A look at the top five quarterbacks in the SEC from a statistical standpoint.
Wouldn’t you know it, a conference that was once known for defense is all about the pass now. With Mike Leach, Lane Kiffin, and even Steve Sarkisian (until this year) calling plays we have seen the SEC go to the spread offenses. Leach brought the Air Raid attack and passing numbers have soared.
The defensive conference has welcomed the offensive explosions. The LSU Tigers are no different, they used to be a smash-mouth team that played sound defense and ran the ball. They now throw it around as much as anyone not named Leach. We saw Joe Burrow in 2019 and then Mac Jones in 2020 with Alabama light up scoreboards.
This year it could be any one of a handful of talented quarterbacks playing in the SEC. A look at the top five passing leaders in the conference and what is next for them as week four arrives.
How did Alabama grade out after squeaking by the Florida Gators?
No. 1 Alabama was able to escape Gainesville yesterday with a victory over the Florida Gators 31-29.
Alabama started off hot against the Gators jumping out to a 21-3 lead but then the Tide let their foot off the gas and allowed Florida to climb back into the game.
Alabama has yet to put a complete sixty-minute performance up this season and if this team has championship aspirations, it’s time to start putting together more complete performances.
Here is how the Tide graded out this week.
OFFENSE: B-
Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
You could have not scripted a better start to the game than what the Tide offense started out with. Bryce Young led the Alabama offense to three touchdowns on each of the team’s first three possessions. But Alabama scored just ten points the remainder of the contest.
The offensive line play was inconsistent, the running backs did not contribute with any explosive plays and the receivers had a few drops throughout the contest.
Alabama’s young offense needs to sure up in those areas and I still believe they can.
DEFENSE: C-
Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
There isn’t much to say here because we all saw what happened yesterday. Florida ran down the heart of the Alabama defense for a total of 245 rushing yards on 43 carries.
The pass defense was good in spots but was also suspect in other spots throughout the contest.
It’s really simple, the rush defense will need to improve if this team wants to win a championship.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A-
Photo Credit: Mickey Welsh / Advertiser
The Alabama special teams unit had a really solid performance against the Gators. Will Reichard was perfect on all his extra points, he also connected on a 24-yard field goal attempt, then he was able to force Florida to commit a miscue on a kickoff that pinned the Florida offense at their own one-yard line.
James Burnip had a solid day punting the ball. He punted a total of four times for 170 yards for an average of 42.5 yards per punt.
Jameson Williams returned two kickoffs for an average of 25.5 yards per return.
OVERALL: B-
Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun
Overall Alabama had an up and down performance against the Gators. There were moments when the offense looked unstoppable, then there were moments when they couldn’t move the ball an inch.
The defense played about a quarter and a half of good football before allowing the Gator offense to have their way with them.
I still believe Alabama has yet to play their best football. With opponents such as Ole Miss and Texas A&M looming, it’s time for Alabama to find their groove and put some consistent performances together.
I believe it is also important to note that Alabama was able to beat a top 15 team in their own backyard. Road wins in the SEC are not easy to come by.
Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!
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Alabama is first to read the end zone in this SEC showdown!
The top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide received the opening kickoff in the Week3 matchup against fellow ranked SEC opponent, the Florida Gators.
An eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive was evenly split between runs and passes. Bryce Young shows thatches’ still as cool as can be in the pocket with a strong opposing defense and a loud, packed SEC stadium.
A delay of game penalty on third down pushed Alabama back to a third-and-long situation, but they managed to get themselves out of a jam and set up a seven-yard touchdown pass from Young to Jase McClellan.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM.
Before The Snap breaks down the latest Heisman odds with Bryce Young’s stock on the rise.
Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football series where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.
This week, Before The Snap was joined by Caroline Darney, the managing editor for our newly launched site, BetFTW, For The Win’s home for sports betting and fantasy coverage. So this week, we’re all about the odds.
Specifically, let’s look at the 2021 Heisman Trophy race. Now, it’s early in the season, but that’s never stopped the college football world from speculating and debating about anything really.
Going into Week 1 of the season, Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler was the Heisman favorite — followed by Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and Alabama quarterback Bryce Young — but as FiveThirtyEight previously noted, just once in the last 12 years has the player favored in the first week ended up winning it.
Stream live college football games every week this season from conferences across the country on ESPN+.
(USA TODAY Sports)
After the first two weeks of college football, Rattler has dropped to the third-best odds to win the Heisman (+900), as of Wednesday according to Tipico Sportsbook.
And ahead of him are now-favorite Young (+185) and Ole Miss passer Matt Corral (+450), and the top-3 players are followed by Liberty quarterback Malik Willis (+1300), Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder (+1500) and Uiagalelei, Georgia quarterback J.T. Daniels and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud — all at +2000.
Here’s a brief look at how the top-3 favorites have played so far this season.
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What we learned from Alabama’s victory over Mercer
It wasn’t pretty, to say the least, but Alabama was able to get out of Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday with a victory, by defeating the Mercer Bears 48-14.
Nick Saban tried to warn us earlier this week when he mentioned the intensity at practice was not where it needed to be.
In the postgame, Saban mentioned that the team needs to “shake themselves or they will get shook” next week by a more talented team in the Florida Gators.
Let’s take a look at some of the things we learned this week.
WATCH: Jase McClellan with the hat-trick for the Tide
It hasn’t always been pretty for the Alabama offense today, but they have answered the bell to start the second half with two touchdowns. The first came from Bryce Young to Jameson Williams on a touchdown pass. The second came when Bryce Young connected with Jase McClellan on a 21-yard touchdown pass.
McClellan has three touchdowns on the day. One on special teams, one on the ground, and now, one receiving.
Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for live in-game coverage on the Alabama Crimson Tide!
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.
Previewing the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Mercer Bears
Alabama will make their home debut of the 2021 season this Saturday against the Mercer Bears.
This matchup will not garner the type of anticipation that Alabama vs. Miami did, but it is the next game on the schedule so it is the most important.
Let’s take a look a look at the Bears first.
Mercer Preview:
Mercer is coming off a dominating performance over Point University. The Bears were able to put 69 points on the board while not allowing the Hawks to score in the contest.
Mercer runs multiple formations on offense, but in its opener, they relied heavily upon the running game. Cumulatively, the Bears ran the ball 59 times for 539 yards and seven touchdowns. Freshman Tommy Pollack led the way for the Bears with 13 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
In their blowout win, the Bears also played three different quarterbacks led by Carter Peevy. Peevy finished the game 9 of 12 for 139 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Bears were also very stingy on the defensive side of the ball, holding Point to just a total of 99 yards of offense.
Alabama Preview:
Alabama had one of the better overall performances of the first week of the college football season. The Tide held a talented Miami offense to just thirteen points and 266 total yards. Offensively, Alabama had their way with the Hurricanes, compiling 501 total yards and 44 points.
Bryce Young leads the quarterback room, while Alabama uses their plethora of talented backs to split carries in the run game. John Metchie and Jameson Williams are stars in the making out wide for the Tide.
Defensively, Alabama has talent all on three levels. Phil Mathis anchors the defensive line, Will Anderson, Christian Harris, and Henry To’o To’o make for an elite linebacker corp, and Malachi Moore, Josh Jobe, and Jordan Battle make up a stingy back end of the defense.
Overall Thoughts & Score Prediction
Obviously, Alabama is the superior team in this contest and will have the avoid the proverbial “rat poison” heading into Saturday’s matchup.
I think this 2021 team is determined and focused. I believe they will show up ready to play in front of a packed-out Bryant-Denny Stadium and compete at a high level and dominate an inferior opponent.
