Auburn Football used a two-quarterback system to defeat Mercer in week one, 42-16.
Early last week, head coach [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] announced that [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] would take the opening snap of the season-opener. However, with the quarterback race being so tight throughout the summer, it was reported that Oregon transfer [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] would also see playing time against Mercer.
Both athletes did in fact get equal playing time in the win. Finley completed 9-of-14 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. His only fault was throwing two interceptions. As for Ashford, he completed 4-of-7 passes for an even 100 yards. He also showcased his wheels by rushing for an additional 68 yards, which was second-highest in the category behind Tank Bigsby’s 147-yard performance.
Now that week one’s games are officially over, it is time to compare Auburn’s quarterbacks to the rest of the SEC in the passer rating category.
The SEC is loaded with quarterback talent this season, and there were several performances over the weekend that supported the claim. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama, Bryce Young, had another strong outing for the Tide, while Will Rogers led Mississippi State’s air raid attack to a massive win over Memphis.
While Auburn used two quarterbacks in Saturday’s win, only Finley’s stats can be used in the SEC leaderboard, because Ashford did not attempt more than 10 passes in the Mercer game. However, if he were eligible to be included on the SEC’s top-passers list, he would rank No. 6 among active SEC quarterbacks with a rating of 177.1.
Now that every SEC team has a game under their belt (with the exception of Vanderbilt, who has played two games so far), here’s a look at the SEC’s top passers according to current passer rating: