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B1G QB rankings entering Week 6: Progress from Petras, McNamara’s consistency & a new No. 1
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This is when we start to figure out which quarterbacks are for real and which still have some growing up to do. The month of October is going to be a great indicator for that. In some ways, it already has been.
Yes, I’m aware we’re just one week into the month.
Cade McNamara answered the call when he was asked to throw on Wisconsin’s defense. Taulia Tagovailoa…did not when he was lined up across from Iowa, the league’s most opportunistic secondary.
Sean Clifford and Payton Thorne continued to show consistency, Adrian Martinez was impressive again and Graham Mertz and Michael Penix Jr. still struggled throwing the ball.
See, we learned a lot, didn’t we?
But before I give too much away in the intro, let’s go ahead and dive into the latest edition of the B1G quarterback rankings as we head into Week 6.
Not ranked this week
Graham Mertz, Wisconsin
Michael Penix Jr., Indiana
Hunter Johnson/Ryan Hilinski/Andrew Marty, Northwestern
Brandon Peters, Illinois
10. Aidan O’Connell/Jack Plummer, Purdue
Last week vs. Minnesota: 34-of-52, 371 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
I’m not a huge fan of ranking quarterbacks who share starts, but Purdue’s quarterbacks are good enough to crack the Top 10, no matter how much I resisted. O’Connell was the guy on Saturday and threw the ball well considering the wet conditions in West Lafayette. The issue was converting in the red zone, as well as costly turnovers on the first and final possession. Both Plummer and O’Connell are completing passes at better than 66% and have played well through the first 5 games. We’ll see if Jeff Brohm ever settles on one guy.
9. Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
Last week vs. Purdue: 9-of-18, 169 yards, 1 TD
For the first time this season, Morgan was able to stretch things down the field, allowing the playbook to open up ever-so-slightly for Minnesota. Having Chris Autman-Bell back on the field probably helped. There’s no question that Morgan still has to play better for the Gopher offense to start clicking. He’s completing just over 52% of his passes and has just 4 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. Maybe Saturday’s win over Purdue will be the spark Morgan needs.
8. Noah Vedral, Rutgers
Last week vs. #11 Ohio State: 16-of-26, 152 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs (34 rushing yards)
Vedral ran into a talented and angry Ohio State defense, ending his run without throwing an interception this season. The quarterback wasn’t the only one who struggled last weekend, as the entire Scarlet Knights offense had trouble carving out yardage against the Buckeyes. I still like what Vedral has done this season, playing within himself and limiting turnovers. It’s just clear that Rutgers wasn’t quite physically ready for a team like Ohio State just yet.
7. Cade McNamara, Michigan
Last week vs. Wisconsin: 17-of-28, 197 yards, 2 TDs
Will McNamara be able to throw on a good defense? That was the question Michigan was facing when it entered last week’s game against Wisconsin. The answer? Yes. McNamara played incredibly well against a tremendous Badgers defense, hitting on big plays to lift Michigan to an impressive road win. He’s thrown for 731 yards and 5 touchdowns thus far, modest numbers at best. His most important statistics, though? A 61.7% completion rate and 0 interceptions. That’s what you need under center to be a contender.
6. Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
Last week vs. #5 Iowa: 16-of-29, 157 yards, 2 TDs, 5 INTs
A big drop for Tagovailoa, who had been the top quarterback in the B1G for the past few weeks. Maybe it’s a little unfair, but the 5 interceptions are hard to ignore, even against Iowa’s defense. Tagovailoa is still really talented and could easily work his way back into the Top 3 with some solid performances moving forward. He’s still completing passes at a 72% clip and leads the B1G with 1,497 yards. We’ll see what he can do this weekend against an Ohio State defense that is playing a lot better.
5. Spencer Petras, Iowa
Last week vs. Maryland: 21-of-30, 259 yards, 3 TDs (2 rushing TDs)
Remember a few weeks ago when Petras didn’t even crack this Top 10? Silly me. Over the last 3 weeks, the Iowa quarterback has really blossomed into a legitimate B1G quarterback and is a big part of the Hawkeyes’ 5-0 start to the season. His most impressive performance came against Maryland, accounting for 5 total touchdowns in a blowout win. In his last 3 games, Petras has completed 68.5% of his passes for 717 yards and 6 touchdowns with just 1 pick. In the words of Larry David, that’s “pretty, pretty, pretty good.”
4. Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
Last week vs. Northwestern: 11-of-17, 202 yards, 1 TD (50 rushing yards, 3 TDs)
Through the first 6 games of the year, Martinez has accounted for 1,875 yards and 15 total touchdowns. He looked really good on Saturday against Northwestern, launching the ball downfield and operating the option well in a 56-7 victory over the Wildcats. Because Nebraska sits 3-3 on the season, Martinez is often being overlooked as one of the top quarterbacks in the B1G. He’s been playing at a high level all season long and it’ll be interesting to see how he answers the bell with top defenses like Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Iowa still on the schedule.
3. C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Last week vs. Rutgers: 17-of-23, 330 yards, 5 TDs
A week of was exactly what the doctor ordered for the freshman quarterback. Stroud looked like an Ohio State quarterback in Piscataway, throwing for over 300 yards and 5 touchdowns in a big Buckeye win. He currently leads the B1G in yards per game (323.3) and touchdown passes (13) and was in rhythm all afternoon against Rutgers. The only question now: Can he do it on a weekly basis? If Stroud can show more consistency from one game to the next, Ohio State’s offense is going to be nearly impossible to stop, especially with weapons like Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba on the perimeter.
2. Payton Thorne, Michigan State
Last week vs. Western Kentucky: 20-of-30, 327 yards, 1 TD (31 rushing yards, 1 TD)
It still sounds a little crazy to label Michigan State’s offense as “explosive,” but that’s how the Spartans are playing right now. Thorne is a big part of that. Saturday marked the first time this season Thorne has thrown for over 300 yards and he also accounted for 31 rushing yards and a score on the ground. He’s thrown 11 touchdown passes and accounted for 2 more with his legs with just 1 interception through 5 games. Life in the B1G is about to get a lot tougher for Michigan State, which still has the 3 toughest teams in the division on the schedule. We’ll see how Thorne handles the pressure when the defenses he faces start to look a lot better.
1. Sean Clifford, Penn State
Last week vs. Indiana: 17-of-33, 178 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT (58 rushing yards)
Not the greatest outing for Clifford last week, but he’s faced 3 really talented defensive teams through the first 5 games of the season. Yet the Penn State quarterback has thrown for 1,340 yards with 11 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, although really only 1 of those has been significant. Clifford has taken the next step in Mike Yurcich’s offense and it’s a big reason why the Nittany Lions are a top contender to win the B1G this season. But Clifford’s greatest test — an Iowa defense that has 12 interceptions this season — is next on the docket. We’ll find out if he’s worthy of the No. 1 spot pretty quickly.
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