Week 8 SEC QB Power Rankings: Talent trumping experience

We all knew it wasn’t supposed to be a banner year for the SEC at the game’s most important position, but we thought we had a few sure things.

Nevertheless, Chad Kelly of Ole Miss has already lost three games and doesn’t appear to have made any improvement. Similarly, Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs hasn’t been able to make the leap and take the Volunteers with him.

There have been some pleasant surprises, though. Sean White has emerged from what began as a hook-a-thon at Auburn and played quite well. Austin Allen of Arkansas has stepped out of his older brother’s shadow — he might be better than Brandon. Even LSU’s Danny Etling has done some quality work taking over for Brandon Harris.

The two true freshmen of note, Georgia’s Jacob Eason and Alabama’s Jalen Hurts, seem to be heading in opposite directions. One is improving week after week, while the other looks to have some limitations right now.

Here are my quarterback rankings entering Week 8. There is a fresh face making his first appearance at the top spot.

14. Kyle Shurmur

Last week: 14

Even in an upset of Georgia on the road, Shurmur completed fewer than 40 percent of his passes for the third time in seven starts.

On the opening drive of the game, from the Bulldogs’ 1-yard line, Shurmur had his tight end all alone in the end zone off a play-action fake. The sophomore QB overthrew the ball so badly that his target didn’t even get a finger on it.

Shurmur’s passer efficiency rating of 98.5 is outside the top 100 nationally, plus he hasn’t thrown for a touchdown in three games.

13. Stephen Johnson

Last week: 13

Kentucky had a bye this past Saturday, so Johnson gets an extra week to prepare for Mississippi State in Week 8.

With opening-day starter Drew Barker less likely to return this season following his back injury, Johnson has the job to himself for now. However, there’s been talk in Lexington recently of pulling the redshirt off freshman Gunnar Hoak.

Like the aforementioned Shurmur, Johnson has failed to throw a single TD pass for the Wildcats in three consecutive starts.

12. Perry Orth

Last week: 11

With South Carolina off in Week 7, Orth will get an extra seven days to prepare for lowly UMass this coming Saturday.

The Gamecocks have flip-flopped back and forth between Orth, a senior, and Brandon McIlwain, a true freshman. Orth is the more effective passer of the two, although McIlwain offers some pure play-making ability.

Assuming the ‘Cocks fall out of contention for a bowl game, switching back to McIlwain and building for 2017 makes sense.

11. Nick Fitzgerald

Last week: 12

Mississippi State traveled to BYU on a Friday night in Week 7 and lost in double overtime, as Fitzgerald again struggled.

Against the Cougars, he completed only 17-of-36 throws for 214 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. To be fair, his receiving corps has been inconsistent this season. Even Fred Ross continues to have a case of the dropsies.

Unlike Orth, Fitzgerald is only a sophomore and appears to be the long-term starter. He needs to show more improvement, though.

10. Luke Del Rio

Last week: unranked

Making his first start in a month after injuring his knee in the North Texas game, Del Rio was all kinds of rusty in a 40-14 win over Missouri.

Despite the convincing final score, Del Rio connected on fewer than 50 percent of his passes and was intercepted three times. If not for two pick-sixes and a kickoff-return TD by the Gators, this one might have been interesting.

While Florida is now atop the East following back-to-back losses by Tennessee, the quarterback position remains a question mark.

9. Drew Lock

Last week: 6

In what was an abysmal performance from start to finish, Lock was 4-of-18 for 39 yards and 2 INTs getting blown out in Gainesville.

As mentioned above, Lock had an interception returned for a touchdown on consecutive possessions in the second quarter. A 6-0 game quickly became 20-0 and all but over. He now has 0 touchdowns and 3 picks in his past two starts.

Lock is yet to prove that he can have success against a quality opponent. He put up good numbers against Georgia in Week 3 but also threw three interceptions. Almost all of his highlights have come against cupcakes.

8. Danny Etling

Last week: 9

Tied 10-10 with Southern Mississippi at halftime, Etling warmed up after intermission in what ended up a 45-10 beatdown.

It took just 18 throws for him to amass 276 yards passing and 3 TDs, which is an eye-opening average of 15.3 yards per attempt. In a 28-0 third quarter for LSU, Etling had scoring strikes of 80 and 63 yards.

Most important, Etling has only thrown one interception in four starts. That’s why he took over for Brandon Harris in the first place.

7. Jacob Eason

Last week: 8

Eason’s numbers looked very good in the box score against Vanderbilt, hitting on 27-of-40 for 346 yards with 1 TD and 0 INTs.

However, if you actually watched that 17-16 defeat to East bottom-feeder Vanderbilt, Eason wasn’t nearly as effective as his numbers indicate. Several of his completions were little more than shovel passes to jet-sweeping receivers.

We all know Eason has a big arm, but he needs to develop some touch desperately. He doesn’t throw a very catchable ball at this point.

6. Sean White

Last week: 7

Very quietly, White is the top-rated passer in the SEC. His average of 9 yards per attempt is also best in the conference.

Auburn is a run-first team and likely always will be under coach Gus Malzahn, as White is yet to throw more than 27 passes in any game this season. But his accuracy down the field has helped the Tigers make some big plays.

With Arkansas on deck and then a trip to Ole Miss on Halloween weekend, White is entering a crucial part of the schedule.

5. Joshua Dobbs

Last week: 5

Nothing went right for Dobbs in a 49-10 demolition by Alabama. While he did complete 16-of-27 passes, they went for only 92 yards.

After throwing another interception against the Crimson Tide, Dobbs has now been picked off at least once in all seven games this season. His 9 INTs are three more than any other quarterback in the league.

Despite all his experience, Dobbs’ completion percentage (58.5) and yards-per-attempt average (7.4) are middle of the pack.

4. Chad Kelly

Last week: 1

Kelly has been brilliant in stretches this year, but a disappointing 3-3 record for Ole Miss is at least partially his fault.

In a 34-30 loss to Arkansas last weekend, Kelly didn’t have a great day throwing the ball: 18-of-39 for 253 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. While his legs came alive with 89 yards and 2 touchdowns, it wasn’t enough to direct a win.

The Rebels are now barely ranked and likely out of contention for a New Year’s Six bowl game, so Kelly might start thinking about the NFL.

3. Trevor Knight

Last week: 3

Texas A&M is undefeated and No. 6 in the country, but the season comes down to Saturday in Tuscaloosa against No. 1 Alabama.

The Aggies were off this past Saturday, so they got an extra week to heal and prepare for the Crimson Tide. If A&M is going to pull the upset, then Knight needs to be more accurate on short- and intermediate-range throws.

While he’s an effective runner and actually leads the SEC with 9 TDs scored, Knight’s arm has been erratic here and there.

2. Austin Allen

Last week: 4

Allen outplayed Kelly in the Razorbacks’ win over the Rebels, throwing for 229 yards and 3 touchdowns against 1 interception.

Arkansas finally opened up holes in the trenches, as Allen was able to lean on his running game more often than he had previously. Nevertheless, no signal caller in the conference has taken as many shots as he has.

Don’t be surprised if Allen has to revert to chuck-and-duck mode Saturday facing Auburn, as the Tigers are talented along the D-line.

1. Jalen Hurts

Last week: 2

Taking the top spot for the first time in 2016, Hurts continues to be a dual-threat monster for the best team in America.

In that utter annihilation of then-No. 9 Tennessee, the true freshman threw for 143 yards and added 132 more on the ground. While he was picked off once, he scored a trio of TDs as a rusher and made it look easy.

Credit offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin for building a plan around what Hurts does best. Still, the youngster has been tremendous.

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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.