SEC Football Week 6: Power Ranking Ryan Mallett and the Quarterbacks
The SEC is blessed with a boatload of quarterback talent this year.
Ryan Mallett and Cameron Newton should both be discussed among Heisman candidates.
Greg McElroy seems as though he's never going to lose a game.
Aaron Murray is well on his way to becoming a star.
This list just goes on and on.
Read on to find out just where each of the SEC quarterbacks ranks after the first five weeks of this already-exciting college football season.
Larry Smith
1 of 13
Last Week:
21-40 loss to the Connecticut Huskies
15/25, 157 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
13 carries, 64 yards
This Season:
51/92, 540 yards, 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
42 carries, 124 yards, 1 touchdown
The Reaction:
Larry Smith underperformed yet again as he and his Commodores moved to 1-3 with an embarrassing loss to the Connecticut Huskies.
He did complete 60 percent of his passes for the first time this season, but that's just not going to get it done.
Smith and his team should get a boost on Saturday when he takes on 0-5 Eastern Michigan.
Chris Relf
2 of 13
Last Week:
49-16 win over the Alcorn State Braves
11/15, 209 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
3 carries, -2 yards
This Season:
44/72, 618 yards, 5 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
51 carries, 199 yards
The Reaction:
Chris Relf has been unexpectedly good, leading Mississippi State to a 3-2 record.
He's had to be good to hold off Tyler Russell and maintain his grasp on the starting job.
But unfortunately for Mississippi State, that may be just about it.
Matt Simms
3 of 13
Last Week:
14-16 loss to the LSU Tigers
12/23, 121 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
10 carries, -32 yards, 1 touchdown
This Season:
79/141, 957 yards, 6 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
32 carries, -80 yards, 1 touchdown
The Reaction:
Matt Simms is the proud owner of an incredibly strange stat line. Not too many times do players rush for negative-32 yards yet still manage to carry the ball into the end zone.
The quarterback for Tennessee has quite the pedigree. He's the son of Phil Simms and the younger brother of Chris Simms, so the expectations are definitely there for this man.
He's been great at times, but at others he has struggled to move the ball. Last Saturday fell into the latter category.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Jordan Jefferson/Jarrett Lee
4 of 13
Last Week:
16-14 win over the Tennessee Volunteers
Jordan Jefferson: 3/10, 30 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions; 5 carries, 100 yards, 1 touchdown
Jarrett Lee: 16/23, 185 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception; 3 carries, -15 yards
This Season:
Jordan Jefferson: 46/89, 449 yards, 2 touchdowns, 6 interceptions; 47 carries, 189 yards, 2 touchdowns
Jarrett Lee: 18/25, 206 yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception; 3 carries, -15 yards
The Reaction:
This two-headed monster at quarterback should continue to split snaps throughout the season. Jefferson is clearly the better running quarterback, while Lee clearly has the more impressive passing game.
A lot of people wonder why Lee doesn't get more playing time, but their concerns should be remedied as Les Miles looks to give Lee more snaps.
John Brantley
5 of 13
Last Week:
6-31 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide
16/31, 202 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
8 carries, -1 yard
This Season:
89/145, 902 yards, 6 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
20 carries, -16 yards
The Reaction:
The Gators, led by first-year starter John Brantley, got absolutely trounced by the Crimson Tide last Saturday. In fact, they were held without a touchdown for the first time since a 31-3 loss to Alabama way back in 2005.
Brantley looked flustered during the loss, an emotional state that has become more and more common as the season has progressed.
Urban Meyer needs to let him do what he does best: Drop back, remaining in the pocket.
John Brantley is not Tim Tebow. He is much better at throwing the ball, and not so great at running.
Until a system is put into place that allows Brantley to play quarterback like he was meant to, the Gators are going to continue to struggle.
Mike Hartline
6 of 13
Last Week:
35-42 loss to the Mississippi Rebels
27/46, 300 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
3 carries, 24 yards
This Season:
102/160, 1222 yards, 8 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
9 carries, 36 yards, 1 touchdown
The Reaction:
Hartline threw for more yards than anyone else in the SEC last week, but still wasn't great.
In fact, his head coach, Joker Phillips, said: "He did not play bad. Did he play great? No. A couple of decisions were not good decisions. But he did not at all play horrible. He played good, not horrible."
