Finally, we’ll take a look at the quarterback play from Saturday, which was very up and down, to say the least.
We’ll start with Georgia QB Jake Fromm, who had a rough outing in the eyes of our draft folks, though the Bulldogs did get the win over Texas A&M, likely keeping them at number four when the new College Football Playoff rankings come out on Tuesday. At the 4:40 update from Pauline, Fromm was just 1 for 7 for seven yards.
“There’s still 10 minutes left in the first half, but it’s been another underwhelming performance from Georgia signal-caller Jake Fromm. Thus far, Fromm has completed 1 of 7 passes for 7 yards.
In his defense, the weather is less than optimal, and the Texas A&M defense Fromm is facing is one of the best against the pass in the SEC. However, this is on the heels of 11 of 28 passing for 110 yards against Auburn a week ago and 13 of 29 passing for 173 against Missouri the prior game.”
Then at 5:30 PM, A.J. Schulte briefly touched on Fromm before turning to the other quarterback in that game, Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond.
“I think Tony’s done enough on Jake Fromm for this blog (and I concur with his thoughts), but A&M QB Kellen Mond is also in need of some serious development. His decision-making can be best described as a work in progress, and his mechanics look clunky. He’s got a strong arm and some athletic ability, but that’s it at the moment. I expect him to stay in school this year, despite being draft-eligible.”
Later in the night, the crew noted another tough performance from a top quarterback, Oregon’s Justin Herbert.
At 9:10, Pauline started the notes with this update.
“This is what scares me about Justin Herbert- too much inconsistency, a lot of stagnant play and a physically gifted passer who seems unable to carry his offense…and I dare say underachieve at times. The numbers are efficient with 2 minutes left in the first half; 8 of 14 passing for 111 yards, but there have been a lot of missed opportunities.
It’s well past time for Herbert to step up and show he can carry his team, which is in the hunt for a spot in the CFB playoffs.”
Then at 10:10 PM, Pauline added this on Herbert.
“Yet another pass where Justin Hebert is staring down the primary receiver except this time, it cost him and Arizona State could be headed into the end zone for the kill shot.
It is obvious to me Herbert MUST attend the Senior Bowl and have a knockout week as well as impress people during interviews. Whichever agent signs Herbert and advises the quarterback not to attend the Senior Bowl is doing him a disservice.”
On the flip side, it was another fine performance from the potential number one overall pick and likely Heisman Trophy frontrunner Joe Burrow in LSU’s win over Arkansas to send them to the SEC Championship against Georgia.
We’ll start with A.J.’s update at 7:17 PM.
“It did not take long for LSU to score against Arkansas. Joe Burrow underthrew a deep ball earlier but followed it up with a 37-yard strike to star receiver Ja’Marr Chase. That deep ball play will likely sum up many people’s scouting report on Burrow, as he made a great play in the pocket but the throw faded as it went downfield. His arm strength will be a hotly-debated issue, but personally, I think it certainly passes the threshold.”
Then at 7:30, Pauline glowed about Burrow, who finished 23 of 28 for 327 yards and three touchdowns.
“Everything about Joe Burrow has been impressive this season, yet his poise has stood out to me more than any other area of his game. Several times this evening against Arkansas, the pocket has collapsed around Burrow. While most quarterbacks would take off up the field, Burrow remained steady, kept his eyes downfield, and got the pass away.”
By the way, Burrow is now up to 41 passing touchdowns against just six interceptions for the top-ranked team in the nation. He also surpassed 4,000 yards on the season.
Then at 10:45, Nick Farabaugh wrote on the up and down game for Jalen Hurts, as Oklahoma squeaked by TCU, 28-24, with Hurts going just 11 of 21 for 145 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
“Quite the up and down game for Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts. He has been solid on the ground again and shown his ability to escape, but overall, he has not had a great game. He has missed reads throughout the game has been a big reason why TCU has been able to crawl back into this game.
The intangibles are great with Hurts, but his mental game has a long way to go before it is franchise QB material. He has to get sharper post-snap at reading the defense, but perhaps even more important is that he just learns to make better decisions. Hurts has hurt his stock over the past three weeks by showcasing these clear mental errors.”
Bill Riccette is a writer for PFN covering the NFL. You can follow him @Bill_Riccette on Twitter.
