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Week 13 B1G QB Rankings: Shea Patterson playing the best football of his Michigan career
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Maybe it’s just me, but this past weekend might’ve been the most fun if you love good quarterback play. It seemed like everywhere you looked, big numbers were being put up.
Shea Patterson had the performance of his Michigan career, throwing for over 300 yards and four touchdowns in a blowout win over Michigan State. Justin Fields needed just two quarters and a drive to get over 300 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Rutgers and Nate Stanley made big plays to lead Iowa to an upset victory over Minnesota.
Even in losses, guys like Tanner Morgan and Peyton Ramsey still had solid outings.
With so much quality play under center, there are some significant changes in this week’s B1G quarterback rankings. Here’s where those gunslingers rank following Week 12:
Unranked this week
Aidan O’Connell, Purdue
13. Aidan Smith, Northwestern
Last week vs. UMass: 7-of-13, 76 wins, 0 TD, 2 INT
UMass has, by far, the worst defense Northwestern has faced all season, and still Smith struggled throwing the football. He threw interceptions on two of the Wildcats’ first three possessions and was only able to connect with one receiver (Riley Lees) in the game. Northwestern is going to have some developing to do in the offseason.
Last week: No. 10
12. Josh Jackson, Maryland
Last week: OFF
The Terrapins were off this weekend, but Jackson has his work cut out for him as Maryland finishes the season against Nebraska and Michigan State. We’ll see if he can get back of the 50 percent completion mark in the final two games.
Last week: No. 12
11. Johnny Langan, Rutgers
Last week vs. #2 Ohio State: 12-of-26, 121 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Say what you will about Rutgers’ struggles this season, but it has a pretty tough cat playing under center. Langan’s passing numbers weren’t great, but he did pick up 36 yards on nine carries and fought a tough Ohio State defensive line and the goal line to get a late touchdown, as well. Langan showed a lot of grit against the Buckeyes, and throughout the season.
Last week: No. 11
10. Brian Lewerke, Michigan State
Last week vs. #15 Michigan: 17-of-30, 166 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Aside from Michigan State’s first touchdown drive early in the game, there was nothing much to like from Lewerke on Saturday. He threw two interceptions and the ball seemed wobbly out of his hand every time he let it fly. He wasn’t much of a threat on the ground, which really hindered the MSU offense. Lewerke has now thrown eight interceptions with just three touchdowns during the Spartan’s five-game losing streak.
Last week: No. 8
9. Brandon Peters, Illinois
Last week: OFF
Illinois was off this weekend but Peters and the Illini get a chance to add to their win total with games against Iowa and Northwestern coming up. Illinois hasn’t depended too heavily on Peters’ arm, but he’s come up big in clutch situations this season.
Last week: No. 7
8. Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
Last week vs. #14 Wisconsin: 13-of-23, 220 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Just not the season many expected from Martinez after his impressive freshman campaign. To his credit, the sophomore accounted for over 300 yards through the air and on the ground against Wisconsin, but a costly interception midway through the second quarter really hurt the Huskers in this one. Scott Frost is going to need his quarterback to be flawless over the next two weeks if Nebraska wants a shot at bowl eligibility.
Last week: No. 9
7. Jack Coan, Wisconsin
Last week vs. Nebraska: 13-of-21, 162 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Once again, Coan does enough to get the job done. At Wisconsin, that’s all he needs to do. Coan hasn’t thrown for over 200 yards in a game since the loss to Illinois, but has thrown just one interception in the last three games. He’s taking care of the football, and that’s allowed the Badgers to score wins over Iowa nd Nebraska the last two weekends. Wisconsin may need a little more from him in a few weeks against Minnesota, but right now, he’s doing just fine.
Last week: No. 6
6. Peyton Ramsey, Indiana
Last week vs. #9 Penn State: 31-of-41, 371 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
For a backup quarterback, Ramsey is pretty darn good. He accounted for over 400 yards in a losing effort against Penn State, but make no mistake, the Hoosiers would not have had a chance to beat the Nittany Lions if not for Ramsey. He’s now completing nearly 73 percent of his passes and has 13 total touchdowns to just three interceptions. There are a lot of B1G teams out there that would be more than happy to have this kid starting under center.
Last week: Unranked
5. Nate Stanley, Iowa
Last week vs. #8 Minnesota: 14-of-23, 173 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
In a big game against a big opponent, Stanley finally got the job done. Sure, we can talk about his heroic effort against Ohio State in 2017, but the senior has fallen short in big games against ranked opponents over the last two years. But against Minnesota, he was able to hit his targets, make some plays with his feet and do just enough to get the Hawkeyes a victory. Winning three straight, which would include two rivalry wins, sounds like a pretty good way to end a career.
Last week: No. 5
4. Sean Clifford, Penn State
Last week vs. Indiana: 11-of-23, 179 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Stats don’t always tell the full story, and that’s especially true with Clifford. He completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes against Indiana, but came up with some big plays when Penn State needed them most. He scored on a 38-yard touchdown run when Penn State was trailing 14-10 to regain the lead in the first half. He also sealed the game with a 1-yard run to cap an 18-play drive late in the fourth quarter. Clifford’s stats have been good this year, but he’s been timely in making big plays this year.
Last week: No. 3
3. Shea Patterson, Michigan
Last week vs. Michigan State: 24-of-33, 384 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Patterson might be playing as well as he ever has in a Michigan uniform. For the Wolverines, it’s coming at exactly the right time. This was the first time in the maize and blue that Patterson threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns, leading Michigan to a lopsided win over Michigan State. During Michigan’s three-game winning streak, Patterson has thrown seven touchdowns with no interceptions. We’ll see if he can keep it going over the next two weeks.
Last week: No. 4
2. Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
Last week vs. #20 Iowa: 25-of-36, 368 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Minnesota might’ve stumbled this weekend, but Morgan still had a solid outing, throwing for over 300 yards for the third time this season. Morgan is completing passes at a 68 percent clip and has 22 touchdowns with only four interceptions. He’s a huge reason why the Gophers are so explosive on offense. It’ll be interesting to see how he responds after the first loss of the year.
Last week: No. 2
1. Justin Fields, Ohio State
Last week vs. Rutgers: 15-of-19, 305 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
What kind of numbers could Fields put up if he was needed for a full four quarters? He played 30 minutes and a drive against Rutgers and threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns and looked like a Heisman Trophy quarterback. He doesn’t have the stats to win the most prestigious award in college football, but we should get to see him play a full 60 minutes over the next two weeks. It should be a lot of fun.
Last week: No. 1
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB