This has not been the year of the quarterback in the SEC.
Only three quarterbacks — Arkansas’ Tyler Wilson, Georgia’s Aaron Murray and Alabama’s A.J. McCarron — are averaging more than 200 yards passing per game, and nine schools have had at least two quarterbacks see considerable action this season.
“I think what you’re seeing is most of us don’t have the great quarterback, the guy who can run and pass and do it all, a guy that everyone believes in,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said on a recent SEC teleconference. “If you’ve got two that are very close in ability and maybe this one does this better than the other, you find a way to play both of them.”
Spurrier seemed set with veteran Stephen Garcia to start the season. But Garcia couldn’t build on last year’s success, was benched and later kicked off the team as Spurrier turned to Connor Shaw (Flowery Branch).
Other quarterback issues this season have included:
Clint Moseley taking over for Barrett Trotter at Auburn;
Florida searching for answers when starter John Brantley was out with an injured ankle;
Kentucky coach Joker Phillips remaining undecided between Morgan Newton and Maxwell Smith;
Randall Mackey starting the past four games at Mississippi after Zack Stoudt and Barry Brunetti each had opportunities;
Chris Relf sharing time with Tyler Russell after entering the season as the undisputed starter;
Freshman Justin Worley starting in place of senior Matt Simms after Tennessee’s Tyler Bray broke his thumb;
Vanderbilt going with Jordan Rodgers after Larry Smith proved ineffective and was then injured.
Only LSU seems immune to problems among the teams that have played two quarterbacks this year. Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson continue to flourish in their timeshare.
“The bottom line is giving yourself the best opportunity to win and be successful,” Florida coach Will Muschamp said. “If it’s playing two quarterbacks to be successful, then that’s what you’ve got to do. If you have one guy who’s far and away the best guy, then you go with that guy.”
Burning question
Is Rodgers the long-term answer at quarterback for Vanderbilt?
The younger brother of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has provided a spark for Vanderbilt’s offense.
The Commodores are 1-1 in his two starts and almost upset Arkansas on Saturday, losing 31-28 when a last-second field-goal attempt sailed wide. Rodgers, a junior, was 15-of-27 for 240 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 66 yards and two scores in the loss.
“He played extremely well,” Vanderbilt coach James Franklin said. “I told him when you [work hard] and have a positive attitude, things will go in your direction. That’s what happened [Saturday].”
In focus
This season has been a struggle for Kentucky receiver Matt Roark (North Cobb).
Early drops sent him to the bench, but he rebounded and had one of the more productive days ever by a Kentucky receiver Saturday, with 13 catches for 116 yards in a loss to Mississippi State.
Roark’s 13 receptions tied him with the second-best single-game total at Kentucky, and his 116 yards are the most by a Wildcats receiver this season.
“It says a lot about Matt Roark because of what he did,” Phillips said. “He did get yanked in a couple games, but you saw how he responded, and you always want to look how kids are going to respond because you do things in this business to see how they’re going to respond, too, sometimes.”
Despite his demotion, Roark continued to star on Kentucky’s special teams and worked his way back into playing time at receiver. He has 25 catches for 172 yards and a touchdown this season.
Etc.
Tennessee strong safety Brent Brewer (Sandy Creek) will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL. That could mean more playing time for freshman Justin Coleman (Brunswick), if cornerback Prentiss Waggner moves to safety. ... Kentucky’s CoShik Williams (Hiram) rushed for 64 yards on 15 carries in his first career start. ... Defensive tackle Justin Smith (Chattahoochee) has 27 tackles and a half-sack while playing in all eight games for Mississippi. Teammate Gerald Rivers (Cedar Grove) has 10 tackles and two sacks at defensive end. ... Safety Kenny Ladler (Stephenson) had five tackles in Vanderbilt’s loss to Arkansas. ... Freshman tight end Rory Anderson (McEachern) has started two games for South Carolina.
Quotable
“Are you asking me to set the line? Good gosh. I’m worried about Middle [Tennessee], man. I’ve got enough problems. It doesn’t matter what I think about them. ... And they may play again anyway. It wouldn’t surprise me.” — Tennessee coach Derek Dooley when asked about the Alabama-LSU game
“He is ready. I think his maturation process from August to now has been huge. I am very proud of him. I think he has been very humble, and it was time for him to start. Again, him and I talked earlier in the week, and I just told him that it is his time. He has progressed enough for us to know that we can go into the game and win with him.” — Auburn coach Gene Chizik on freshman defensive tackle Gabe Wright (Carver-Columbus), who had a tackle in his first career start
By the numbers
8 SEC teams in the top 40 nationally in scoring defense, led by Alabama, which is No. 1 at 6.9 points per game.
20 Plays it took South Carolina to drive 98 yards for a touchdown in a 14-3 victory over Tennessee. The drive consumed 11:35 and is the longest drive in the SEC in number of plays since Arkansas and Auburn had 20-play drives in 2008. In time, it’s the longest SEC drive since 2004, when Kentucky had one that consumed 11:54.
Saturday’s schedule
Vanderbilt at Florida, 12:21 p.m. (WPCH)
New Mexico State at Georgia, 12:30 p.m. (CSS)
Mississippi at Kentucky, 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Middle Tennessee at Tennessee, 7 p.m. (FSSO)
South Carolina at Arkansas, 7:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Tennessee-Martin at Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m. (CSS)
LSU at Alabama, 8 p.m. (CBS)
