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SEC QBs on the spot Tuesday, Jul 29, 2008 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - Every dissection of the contenders in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference is influenced by the niche assigned to long-gone quarterback Matt Flynn. During his one year as a starter at LSU, was he surrounded by so many superb athletes that he had little to do? Or, was he so wise as a senior - his wisdom gained mostly by osmosis - that he made the necessary plays? If it's the former, then LSU or Auburn should win the division. Both have scads of athletes and both have a question at quarterback. If it's the latter, then Alabama and senior quarterback John Parker Wilson is the pick. Arkansas, Mississippi, and Mississippi State are not contenders. In a column last August, I was both right and wrong about LSU. Citing Flynn's limited playing time and the departure of several stars, I thought the Tigers would lose more than once and wrote, "To be considered for the national title game, the Tigers cannot afford more than one regular-season loss." Things broke just right and the twice-beaten Tigers walloped Ohio State in the national championship game. Flynn was the Offensive MVP, a point for those who trumpet him as the key to the Tigers' success. Naysayers can argue the fact that Ryan Perrilloux was MVP of the SEC championship game when Flynn was hurt. If Perrilloux was still around, LSU would be the choice in the division, but coach Les Miles booted him off in the spring. That leaves the Tigers with a transfer from Harvard named Andrew Hatch, redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee, and pure freshman Jordan Jefferson. A Mormon from Nevada, Hatch was noticed by LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton when Crowton was head coach at Brigham Young. He is likelky to take the first snap against Appalachian State on Aug. 30. Probably a better passer than Hatch, Lee is also likely to play. Miles is on record as saying that the multi-skilled Jefferson will play this year. The situation is likely to be in flux when the Tigers open SEC play at Auburn on Sept. 20. Auburn will have a No. 1 quarterback for sure, coach Tommy Tuberville said last week. If it was today, he said, it would be Kodi Burns, the sophomore from Fort Smith. Junior college transfer Chris Todd was not 100 percent during spring, but he's ready now and Tuberville said he would wait 10-12 days deep into fall practice before naming a starter. "We will have a true starter," Tuberville said, adding that Auburn's new no-huddle offense requires more than one quarterback. At Alabama, Wilson is the man and coach Nick Saban says revisions have made the offense more "quarterback friendly." Asked to explain, he indicated that the decision-making process had been simplified. For Alabama to succeed, Wilson must make some Flynn-like plays. In the 28-24 victory over Florida, Flynn ran for a first down on a fake field goal, and completed a fourth-down touchdown pass. Against Alabama, he completed a game-winning TD pass on fourth-and-4 from the Crimson Tide 32 with 2:49 to play. All three of the contenders in the Western Division have a permanent Eastern Division opponent who is formidable - Auburn vs. Georgia; LSU vs. Florida, and Alabama vs. Tennessee. Add Georgia and South Carolina and LSU has the most difficult conference schedule. Alabama and Auburn have slightly easier assignments against Kentucky and Vanderbilt. All of the quarterbacks mentioned are bound for some ups and downs. At the end of November, 6-2 is going to be a mighty good conference record and there is likely to be a tie at the top between two and maybe all three. ---- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
