When I saw this article, bells started ringing in my head.
Quarterback play leads to down year in SEC
Edward Aschoff, ESPN Staff Writer
After a couple of years of enjoying some pretty solid offensive numbers, the SEC took a step back in 2015. Yes, bullish running backs headed the league with their punishing styles, but the guys throwing the ball actually regressed in a year when the SEC was supposed to consistently have just about half the league's teams in the Top 25 week in and week out.
The SEC's limp to the finish of 2015 can mostly be attributed to the lack of elite quarterback play. A year after eight SEC teams averaged at least 224 passing yards per game and 10 teams had at least 21 touchdown passes, the SEC produced just four teams -- Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Texas A&M -- that hit the 224-yard mark and had 20-plus touchdowns.
Only Ole Miss and Mississippi State rank in the top 25 nationally in passing, and 10 schools rank 70th or worse. SEC quarterbacks combined to throw 246 interceptions during the regular season and seven teams (half the league) completed less than 59 percent of their passes, which is the lowest percentage for the conference since 2011.A year after seven quarterbacks threw for at least 2,500 yards, only three -- Ole Miss' Chad Kelly (3,740), Mississippi State's Dak Prescott (3,413) and Arkansas' Brandon Allen (3,125) -- did so in 2015. And only those three quarterbacks hit the 20-touchdown mark, too. Five quarterbacks who started at least seven games failed to throw at least 10 touchdowns.
"It's not what it has been in years past," Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. "I don't think that means it's bad, necessarily. I think every school has got their guy and they're doing the best they can to manage what those coaches ask them to do. Probably, from top to bottom, when you look at their stats, and you look at how all of them have played through the course of the season, there's probably some merit to [quarterback play regressing]."
Freeze was one of the lucky ones. Kelly, who transferred to Ole Miss from the junior college ranks, led the Rebels to nine wins, including one at Alabama, and finished the regular season leading the SEC in passing. He also set a school record for total offense (4,167 yards) and totaled 37 touchdowns.
Dan Mullen and Bret Bielema were similarly happy. Prescott continued to break records with yet another 3,000-yard season at Mississippi State, while Allen might have been the conference's biggest surprise with his career-high 3,125 yards and 29 touchdowns.
After that, play dramatically fell off. Just look at Auburn, which started the season with a surefire All-SEC candidate in Jeremy Johnson. Three games in, Johnson had more interceptions than touchdowns (six to five) and was benched for freshman Sean White. White didn't fare much better and was eventually replaced by Johnson late in the season, as the early national championship favorites went just 6-6, with only two SEC wins and an offense ranked 10th in the league (367.3 yards per game), the lowest under Gus Malzahn.
Jeremy Johnson and Auburn did not live up to the hype this season. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Texas A&M's musical-chair situation at quarterback with Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray didn't exactly work out. Missouri's offense was the league's worst (280.9 yards per game) thanks to poor play early from starter Maty Mauk and then his eventual indefinite suspension that threw true freshman Drew Lock to the wolves. Lock completed 49 percent of his passes and tossed eight interceptions compared to four touchdowns.
Georgia thought it had a solid game-managing quarterback in Virginia transfer Greyson Lambert, but he averaged just 167.6 yards per game and was benched in favor of third-stringer Faton Bauta in the 27-3 loss to Florida. Tennessee didn't even fully trust Joshua Dobbs' arm until halfway through the season.
LSU's offense crumbled around running back Leonard Fournette, as the passing game imploded in the final month with QB Brandon Harris. The sophomore completed just 47.6 percent of his passes in November and threw three touchdowns compared to five picks during that 1-3 stretch.
Even the two teams in Atlanta have had QB issues. Florida's offense has collapsed in the past month and a half since the year-long suspension of starter Will Grier after he was popped for using a NCAA-banned substance. Though Treon Harris helped guide Florida to the SEC championship game, he has a QBR of 57.4 and in November. Defenses have dominated this offense, as Florida averaged just 294 yards per game, 4.26 yards per play and 13.8 points per game, including losing 27-2 against Florida State.
Alabama's Jake Coker had a very up-and-down start to the season, but as the offense moved more toward constantly feeding Heisman Trophy favorite Derrick Henry, some of the responsibility was taken off of Coker's shoulders. Still, he can get careless with the ball in pressure situations -- hence his 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
In a year when some thought the SEC would be fighting for two College Football Playoff spots, offenses held teams back. More importantly -- or disturbingly -- quarterbacks were the main reason.
