries.
Of the dozen QBs in the conference that qualify, Fitzgerald is 11th with a 53.3 completion percentage and tied for 10th with 6.5 yards per attempt.
6. Sean White
Last week: 3
No longer the top-rated passer in the league, White fell behind the injured Kelly after laying an egg in a 13-7 defeat at Georgia.
With his ground assault not having its usual success, White couldn’t make up the difference in the air. Just 6-of-20 for 27 yards, he also threw an interception that the Bulldogs returned for six. It was their only TD of the game.
When White woke up last Saturday, Auburn was alive in the West race. But when he went to sleep, ‘Bama had clinched the division.
5. Shea Patterson
Last week: unranked
Freeze scrapped his initial plan to redshirt Patterson once Kelly was shelved with a torn ACL. Desperate times, desperate measures.
Criticized by some for the move, as there were only three games left on the schedule, Freeze clearly made the right decision. Patterson was brilliant at times against Texas A&M, throwing for 338 yards and mixing in 64 more on the ground.
Is it ludicrous for Patterson to be ranked fifth after a single start? Probably. But tell me a QB ranked 6-14 you’d rather have right now.
4. Jacob Eason
Last week: 6
Of the 12 signal callers that qualify, Eason is only 11th — and 96th nationally — with a passer efficiency rating of 117.5.
That being said, the potential is clearly there. In that upset of Auburn, he was 20-of-31 for 208 yards. Most important, he methodically led a couple of scoring drives in the second half that proved to be the difference.
With better protection up front and another receiving option or two out wide, Eason could really turn into something special in 2017.
3. Joshua Dobbs
Last week: 4
Since ending a three-game losing streak, Dobbs has thrown 6 TDs against just 1 INT in wins over Tennessee Tech and Kentucky.
Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Against the Wildcats, he threw for 223 yards, ran for an additional 147 and was responsible for 5 total touchdowns. His 21 scoring passes are now tied for most in the SEC, plus his 7 rushing scores are fourth among quarterbacks.
Considering how quickly Tennessee’s season was cratering, highlighted by the Jalen Hurd transfer, Dobbs may have saved Butch Jones’s job.
2. Austin Allen
Last week: 2
It’s borderline unfair to pin the loss to LSU on Allen, as the Arkansas rushing D had no answers for Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice.
Still, Allen was only 15-of-31 passing for 210 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs. Following a four-game stretch in which he wasn’t intercepted, he has now been picked off eight times in his last five outings — three of them losses.
In his first seven starts, Allen threw multiple touchdown passes every time. But in his last three, he’s fired a total of two.
1. Jalen Hurts
Last week: 1
As if the first-year phenom hadn’t been impressive enough, Hurts is coming off one of the top statistical performances in Alabama history.
Not even a year removed from high school, Hurts became the first Crimson Tide player ever to throw for 300 yards and run for another 100 in the same game. Mississippi State was helpless, as he moved the ball at will from start to finish.
A cold-blooded killer for the No. 1 team in America, Hurts has now thrown for multiple TDs in six games and run for multiple scores in three.
John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
Ship Dit piece. I think John Crist passes gas and the words his flatulation sound the closest to provides inspiration for his thoughts on football.
Sean white at 6? Are you f#@king high?
Look at 7-14. The SEC is a dumpster fire at quarterback this year. Yes, White was atrocious in Week 11, but the rankings are cumulative and he’s been consistently good most weeks.
But these rankings arent culmative, you cant put Patrerson at 5 based on that. Not taking anything away I thought he played phenomenal. But it was just one week against a team that essential has nothing to play for.
Except you told the story of: “he had a horrible game, he’s obviously terrible now”. You completely ignored the important fact that he is obviously playing injured. He is no where close to healthy which was blatant to anyone who watch that game. The only reason he is playing is because we have literally no one behind him, which is a problem I blame entirely on the coaching staff.
Watched*
Go Jalen Hitr
Go Jalen Hurts…..RTR
Save Butch’s job? Where in the wild, wild world of college football did you get the idea he was in any danger of being fired?
John John John. You’re going to rank Shea Patterson #5 after 1 week’s performance? I thought you like to reserve judgement for a week or 2 or 3, and then pass judgement in week 4.
Bentley wasn’t as crisp, but he was throwing against one of the top CB duos in the country. Also, he couldn’t help that his WRs and tight ends dropped passes that hit them in the chest. Not to mention Carolina’s offensive line play was awful and he had very little time in the pocket. But nice jab on the high school senior comment. Sure you’ve been saving that one for that past 4 weeks and were drooling at the thought of using it.
Just stop Mr. Crist.
I thought it was fine, ignore the haters John. You do good work.
Only problem I have is the fact that Eitling is higher than Bentley, Bentley threw against a top 10 defense, the best corners in CFB and he had receivers dropping balls like it’s alread January 1st. Bentley made some awesome throws (see Bryan Edwards catch OVER Jalen Tabor, beautifully placed) that I couldn’t see a highschooler making, and threw 200+ yards on a again, top 10 defense. Why all the hate John? Sure he wasn’t the best, but he did great with what he had and what he was up against. Other than that solid ranking
A solid 100 yards came against a safe defense so dont let the stat line fool you if not for the 40 yard catch by hurst with a couple minutes left and the desperation heaves his numbers would look a lot worse.