SEC Extra Points with Barrett Sallee: Alabama's QBs and Nick Marshall's Progress
It's Not Over Quite Yet
Alabama's quarterback battle between senior Blake Sims and junior Jake Coker is still technically ongoing after Coker passed for 202 yards and a touchdown last week against Florida Atlantic. Fans will get to witness another audition this week when the two split time against Southern Miss.
“We're making those evaluations on a day-to-day basis,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said on Monday, according to B/R's Marc Torrence. “We're not really ready to make any kind of prediction on what we should do in the Florida game when we're playing Southern Miss this week. That's really kind of what we're focused on right now.”
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
With only one more tuneup before the Florida Gators' stingy defense rolls into town, it's imperative that Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin figure out who's "the guy" this week against the Golden Eagles.
What's the holdup?
The explanation on why the battle is still ongoing actually begins with the defense.
Alabama's cornerback problems have been hanging around since the beginning of the 2013 season and were largely masked due to weak competition. That same problem popped up in the season opener against West Virginia when Clint Trickett racked up 365 yards through the air against the Crimson Tide. Last week, though, things changed. Eddie Jackson came back from his torn ACL and looked good, and Cyrus Jones played tough.
Was that a sign that things have been fixed, or was it a product of weak competition?
It's probably a little of both. With another tuneup on the schedule, patience is a virtue.
So what does that have to do with the quarterbacks?
Saban and Kiffin know that Sims can manage a game very well. He has completed 76.6 percent of his passes (36 of 47) for 478 yards, two touchdowns and one pick this year; and—most importantly—he has proven that he can consistently move the offense and get in position to score.
But what if that suddenly becomes "not good enough" and the Crimson Tide are forced into a shootout due to shaky secondary play?
That's why Coker is still in the mix. He has the arm and big-play potential but doesn't have a firm grasp of the offense quite yet. At some point, though, he may be called on to stretch the field.
There are 60 more minutes to figure out the right recipe because the last thing Alabama needs is both quarterbacks looking over their shoulders against Florida's defense.
Room to Grow?
Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall was hit-or-miss through the air in his first start of the season last weekend, a 59-13 win over San Jose State. Head coach Gus Malzahn believes that there's still room for his senior quarterback to grow.
"From a coach's standpoint, there were two or three times in the game where it wasn't the quarterback's fault," Malzahn said. "From the casual eye, it may have looked that way. There was one concept where we put him in a bind because they had a perfect defense for it and just didn't do a good job of throwing it away. We feel very good about where he's at."
What has become abundantly clear during Auburn's first two games is that it really doesn't matter.
Auburn has proven through two games that it can replicate the same offensive production on the ground that helped the Tigers win the SEC title last year. Cameron Artis-Payne has topped the century mark in both games, Marshall joined him last week and Corey Grant is averaging 8.8 yards per carry on 20 carries.
Marshall's progress through the air isn't a necessity, it's a luxury.
Waiting in the wings is sophomore Jeremy Johnson, who can always stretch the field if needed.
If Marshall continues to do what he does on the ground, it won't be needed. Auburn's offense clicks at an elite level with him at the helm, and more consistency to the passing game would only serve as fuel additive to the high-octane Tigers.
A Big Test
Tennessee has looked like the Tennessee of old, posting two convincing wins to start the season inside the friendly confines of Neyland Stadium.
Now things have changed a little bit.
Through the first two games, 34 of the 74 Vols (46 percent) who have played were playing their first game in the orange and white, and 22 of those players (30 percent) are true freshman. Head coach Butch Jones knows that his team will have to grow up in a hurry.
"It's a little bit different when you go on [the] road with the road focus and concentration that's involved with it," he said. "It's going to be a great learning experience and teaching opportunity for our football team."