Quarterback play leads to down year in SEC
Edward Aschoff, ESPN Staff Writer
After a couple of years of enjoying some pretty solid offensive numbers, the SEC took a step back in 2015. Yes, bullish running backs headed the league with their punishing styles, but the guys throwing the ball actually regressed in a year when the SEC was supposed to consistently have just about half the league's teams in the Top 25 week in and week out.
The SEC's limp to the finish of 2015 can mostly be attributed to the lack of elite quarterback play. A year after eight SEC teams averaged at least 224 passing yards per game and 10 teams had at least 21 touchdown passes, the SEC produced just four teams -- Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Texas A&M -- that hit the 224-yard mark and had 20-plus touchdowns.
Only Ole Miss and Mississippi State rank in the top 25 nationally in passing, and 10 schools rank 70th or worse. SEC quarterbacks combined to throw 246 interceptions during the regular season and seven teams (half the league) completed less than 59 percent of their passes, which is the lowest percentage for the conference since 2011.A year after seven quarterbacks threw for at least 2,500 yards, only three -- Ole Miss' Chad Kelly (3,740), Mississippi State's Dak Prescott (3,413) and Arkansas' Brandon Allen (3,125) -- did so in 2015. And only those three quarterbacks hit the 20-touchdown mark, too. Five quarterbacks who started at least seven games failed to throw at least 10 touchdowns.
"It's not what it has been in years past," Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. "I don't think that means it's bad, necessarily. I think every school has got their guy and they're doing the best they can to manage what those coaches ask them to do. Probably, from top to bottom, when you look at their stats, and you look at how all of them have played through the course of the season, there's probably some merit to [quarterback play regressing]."
Freeze was one of the lucky ones. Kelly, who transferred to Ole Miss from the junior college ranks, led the Rebels to nine wins, including one at Alabama, and finished the regular season leading the SEC in passing. He also set a school record for total offense (4,167 yards) and totaled 37 touchdowns.
Dan Mullen and Bret Bielema were similarly happy. Prescott continued to break records with yet another 3,000-yard season at Mississippi State, while Allen might have been the conference's biggest surprise with his career-high 3,125 yards and 29 touchdowns.
After that, play dramatically fell off. Just look at Auburn, which started the season with a surefire All-SEC candidate in Jeremy Johnson. Three games in, Johnson had more interceptions than touchdowns (six to five) and was benched for freshman Sean White. White didn't fare much better and was eventually replaced by Johnson late in the season, as the early national championship favorites went just 6-6, with only two SEC wins and an offense ranked 10th in the league (367.3 yards per game), the lowest under Gus Malzahn.
Jeremy Johnson and Auburn did not live up to the hype this season. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Texas A&M's musical-chair situation at quarterback with Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray didn't exactly work out. Missouri's offense was the league's worst (280.9 yards per game) thanks to poor play early from starter Maty Mauk and then his eventual indefinite suspension that threw true freshman Drew Lock to the wolves. Lock completed 49 percent of his passes and tossed eight interceptions compared to four touchdowns.
Georgia thought it had a solid game-managing quarterback in Virginia transfer Greyson Lambert, but he averaged just 167.6 yards per game and was benched in favor of third-stringer Faton Bauta in the 27-3 loss to Florida. Tennessee didn't even fully trust Joshua Dobbs' arm until halfway through the season.
LSU's offense crumbled around running back Leonard Fournette, as the passing game imploded in the final month with QB Brandon Harris. The sophomore completed just 47.6 percent of his passes in November and threw three touchdowns compared to five picks during that 1-3 stretch.
Even the two teams in Atlanta have had QB issues. Florida's offense has collapsed in the past month and a half since the year-long suspension of starter Will Grier after he was popped for using a NCAA-banned substance. Though Treon Harris helped guide Florida to the SEC championship game, he has a QBR of 57.4 and in November. Defenses have dominated this offense, as Florida averaged just 294 yards per game, 4.26 yards per play and 13.8 points per game, including losing 27-2 against Florida State.
Alabama's Jake Coker had a very up-and-down start to the season, but as the offense moved more toward constantly feeding Heisman Trophy favorite Derrick Henry, some of the responsibility was taken off of Coker's shoulders. Still, he can get careless with the ball in pressure situations -- hence his 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
In a year when some thought the SEC would be fighting for two College Football Playoff spots, offenses held teams back. More importantly -- or disturbingly -- quarterbacks were the main reason.
