Alabama Football: 3 overreactions from shootout win over Ole Miss
3. Mac Jones and Najee Harris are both Heisman contenders
Before the season, it seemed like the Crimson Tide were looking to running back Najee Harris to carry the load for the offense under new starting quarterback Mac Jones. Not only did Jones continue the dominant passing game left by Tua Tagovailoa, but he’s helping to progress the offense overall.
Tagovailoa made huge plays for Alabama with his deep passing strength while Jones is tearing apart SEC defenses by winning matchups in routes, both wide open or contested.
Against the Rebels, Jones threw for 417 yards, two touchdowns and had a QBR of 96.5 on 28-of-32 passing. The week before against No. 13 Texas A&M, Jones threw for 435 yards, four touchdowns, one interception (on a busted screen) and had a QBR of 93.6 on 20-of-27 passing.
In each of his three games this season, Jones has accounted for a QBR of at least 93. He has only been precise, but he has made some big-time throws that aren’t considered game-manager type plays.
Harris, on the other hand, had a slow start to the season due to instability of the offensive line and the powerful defensive line of the Missouri Tigers and Aggies in their first two games.
Against Missouri and Texas A&M, Harris rushed for 141 yards and five touchdowns on 29 carries for an average of 4.9 yards per touch. He had his breakout game against the Rebels as he rushed for 206 yards and five touchdowns on 23 carries for an average of 9.0 yards per rush. He showed up at the perfect moment for the Tide despite a great game from Jones and the Tide receivers.
The Tide currently have the top-ranked scoring offense in the nation (51 points per game) and the third-ranked total offense (560.3 total yards per game). This is due to a great playbook scheme of winning matchups explosively from offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.
Jones and Harris are currently the best quarterback-running back duo in the nation as they are both putting up Heisman Trophy-like performances and stats.