But still, the fact that the coach had to answer questions about replacing Hartline with another quarterback is a troubling sign.
Hartline has been good this season, but he's not getting the wins for his team because of some costly interceptions.
Jeremiah Masoli
7 of 13
Last Week:
42-35 win over the Kentucky Wildcats
9/17, 90 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
9 carries, 43 yards, 1 touchdown
This Season:
57/94, 823 yards, 6 touchdowns, 5 interceptions
50 carries, 262 yards, 3 touchdowns
The Reaction:
Jeremiah Masoli had a very productive outing in the shootout with Kentucky. He accounted for four of the Rebels' six touchdowns, three via air and one on the ground.
Masoli is having a good season so far, but isn't exactly standing out.
That's partly due to the fact that his team has lost two games already, including contests with Jacksonville State and SEC bottom-feeder Vanderbilt.
He's very talented, and could move up these rankings in a hurry, but not yet.
Aaron Murray
8 of 13
Last Week:
27-29 loss to the Colorado Buffaloes
16/27, 221 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception
7 carries, 13 yards
This Season:
80/132, 1100 yards, 8 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
38 carries, 81 yards, 2 touchdowns
The Reaction:
If you looked at Aaron Murray's stats, there is no way that you would guess the Georgia Bulldogs are 1-4.
It's really not the freshman quarterback's fault that the defense has forgotten how to both tackle and cover, and that the running backs have forgotten how to hold onto the ball.
Murray has played admirably, and should only be getting better, both because of his ever-growing experience and the return of standout wide receiver A.J. Green.
Stephen Garcia
9 of 13
Last Week:
Did not play
This Season:
56/81, 743 yards, 5 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
35 carries, 83 yards, 2 touchdowns
The Reaction:
For a quarterback that was heavily scrutinized during the offseason, Stephen Garcia has been quite good so far.
He has played efficiently and showed off both his strong arms and his speedy legs while leading South Carolina to a 3-1 record and No. 19 ranking.
He's got a big test coming up against No. 1 Alabama, but he has already performed well this season in contests against both Georgia and Auburn.
Greg McElroy
10 of 13
Last Week:
31-6 win over the Florida Gators
11/17, 84 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
7 carries, 33 yards
This Season:
72/103, 983 yards, 7 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
23 carries, 40 yards
The Reaction:
Greg McElroy just doesn't know how to lose. He hasn't had much practice, since his last loss came in eighth grade when a ball was snapped over his head for a safety.
He has the luxury of handing the ball off to Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, something no other quarterback gets to do.
But when he's asked to throw the ball, he does so with remarkable efficiency.
McElroy may not be the most talented quarterback in the SEC, but he's still perfect for this Crimson Tide team.
Ryan Mallett
11 of 13
Last Week:
Did not play
This Season:
95/138, 1438 yards, 10 touchdowns, 5 interceptions
14 carries, -10 yards, 2 touchdowns
The Reaction:
This gigantic quarterback is brimming with talent, and he's played accordingly this season.
Mallett can make any throw, even some bad ones at the end of the Alabama game to cost his team a huge victory.
But those were the only giant mistakes that Mallet has made this year. He's one of the most talented quarterbacks in the conference, and he's playing like it.
Mallett will be gone after this year, so watch him while you still can.
Cameron Newton
12 of 13
Last Week:
52-3 win over the Lousiana-Monroe Warhawks
14/19, 245 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception
1 carry, -11 yards
This Season:
57/87, 928 yards, 12 touchdowns, 4 interceptions
76 carries, 474 yards, 5 touchdowns
The Reaction:
Cameron Newton is a true dual-threat quarterback, and he's been unbelievable.
Any way you spin it, he's been the best in the SEC. His quarterback rating is higher than any other in the conference, he has thrown for the most touchdowns, he's run for the most yards and touchdowns.
Oh, and his team is 5-0...no big deal.
Overall Rankings
13 of 13
1. Cameron Newton
2. Ryan Mallett
3. Greg McElroy
4. Stephen Garcia
5. Aaron Murray
6. Jeremiah Masoli
7. Mike Hartline
8. John Brantley
9. Jordan Jefferson/Jarrett Lee
10. Matt Simms
11. Chris Relf
12. Larry Smith
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
