Post by Oneback on Jan 8, 2012 10:34:00 GMT
For LSU and Alabama, quarterbacks are secondary
CHRIS DUFRESNE / ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Alabama and LSU, SEC teams with semi-anonymous quarterbacks, meet in the BCS title game Monday. The teams' strengths are in power and speed, not elite QBs like Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III.
January 06, 2012|Chris Dufresne
Reporting from New Orleans -- They say you can't win championships without an elite quarterback, but they've actually been doing it for years in the Southeastern Conference.
The SEC is guaranteed an eighth Bowl Championship Series title Monday night when No. 1 Louisiana State and No. 2 Alabama meet at the Superdome.
Yet, you might not know the quarterbacks if you met them on the street.
Alabama starter AJ McCarron and LSU's two quarterbacks, Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson, have combined to throw 36 touchdowns this season.
That's one fewer touchdown pass than Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III threw all by himself.
The SEC doesn't have it all backward, but it does have it inside-out.
Elite SEC teams take the nation's biggest, fastest and strongest athletes and build their foundations. The quarterbacks are final pieces, appendages to the package.
LSU dominated college football this year with the nation's No. 105 (out of 120) passing attack. The Tigers averaged 160.15 yards per game.
In the SEC title game, a 42-10 rout against Georgia, starting LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson passed for 30 yards.
The quarterbacks on LSU's 2003 and 2007 BCS title teams were not Matt Ryan or Matt Barkley. They were Matt Mauck and Matt Flynn.
Alabama enters Monday's game with the No. 1 defense and No. 71 passing offense.
Two years ago, the Crimson Tide won the national title with Greg McElroy at quarterback. This year it's 60 minutes from winning it all with McCarron.
This is not a knock on any LSU or Alabama quarterback who has taken a snap in recent years. They are simply asked to do different things.
"Playing quarterback in our scheme is not too daunting of a task," Alabama center William Vlachos said Friday at the Superdome. "You've got the best running back in the country [Trent Richardson] behind you. It's kind of one of those deals where you really do just manage the game. You need a decision maker. You need to not put us in bad spots. But that's something our quarterbacks are trained to do, and AJ's done a great job of that."
McCarron is ranked a modest No. 20 in NCAA pass efficiency. Lee and Jefferson, who split time this year for LSU, are more facilitators than fascinating.
"When you surround your quarterbacks with athletes that can make plays every time they touch the ball, you don't really need to worry about the quarterback position," LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. "You just give it to your playmakers."
CHRIS DUFRESNE / ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Alabama and LSU, SEC teams with semi-anonymous quarterbacks, meet in the BCS title game Monday. The teams' strengths are in power and speed, not elite QBs like Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III.
January 06, 2012|Chris Dufresne
Reporting from New Orleans -- They say you can't win championships without an elite quarterback, but they've actually been doing it for years in the Southeastern Conference.
The SEC is guaranteed an eighth Bowl Championship Series title Monday night when No. 1 Louisiana State and No. 2 Alabama meet at the Superdome.
Yet, you might not know the quarterbacks if you met them on the street.
Alabama starter AJ McCarron and LSU's two quarterbacks, Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson, have combined to throw 36 touchdowns this season.
That's one fewer touchdown pass than Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III threw all by himself.
The SEC doesn't have it all backward, but it does have it inside-out.
Elite SEC teams take the nation's biggest, fastest and strongest athletes and build their foundations. The quarterbacks are final pieces, appendages to the package.
LSU dominated college football this year with the nation's No. 105 (out of 120) passing attack. The Tigers averaged 160.15 yards per game.
In the SEC title game, a 42-10 rout against Georgia, starting LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson passed for 30 yards.
The quarterbacks on LSU's 2003 and 2007 BCS title teams were not Matt Ryan or Matt Barkley. They were Matt Mauck and Matt Flynn.
Alabama enters Monday's game with the No. 1 defense and No. 71 passing offense.
Two years ago, the Crimson Tide won the national title with Greg McElroy at quarterback. This year it's 60 minutes from winning it all with McCarron.
This is not a knock on any LSU or Alabama quarterback who has taken a snap in recent years. They are simply asked to do different things.
"Playing quarterback in our scheme is not too daunting of a task," Alabama center William Vlachos said Friday at the Superdome. "You've got the best running back in the country [Trent Richardson] behind you. It's kind of one of those deals where you really do just manage the game. You need a decision maker. You need to not put us in bad spots. But that's something our quarterbacks are trained to do, and AJ's done a great job of that."
McCarron is ranked a modest No. 20 in NCAA pass efficiency. Lee and Jefferson, who split time this year for LSU, are more facilitators than fascinating.
"When you surround your quarterbacks with athletes that can make plays every time they touch the ball, you don't really need to worry about the quarterback position," LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. "You just give it to your playmakers."