The one player who needs to provide stability in the face of a hostile environment and ferocious front seven is senior quarterback Justin Worley. Worley has completed 64.5 percent of his passes (49 of 76) for 520 yards, five touchdowns and one interception; and he has shown the poise in the pocket and on the run that's needed for Tennessee to handle what's coming in Norman, Oklahoma.
"He's managing the football game and making great decisions with the football," Jones said. "He's been extremely accurate. We had a couple of touchdown passes in the red zone last week where he put the ball where only one player could make the catch. He's playing with a lot of confidence right now, and we're going to need that going on the road."
It's going to be tough for Tennessee to spring the upset, but if Worley helps the young roster stay calm and the Vols can keep the game close, it'll be a great sign for the future of the program.
Taking a Game Off?
One of the biggest early-season surprises in the SEC has been the emergence of LSU receiver Travin Dural. The sophomore has burst onto the scene, catching six passes for 291 yards and four touchdowns for a national-best 48.5 yards per catch.
After last week's game, though, Dural was involved in a car accident early Sunday morning that resulted in 15 stitches on his forehead. Despite the injury, head coach Les Miles said that Dural will play this weekend against ULM.
"He had a little accident, and it was one where he sustained a very minor injury, and he'll be fine," Miles said according to Glenn Guilbeau of Gannett Louisiana. "So, he'll play in this game. He was at practice today (Wednesday) with his helmet on and flying around."
Whether Dural plays or not, it's important for quarterbacks Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris to find some other targets to take some pressure off of Dural. John Diarse is second on the team with four catches, Trey Quinn has two and Malachi Dupre—who missed the season opener—had two last week versus Sam Houston State.
One of these guys needs to step up and provide the quarterbacks another option, because Dural has proven through two weeks that he has what it takes to be a difference-maker outside in place of Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr.
Bulletin Board Material
Kentucky running back Jojo Kemp is no stranger to smack talk. He famously said that his team would score on Alabama's defense last year (it did...once...in a 48-7 rout), and he's at it again.
With no lack of confidence, Kemp told Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal that his team would walk out of Gainesville with a win on Saturday over the Florida Gators.
"A couple of my (high school) teammates actually went to Florida, so I'm familiar with a lot of those guys," Kemp said. "It's going to be fun walking out with a victory and rubbing it in their faces."
Predictably, Florida turned it into motivation.
"PHOTO: Florida has turned Kentucky RB Jojo Kemp’s guarantee into a motivational poster http://t.co/tYpahDuXFf pic.twitter.com/9NU8AaiZ8n
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) September 10, 2014"
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops wasn't pleased with Kemp.
"I was furious," Stoops said on the coaches teleconference on Wednesday. "I was outraged. I talked to him about it. The thing is, he was trying to make light of some friends that he has on the program. But like I told him, 'You think they're gonna hear all that? They're gonna hear the last five seconds of what you said.'"
Stoops was right. The context of Kemp's quote really doesn't matter. Florida likely knows he was messing with former teammates, but that part of the story will always get willfully ignored in the public relations game.
Joke with your teammates after the game, Jojo, not before. Otherwise, posters happen.
Quick Outs
- Don't expect Alabama wide receiver DeAndrew White back this week. Head coach Nick Saban said Wednesday that he's still dealing with a shoulder injury suffered in Week 1 and will be re-evaluated next week.
- What's a college football season without a Texas A&M quarterback trademarking his nickname? Evidently new Aggies quarterback Kenny Hill's parents have applied to trademark the "Kenny Trill"—as they should. Hill has become one of college football's brightest stars over the last three weeks, and that hype can't go to waste.
- We told you this spring that Georgia may go more uptempo with quarterback Hutson Mason, and it looks like we'll see it versus South Carolina. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the Bulldogs could go more uptempo, which should sit well with Mason—who featured as Georgia's X-Factor earlier in the week.
- Vanderbilt now has four quarterbacks bracketed with "or" on its depth chart. The old saying goes, "when you have two quarterbacks, you don't have any." When you have four, you still don't have any.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report and co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
