Can the SEC Fix Its Quarterback Problem?
Birmingham, you have a problem.
If there was a sense of angst coming from the SEC's headquarters on Saturday afternoon, it likely was due to the inefficient quarterback play that has littered the conference through two weeks of the season.
Auburn's Jeremy Johnson has thrown five picks through two games and can't read defenses, LSU's Brandon Harris threw for just 77 yards in a win over Mississippi State last week and was clearly hidden by head coach Les Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, Alabama's Jake Coker didn't exactly look like a world-beater against Middle Tennessee State and Georgia's Greyson Lambert looked average at best at Vanderbilt.
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That's not even a complete list of the quarterbacks who are struggling, either. Tennessee's passing game was nonexistent vs. Oklahoma, South Carolina's a mess, Florida's still building and Vandy's a wreck.
Not exactly the quarterback resurgence many—including yours truly—expected through two games.
Can the conference fix its quarterback woes?
Yes, although teams like Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Florida will likely piece it together on the fly throughout the year—which is also an adequate solution as long as the coaches can handle it.
Auburn QB Jeremy Johnson
If you watched Auburn's first two games, you probably think there's no hope for Johnson.
His decision-making has been horrendous, he consistently throws into double- and triple-coverage and he looks nothing like the superstar that he was predicted to be.
That doesn't mean he can't be, though.
"I think the big thing from my standpoint is I have to do a better job of putting him in good situations," head coach Gus Malzahn said in quotes emailed by Auburn. "It all works together. He’s an extremely talented quarterback. He’s going to play well. He’s had a couple of growing pains, but that’s part of it. The good thing is, we’re 2-0 going through some growing pains. We’ve got a good plan for him moving forward and he’ll play better."
That plan can be what fixes Johnson and helps Auburn stay in the College Football Playoff race.
Malzahn played "hide the quarterback" early in former starter Nick Marshall's career by focusing heavily on creating a multidimensional running game that features the quarterback. Johnson isn't Marshall, but he is mobile, so the same path could work.
Johnson has just nine carries on the year, but he rushed for 706 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior in high school, according to MaxPreps.com, and has 4.6 speed, according to Malzahn. Unleashing Johnson as a threat on the ground could help settle him down, throw a curveball to LSU this weekend and establish the identity that the Tigers offense has been lacking thus far.
Johnson isn't a lost cause. He has shown off his arm strength and accuracy at times, including on the game-tying touchdown to Melvin Ray late in regulation vs. Jacksonville State. But those times have been few and far between.
There's no way the staff trusts Johnson to make wise decisions at this point, no matter what is said publicly. So take the game out of his hands—or his arm, anyway. A little taste of success in any way possible could give Johnson much-needed confidence and allow the staff to open up the playbook more as the season progresses.
For now, Auburn just has to make it work at LSU and vs. Mississippi State in any way possible, and making Johnson a run threat is the best option at this point.
LSU QB Brandon Harris
LSU quarterback Brandon Harris didn't get the benefit of a tuneup in Week 1 after the Tigers' game with McNeese State was cancelled due to weather. In this first start of the season on the road at Mississippi State, it was clear that head coach Les Miles wanted Harris to wade into the water rather than jump into the deep end.
Harris didn't look bad, but he attempted just 14 passes in the 21-19 win over Mississippi State and added 48 yards on the ground.
As Tony Barnhart of SEC Network and GridironNow.com noted on 104.5 in Baton Rouge, the comfort level of Harris was what was important in Starkville.
That's nice, but is that going to vault the Tigers into SEC West title contention? Nope.
It's just a first step, which is all Tigers fans could and should have expected on the road in Starkville.
Can he be trusted, though?
That's more likely to be determined this week vs. Auburn, next week at Syracuse and finalized vs. Eastern Michigan on Oct. 3.
There's been a quarterback problem in Baton Rouge virtually every season since Matt Flynn won a national title in 2007, save for Zach Mettenberger's senior season in 2013. Harris has all of the skills to be a star through the air and on the ground, but he's going to have to be much more than a game manager if LSU is going to get back in contention.
The biggest question remaining is whether the staff can properly utilize his dual-threat skills, and they haven't shown that yet. Auburn—LSU's next opponent—has struggled against the zone read in each of its first two games, so this week would be a good time to find out.
Color me skeptical not on Harris, but on LSU's coaching staff.
Alabama QB Jake Coker
Jake Coker hasn't exactly been bad for Alabama through two games for the second-ranked Crimson Tide.
He's thrown for more than 200 yards in each of their two wins and tossed two touchdowns, but a completion percentage of 57.7 vs. Middle Tennessee State and his lone interception has generated some concern in Tuscaloosa, as Matt Zenitz of AL.com noted on Twitter.
OK, so there's clearly frustration from head coach Nick Saban after the game against the Blue Raiders.
That's fine, but Alabama made a concerted effort to stretch the field with Coker in Game 2 after simply allowing him to manage the game in the opener vs. Wisconsin.
It didn't work, and that has Saban at least a little concerned heading into Ole Miss week. The Rebels have topped the 70-point plateau in each of their first two games of the year and can put stress on Alabama's lingering defensive question—the secondary.
After Week 2 last year, though, it's not like the quarterback position was a position of strength in Tuscaloosa either.
Plan A for Alabama is and will be pounding the rock with Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake anyway, and as long as the Crimson Tide can control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball consistently, the quarterback only has to manage the game.
Alabama's quarterback problems are "rich man's problems" for Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. At least they have a guy whom they trust to manage a game and have the ace in the hole—Kiffin's track record with quarterbacks—in their back pocket.
There's no quarterback problem in Tuscaloosa. To quote a little "Sabanese," it's a process.
Georgia QB Greyson Lambert
To the surprise of man, Georgia head coach Mark Richt tabbed Virginia transfer Greyson Lambert as the Bulldogs starting quarterback over sophomore Brice Ramsey prior to the season.
Through two games, Lambert has been average at best.
He's 19-of-33 (57.6 percent) on the season, is averaging 7.8 yards per attempt and didn't complete his first pass against Vanderbilt until early in the third quarter.
"He's going to be fine," Richt said in quotes released by Georgia. "We're going to be able to throw and catch well. We actually threw the ball and caught it extremely well game one."
OK, Lambert hasn't been great, but what did you expect?
He arrived shortly before the start of fall camp, he's been asked to digest a complicated, NFL-style playbook and Georgia purposefully brought him along slowly through two games since the schedule set up well with a couple of easy early games.
As long as the defense keeps Georgia in games, there's no problem in Athens. But Lambert is going to have to stretch the field at some point, and there's not much to suggest that he can do that thus far.
So, what will Georgia do if that happens?
Ramsey has a big arm and all the potential to be a superstar, but he hasn't earned the trust of the staff yet. In a shootout, though, that probably doesn't matter all that much. He's much more of a high risk/high reward guy, and likely would be the option in those situations.
Why else would Richt and Co. purposefully put him in games in the first half in each of the first two games?
As long as the defense helps minimize the risk, Georgia will be fine. If it doesn't, though, the quarterback position could jump up and bite the Bulldogs.
There are only two weeks of the season in the books, and overreacting to small sample sizes of quarterback play is always one of the rites of fall.
It's still early, though.
SEC teams with quarterback problems have talented players, good coaches and plenty of time to work through the issues.
It has to start happening now, though, because SEC play is kicking into high gear and division titles can be lost in September.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Statistics are courtesy of CFBstats.com.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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