The Diag's 2007 (almost) Never-Ending Football Preview: Big Ten QBs
Troy Smith is finally gone from Columbus, and 2007 is a bit of a transition year for Big Ten quarterbacks. There is plenty of talent, though, and the best of it lies in Ann Arbor.
1. Michigan: This is Chad Henne's category, without question, this season. Mike Hart will draw plenty of attention and the WR group of Manningham, Arrington, Clemons, Matthews, etc. and a solid line, he'll have lots of choices and lots of time. The downside, of course, is that there's not really any depth. No one wants to see Ryan Mallett forced to take over this season.
2. Indiana: And let the arguments begin. Let me preface this by saying that there's a decent drop after Henne. Purdue could be here, but Curtis Painter threw 19 interceptions last year; Penn State could be here, but outside of the Outback Bowl, Anthony Morelli was inconsistent-at-best. Indiana is here because Kellen Lewis is the best combo QB in the conference (sorry, Juice Williams). He threw for 2,221 yards with a 2:1 TD-to-INT ratio and ran for 441 yards as well ... in Indiana's offense, which earns bonus points. He's got that Antwaan Randle-El feel to him, but looks like he can wing it better. Backup Ben Chappell has a big arm, if needed.
3. Purdue: OK, I've already mentioned the downside to Painter - he throws a ton of picks. Sure, Purdue throws a lot, so there are going to be a higher number of missteps, but 19 is way too high. But he can run a bit and completed nearly 60% of his passes in Purdue's quick-fire offense. There are very good receivers, but the entire offense vanished several times last year and the turnovers are a large factor why. Inexperienced Joey Elliott is the backup if he can hold off freshman phenom Justin Siller.
4. Penn State: This has to be Anthony Morelli's breakout season. The WRs are talented and fast, and the offensive line is stout. Assuming he can avoid another sumo wreslter-tackling-a-smurf moment like the Alan Branch knockout, a stellar season is his for the taking. The Outback Bowl was either an anomaly or a hint of things to come. Darryl Clark is the backup - Michigan knocked him out, too - and he's more mobile than Morelli, but not as adept passing.
5. Wisconsin: There's strength in numbers. Wisconsin has a two-headed QB battle going on between Allen Evridge and Tyler Donovan. Neither is sensational, but in the Wisconsin offense, neither has to be. It appears that the gritty Donovan has the inside track to the job, but Evridge - a Kansas State transfer - has more experience. Either way, the Badgers should be in decent shape, and you have to assume that one of the two will eventually take control of the job.
6. Illinois: There is a ton of hype surrounding sophomore sensation Juice Williams, but is it justified? Indiana's Lewis really appears to be a better version of Williams, who showed flashes of brilliance and long droughts of mediocrity as a freshman. He completed less than 40% of his passes and threw just nine TDs all season. But he is quick (576 yards rushing in 2006) and the WRs will be better this year, and you'd have to assume Williams will play smarter.
7. Ohio State: Similar to Wisconsin, the Buckeyes are counting on the whole being stronger than the parts. That said, any of the parts could potentially be huge stars. Stress the "huge." Projected starter Todd Boeckman is 6-foot-5 with a strong arm and decent ability to get out of the pocket. Behind him is massive 6-foot-6, 240-lb. Rob Schoenhoft, a pocket passer in the mold of John Navarre. And then there's redshirt freshman Antonio Henton, who might eventually remind people of (gasp) Troy Smith.
8. Michigan State: The upside of Drew Stanton constantly getting beat up was that Brian Hoyer saw playing time, and that will pay off this season. Hoyer's a completely different look than Stanton - he's not going to scramble much, and thereby the offense will have to rely on him less. But he threw for over 300 yards against Minnesota and nearly 300 against Penn State, and in the new Spartans' offense, he'll be handing off more than Stanton did. There is no debate here - the backups are not challenging for this job.
9. Northwestern: This is contingent on C.J. Bacher staying healthy because, if he finally can, he might actually put up some decent numbers in the Wildcats' spread attack. Once he returned from a broken leg last season, the Northwestern offense woke up and that's a good sign heading into 2007. Tyrell Sutton is an underrated running back and will keep some heat off Bacher. If the current starter gets hurt again, it'll be either Mike Kafka or Joe Mauro. Northwestern needs Bacher to stay healthy.
10. Iowa: The loss of Drew Tate is really going to sting in Hawkeye country. Jake Christensen has been biding his time, waiting to take over this spot, but the book is still very much out on him. He'll be pushed by Arvell Nelson, a more athletic option for Iowa. Generally, the Iowa QB doesn't have to be sensational if the running game and offensive line are working well. One problem - the offensive line stunk last year and looks like a problem spot again.
11. Minnesota: The Gophers have switched over to a spread offense ... problem is, there aren't any spread offense quarterbacks in this system. Junior Tony Mortensen gets the first nod, and he's got plenty of athletic ability. Adam Weber might actually take this job; he's much more in the spread offense mold and can jet around better than Mortensen. He's raw, though, so it remains to be seen if he's up to the task.
Next week: The Big Ten RB rankings
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