LSU-Alabama Week: Perfectly Adequate QBs Accent Showdown

ESPN dubbed 2011 “The Year of the Quarterback” in college football. Brandon Weeden, Case Keenum, Andrew Luck, Kellen Moore, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson and Landry Jones — the list of statistic-producing slingers around the Bowl Subdivision is indeed impressive.

Yet, the nation’s two best teams feature quarterbacks whose most noteworthy statistic is they have no really noteworthy statistic. Both LSU and Alabama are teams defined by defense. Neither has allowed an opponent more than 21 points all season. In the month of October, an opponent scored no more than 11 on either of this give-no-quarter units.

With air raid, spread offenses becoming so en vogue around college football, these two juggernauts are decided throwbacks. Their respective quarterbacks reflect an era when a team’s playcaller need not throw for 400 yards and four touchdowns to his team to excel. Saturday’s affair could come down to which side has the player lined up under center more apt for adequacy.

Running back Trent Richardson is a surefire Heisman Trophy candidate. He has the muscle mass of a pro wrestler, yet footwork that would make Fred Astaire jealous. Every time T-3 touches the ball, six points are a real possibility for the Tide. If he’s Nick Saban’s Top Gun, A.J. McCarron is the offense’s Goose.

Richardson’s explosive rushing style is very Maverick indeed. He’s buzzed more than a few would-be tacklers on runs that could be called downright mean. McCarron is more by-the-books. His play is the antithesis of the tattoo that gained him internet notoriety over the off-season: subtle and attractive in a classic way.

He’s thrown just 10 touchdowns through eight games, and at 1664 yards is averaging just over 150 per game. With quarterbacks like Weeden and Keenum going off for 150 yards in practically two drives, no one is going to swoon over McCarron’s output. But at 67 percent completions and just three interceptions, he epitomizes the ball controlling style that is the proverbial hammer lowered on opponents while the defense is stifling them on the other end.

It’s a methodical, calculated style that saps the life from the Tide’s foes. Defenses are drained after spending long stretches on the field — at 32:43, Alabama boasts the No. 14 time of possession differential in the Bowl Subdivision — and UA’s defense keeps them out there.

LSU is one of the few squads with a higher time disparity, employing a similar constricting style via a 33:52 TOP. The Tigers’ figure might be lower if there was a Richardson rolling off 70-yard scores, but the LSU offense is comprised of parts that come together to form something special.

In other words, these Tigers are the lions of Voltron.

Like any team entering November atop the polls, LSU does have a Heisman Trophy contender: cornerback Tyrann Mathieu. Offensively, the closest thing to a star is wide receiver Rueben Randle, who does rank a respectable No. 39 in receiving yards per game (79.75 with seven touchdowns). Randle’s production would suggest a high-powered passing attack, but his 638 yards are nearly double that of No. 2 receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. And Beckham’s 334 yards nearly triple that of No. 3 receiver DeAngelo Peterson’s.

Furthermore, the total 1465 yards passing are split among three quarterbacks: Jarrett Lee, Jordan Jefferson and Zach Mettenberger. Lee and Jefferson will take the snaps Saturday, each providing a different look to challenge the Tide defense.

The once maligned Lee has become the picture of consistency in his senior campaign. He earned the dubious nickname “Pick Six” after a brutal freshman season, and never quite regained the trust of Les Miles. But as he seasoned his game in practice and limited on-field appearances, Lee become sharp. His 13-to-1 touchdown:interception ratio bests other, much more celebrated signal callers like Moore or Luck.

Since returning from suspension, Jefferson has thrown touchdowns in 20 percent of his attempts, and is a bulky load off of quarterback sneaks. His 28 rushing yards per game and two scores on the ground are evidence of that. LSU might need every bit of its team members’ many skills to expose any weakness in a defense as stout as its own.