COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cardale Jones will remain top-ranked Ohio State’s quarterback Saturday against Western Michigan. ADVERTISING COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cardale Jones will remain top-ranked Ohio State’s quarterback Saturday against Western Michigan. Coach Urban Meyer announced the decision following practice Wednesday,
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cardale Jones will remain top-ranked Ohio State’s quarterback Saturday against Western Michigan.
Coach Urban Meyer announced the decision following practice Wednesday, two days after hinting he was considering starting J.T. Barret.
Jones was pulled in the second quarter of a 20-13 victory over Northern Illinois on Saturday after throwing two interceptions.
“Someone has to beat someone out,” Meyer said. “You don’t anoint people.”
Jones led Ohio State to the national championship last season and started the first three games this season.
Barrett was 11-1 last season starting for injured two-time Big Ten player of the year Braxton Miller before breaking his ankle in the regular-season finale against Michigan. Jones replaced Barrett and led Ohio State (3-0) to victories over Wisconsin in the conference title game, Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinals and Oregon to the championship game.
“(Jones) was the quarterback at the finish (last season),” Meyer said. “He was the quarterback in spring practice, the only healthy one, and he was the starter this season. He is the guy unless he doesn’t perform well.”
USC Blind long-snapper sees action
LOS ANGELES – Blind long-snapper Jake Olson got his first taste of live action with No. 19 Southern California on Wednesday, and coach Steve Sarkisian is already thinking about scenarios to get him into a game.
Currently limited in what drills he can participate in and wearing a yellow non-contact jersey, Olson delivered a perfect snap to begin a successful field goal try during practice. The USC freshman, who is on a special scholarship for physically challenged athletes, did not face a live rush.
Though there is no timetable for when Olson might get into a game, Sarkisian said he would come to a “mutual agreement” with an opposing coach so Olson could safely participate in game action.
Missouri needs offense
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri defense is doing its job. It sure could use some more points to work with.
The 25th-ranked Tigers (3-0) are second in the nation in tackles for loss with 34, and fourth in the nation in total defense, allowing 217 yards per game. Kentrell Brothers leads the nation with 42 tackles and Charles Harris is tied for the lead with eight tackles for loss.
There are no highlight bullet points for the other side of the ball. Perhaps the return of running back Russell Hansbrough will make a big difference.
The offense is coming off its lowest scoring total in a victory since 1978, beating UConn 9-6 last week after entering as three-touchdown favorites. Quarterback Maty Mauk heard the boos, and he’s avoiding Twitter and other social media.
“I just want to focus on us,” Mauk said. “They kind of got mad and did the booing thing. We’ve got to give them something to cheer about.”
“I hope we get upset about it,” offensive coordinator Josh Henson added. “We need to play better. We need to have a sense of urgency to get it done.”
The Tigers open Southeastern Conference play Saturday at Kentucky (2-1).
SEC QB concerns
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Many of the questions that surrounded Southeastern Conference quarterbacks before the season remain unanswered.
In fact, there could be more right now.
Some teams already are resorting to backup plans.
South Carolina will start its third different quarterback Saturday when freshman Lorenzo Nunez takes the field against Central Florida. Nunez replaces Perry Orth, who struggled in a 52-20 loss to Georgia last week after being pressed into duty when a separated shoulder and bruised hip sidelined starter Connor Mitch.
This marks only the second time Steve Spurrier has started a true freshman quarterback in his 26-year head coaching career. Jesse Palmer started one game for Florida as a freshman in 1997 when Spurrier was coaching the Gators.
“That’s just where we are right now,” the South Carolina coach said.
Some other quarterback flips have come after questionable performances.
Auburn’s Jeremy Johnson, the media’s pick as the preseason second-team all-SEC quarterback, has been benched after throwing six interceptions in the Tigers’ first three games. Redshirt freshman Sean White, who hasn’t taken a snap in a college game, starts Saturday against Mississippi State.
Jake Coker started Alabama’s first two games of the season before Cooper Bateman got the call for last week’s 43-37 loss to Mississippi. Coker replaced Bateman after Alabama fell behind and is expected to start Saturday’s game with Louisiana-Monroe. Coker and Bateman have thrown a combined five interceptions in the 12th-ranked Crimson Tide’s last two games.
“We’ve got to throw the ball to the right place at the right time and we can’t throw it to the other guys,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “That’s probably the No. 1 issue.”
Florida has tried both Will Grier and Treon Harris. Gators coach Jim McElwain announced Wednesday that Harris has been suspended for Saturday’s game with Tennessee.
Despite the uncertainty, SEC Network analyst Greg McElroy, quarterback of Alabama’s 2009 national championship team, takes issue with the notion that this is a down year for signal-callers in the conference.
McElroy believes the quarterback situations have improved at a number of SEC schools since this point a year ago. He cites No. 3 Ole Miss, No. 8 LSU, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida as examples.
“Is it really an epidemic?” McElroy asked. “Or is it just a matter of perception and us becoming a little bit too overzealous with our praise going into the season, especially with that of Jeremy Johnson at Auburn?”
There is certainly plenty of room for improvement.
Kentucky’s Patrick Towles was 8 of 24 for 126 yards with two interceptions in a 14-9 loss to Florida last week. A week earlier, Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs went 13 of 31 in a 31-24 overtime loss to Oklahoma. Missouri’s Maty Mauk has completed just 52.5 percent of his passes. Vanderbilt’s Johnny McCrary has more interceptions than touchdown passes.
Two of the SEC’s hottest quarterbacks are Atlantic Coast Conference transfers.
Chad Kelly was kicked off the Clemson squad last year after arguing with coaches on the sidelines during the spring game. After leading East Mississippi Community College to a national title, Kelly transferred to Ole Miss, where he is ranked second nationally in passing efficiency.
Greyson Lambert headed to Georgia as a graduate transfer after losing his starting job to Matt Johns at Virginia. Lambert set an NCAA single-game record for passing accuracy last week by going 24 of 25 in the seventh-ranked Bulldogs’ blowout of South Carolina.
That doesn’t mean either quarterback has arrived just yet.
Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said this week that Kelly played “average,” though he also called his quarterback a winner and said “he has an it factor to him.”
“There were about three or four times that we missed on explosive plays because he is glued in and not going through the progression he needs to go through,” Freeze said. “We need to coach him better and get him more prepared.”
One week before his record-setting performance against South Carolina, Lambert threw seven straight incompletions to open Georgia’s game against Vanderbilt. Ole Miss and Georgia are joined in the Top 10 by LSU, where Brandon Harris has thrown just 31 passes while playing alongside NCAA rushing leader Leonard Fournette. Harris has avoided mistakes, as LSU is one of only three Football Bowl Subdivision teams without a turnover.
There doesn’t seem to be a single SEC quarterback that doesn’t have something to prove.
“It’s still too early to really say there’s a problem with the quarterback play in the SEC,” McElroy said. “I think there are a lot of talented guys. It’s going to come down to consistency. That’s what it always comes down to at the quarterback position.”
