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Here’s our weekly look at the SEC quarterbacks with most difficult assignments on Saturday:
TO BE DETERMINED, TEXAS A&M
Opponent: at Vanderbilt
It’s rare that a 7-3 team coming off a 24-point win decides to open up the quarterback competition, but for the Aggies, 2015 has been that kind of season.
True freshman Kyler Murray has started the past three games, playing well in his first start against South Carolina, struggling in a loss to Auburn, and falling somewhere in between during last week’s win over Western Carolina.
In the win over the Catamounts, former starter Kyle Allen returned for the first time since an ugly loss to Ole Miss and looked sharp, completing all six of his attempts for 88 yards and a touchdown. That led coach Kevin Sumlin to announce earlier this week that the starting position for this week’s game at Vanderbilt was up for grabs.
Whoever gets the call draws a somewhat thankless task. The Aggies will be expected to win, but the Commodores won’t make it easy. Vanderbilt ranks sixth in the conference in total defense and fourth in passing efficiency allowed.
JOSHUA DOBBS, TENNESSEE
Opponent: at Missouri
For a struggling football team, confidence can be contagious. That truth, combined with the Missouri’s already-excellent defense, makes the task in front of Dobbs doubly difficult this weekend. The Tigers got a much-needed win over BYU last weekend and now have their sights set on sending Gary Pinkel out in proper fashion.
Even when Missouri was mired in a four-game losing skid, the defense has more than pulled its weight. The Tigers rank third in the conference in total defense and second in tackles for loss.
BRANDON HARRIS, LSU
Opponent: at No. 22 Ole Miss
The Rebels aren’t especially tough against the pass. In fact, they’ve been pretty bad, ranking 13th in the SEC in passing yards allowed. But after Alabama and Arkansas succeeded against LSU by overloading the box and forcing Harris to make plays, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Ole Miss do the same thing.
Harris threw for more than 270 yards last week against Arkansas, but was pressured constantly and struggled to move the chains on a consistent basis. If the Tigers are going to break their two-game skid, they’re going to need to be able to rely on their sophomore quarterback in critical situations. As great as he is, the last two weeks have shown that Leonard Fournette can’t do it alone.
Brent Holloway is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State.
