Big 12 Football: Ranking the Big 12 Quarterbacks Through 3 Weeks
We're three weeks through the season, and already there's been plenty of shakeup among the Big 12 signal-callers.
Clint Trickett at WVU has established himself as one of the league's best passers, David Ash's career at Texas is over after yet another concussion, and Daxx Garman may be in for the long haul at Oklahoma State.
With that, let's rank the league's quarterbacks through three weeks.
Note: Stats for Jake Waters will include Thursday night's loss to Auburn.
10. Tyrone Swoopes
1 of 10
Taking over for David Ash for the entire season probably wasn't in anybody's plan in Austin, especially Tyrone Swoopes.
Still, he's the man charged with leading the Longhorns for the foreseeable future. And so far, he's struggled.
The Longhorns are 0-2 in his starts with losses to BYU and UCLA, and he's thrown for just 372 yards in those games.
Against UCLA, he looked much improved, completing 70 percent of his passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. But his inability to air it out deep was apparent.
The jury is still out on Swoopes, but for now he has a mountain to climb as the Longhorns prepare for the nitty-gritty of the Big 12 season.
9. Sam B. Richardson
2 of 10
The Iowa State Cyclones' struggles aren't all on Sam Richardson. In fact, he looked impressive in the team's lone win of the season against Iowa with two touchdowns, no picks and 255 yards.
His last two games, he's completing over 69 percent of his passes.
But his zero-touchdown, two-interception performance against North Dakota State still hangs over him.
The Cyclones are hard to pin down as a whole this season, as is Richardson. They're 1-2, but they've also played some tough games.
How they fare in Big 12 play will be a better judgement of how Richardson and the rest of his squad grade out.
8. Daxx Garman
3 of 10
Like Tyrone Swoopes and Sam Richardson, the jury is still out on Daxx Garman at Oklahoma State.
In the two games Garman has seen significant playing time since J.W. Walsh was injured, Garman is completing just 57 percent of his passes.
But he also has four touchdowns, no interceptions and two wins.
Granted, his wins were against Missouri State and UTSA, but that's not exactly Garman's fault for the scheduling.
How Garman fares in Oklahoma State's Big 12 opener against Texas Tech next Thursday will be the first true test to see where he stands.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Trevone Boykin
4 of 10
Very quietly, Trevone Boykin has been very efficient at the quarterback position this season for the TCU Horned Frogs.
He's completing nearly 65 percent of his passes, has four touchdowns to just one interception, has only been sacked twice and is 2-0 in the win-loss column.
There were initially thoughts that Matt Joeckel would take over for Boykin this offseason, but Boykin has silenced his critics thus far in 2014.
Is he among the elite Big 12 gunslingers? Not quite. But he's been better than advertised this season, and the ceiling is high for Boykin.
6. Davis Webb
5 of 10
Ranking in the bottom half of this list doesn't do Davis Webb justice.
If the Texas Tech Raiders hadn't struggled against UTEP, then lost to Arkansas in embarrassing fashion, he'd be a top-three quarterback in the league.
Webb is second in the Big 12 with 982 passing yards and first with 10 touchdown passes.
But his four interceptions are also a black mark, and the fact that he plays in an air raid system hurts his ranking, as nearly every Texas Tech quarterback puts up huge numbers.
Still, Webb is a very high-quality signal-caller in Lubbock and has the talent to turn around the Red Raiders' season.
5. Seth Russell
6 of 10
Will some be angered by the fact that a backup quarterback is in the top half of the list of the Big 12's best quarterbacks? Perhaps.
When Bryce Petty got injured in Week 1, Seth Russell was forced to take over in Week 2. And he showed up in a big way, chucking the ball for 438 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Despite playing mostly garbage time behind Petty in the other two contests Baylor's played in, Russell is still fifth in the conference with 626 passing yards.
Baylor clearly has the best depth at quarterback in the Big 12 and potentially in the country. That's why Russell is on this list and why he is a top-five gunslinger in the league.
4. Jake Waters
7 of 10
Against Auburn, Jake Waters showed signs of brilliance and also took steps back. He racked up 245 yards against the Tigers defense and for the most part moved the offense efficiently.
But Waters also threw a costly interception in the fourth quarter that was one of the final nails in the coffin.
Still, Waters is proving to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league. His best showing was in Week 2 in Ames, when he led a 15-point comeback against Iowa State, which he capped off with a touchdown run in the game's final two minutes.
In that game, he had 239 yards through the air and a career-high 139 on the ground and was named Big 12 Player of the Week for his efforts.
Now the Wildcats get an extended rest before facing UTEP. That should give Waters one last tuneup game before entering the Big 12 season.
3. Trevor Knight
8 of 10
Would Trevor Knight be the guy who torched the Alabama defense in the Sugar Bowl or the inconsistent freshman Sooner fans saw in the regular season?
That's what everybody was asking when it came to questions about Trevor Knight heading into 2014. Well, he's given us our answer.
Through three games, he's hoisted up 860 passing yards and four touchdowns.
In the Sooners' toughest game of the year against Tennessee, Knight was at his best as he racked up 308 yards through the air along with a score.
Knight also has the Sooners 3-0, and while they haven't face a ranked opponent, he's still got Oklahoma on the inside track to the playoffs.
Saturday's trip to Morgantown, West Virginia, where he'll square off against the league's biggest sensation in Clint Trickett, will give fans a true measuring stick of where he is at in 2014.
2. Clint Trickett
9 of 10
What a difference a year makes.
After sputtering through most of last year, Clint Trickett has West Virginia one upset win against Oklahoma away from solidifying the Mountaineers' status as a Big 12 contender.
Trickett is far and away in the lead for passing yards in the conference with 1,224. His closest competitor in that category, Davis Webb of Texas Tech, has 982.
The Florida State transfer also has seven touchdowns and just one pick this year.
If West Virginia, which was picked just eighth in the Big 12 preseason poll, wants to upend the Sooners and make a run at a league title, it'll be Trickett to take it there.
1. Bryce Petty
10 of 10
Does Petty have as good of stats as a lot of quarterbacks in this league? Not necessarily.
He missed one start in Week 2, so he's only played in two games thus far. And in those games, he was taken out early as the Bears had built a massive lead.
So the fact that Petty has only 577 yards through three weeks is misleading.
Still, Petty has six touchdowns and no interceptions and is seemingly picking up right where he left off last season when Baylor won the Big 12.
To dethrone Petty, you have to beat Petty. That's the goal for Clint Trickett, Trevor Knight, Jake Waters and the rest of the league.
In fact, nobody on this list has ever beaten Petty on the field.
That's why he's still the top gunslinger in the Big 12.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
