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Week 6 B1G QB Rankings: Several shining moments across the the conference
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If you love quarterback play, this was the weekend for you. Three B1G passers threw for over 300 yards, seven quarterbacks didn’t throw an interceptions and a few showed off their dual-threat ability in a big way.
Were there some unimpressive and lackluster performances? Of course, it happens every week. But this was a really good Saturday for several B1G quarterbacks.
So, without further ado, let’s jump into the weekly rankings following Week 5 action:
Unranked this week (injury)
Elijah Sindelar, Purdue
This could be the last time we see Sindelar’s name on this list, unfortunately. If the injury is as serious as Jeff Brohm was leading on after Saturday’s loss, it may be Jack Plummer’s time to take over the offense.
13. Hunter Johnson, Northwestern
Last week vs. #8 Wisconsin: 10-of-21 — 59 yards — 0 TD — 0 INT
Four games into his college career, Johnson has completed over 50 percent of his passes in just one game. Northwestern hasn’t had any real passing game to speak of, and the result is a 1-3 record. Johnson has gotten better as the season has progressed, but he’s still got a long way to go.
Last week: No. 11
12. Artur Sitkowski, Rutgers
Last week vs. #20 Michigan: 17-of-24 — 106 yards — 0 TD — 0 INT
Now that Sitkowski has started the last two games, it’s fair to put him on the board. And, to be quite honest, he hasn’t played nearly as poorly as last season. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it still hasn’t been good enough to get wins the last two weeks — which obviously isn’t entirely his fault. With the firing of Chris Ash and John McNulty, it’ll be interesting to see what happens at the QB position for Rutgers moving forward.
Last week: Unranked
11. Josh Jackson, Maryland
Last week vs. #12 Penn State: 10-of-21 — 65 yards — 0 TD — 2 INT
There’s been a pretty steep drop off from the first two games to the last two games for Jackson. In losses to Temple and Penn State, Jackson has completed just 25-of-59 pass attempts with three interceptions. Playing good defenses has been an issue for the Maryland quarterback, which isn’t a good sign considering Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State are still left on the schedule.
Last week: No. 6
10. Brandon Peters, Illinois
Last week: OFF
Peters drops primarily because he was off this week, and the guys behind him performed pretty well. We’ll see what happens against Minnesota.
Last week: No. 8
9. Michael Penix Jr., Indiana
Last week vs. #25 Michigan State: 33-of-42 — 286 yards — 3 TD — 0 INT
What a difference Penix makes in the lineup. He provides a dual-threat option for the Hoosiers and really opens up the field for the offense. Indiana put up 31 points on a good Michigan State defense, with Penix accounting for all four — three passing and one rushing. Because he missed the previous two games, Penix is a little low on this list, but he can easily climb higher.
Last week: Unranked
8. Shea Patterson, Michigan
Last week vs. Rutgers: 17-of-23 — 276 yards — 1 TD — 1 INT
A good bounce-back game for Patterson. Yes, it was against Rutgers, but this game could serve as the confidence booster the senior quarterback needs to get back into a rhythm, especially with Iowa coming to town next weekend. Maybe we’ll be pointing to the Rutgers game as the moment when Patterson and the Michigan offense finally got things going.
Last week: No. 10
7. Jack Coan, Wisconsin
Last week vs. Northwestern: 15-of-24 — 113 yards — 0 TD — 1 INT
By far the worst performance of the season for Coan, and he still completed over 60 percent of his passes. He just wasn’t able to stretch the field for the Badgers against Northwestern, which prohibited the offense from putting up 35-plus points in this one. Maybe water found its level a little bit here, but Northwestern is also a pretty scrappy team. It’ll be interesting to see how Coan bounces back this week against Kent State.
Last week: No. 5
6. Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
Last week vs. #5 Ohio State: 8-of-17 — 47 yards — 0 TD — 3 INT
It’s hard to grade the sophomore after a game against the Buckeyes’ defense. It’s easily the best unit the Huskers will play this season. Still, you can’t throw three interceptions and throw for under 50 yards and stay inside the top five of these rankings. Nebraska’s offensive line should take a lot of the blame here, but this was the worst performance in two years for Martinez.
Last week: No. 4
5. Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
Last week vs. Purdue: 21-of-22 — 396 yards — 4 TD — 0 INT
One of the best performances in B1G history. Morgan absolutely shredded Purdue’s secondary and ended the day with a 306.66 QB rating. Right now, Morgan has the fourth-best quarterback ranking in the nation and has thrown 10 touchdowns with just two interceptions. No, the Gophers haven’t played a great defense yet, but Morgan has done exactly what he’s needed to get this team to 4-0.
Last week: No. 9
4. Brian Lewerke, Michigan State
Last week vs. Indiana: 18-of-36 — 300 yards — 3 TD — 0 INT
Lewerke is putting Michigan State’s entire offense on his shoulders and it’s worked out really well in three of the last four weeks. Right now, Lewerke leads the B1G in passing yards with 1,325 and has 10 touchdown passes with just one interception. Add in 147 rushing yards, and you’ve got a pretty dangerous quarterback. It should be very interesting to see how Lewerke plays next Saturday against Ohio State’s defense.
Last week: No. 7
3. Nate Stanley, Iowa
Last week vs. Middle Tennessee: 17-of-25 — 276 yards — 2 TD — 0 INT
Mr. Consistency is at it again. For the third time this season, Stanley completed over 60 percent of his passes. He’s also thrown for over 200 yards in all four games and has yet to throw an interception. Here’s another fun fact, Iowa is 15-2 when Stanley throws multiple touchdown passes in game. Things get much tougher next week against Michigan on the road, but so far, Stanley has been exactly what the Hawkeyes need under center this season.
Last week: No. 2
2. Sean Clifford, Penn State
Last week vs. Maryland: 26-of-31 — 398 yards — 3 TD — 1 INT
Remember when Clifford told his teammates there wouldn’t be a drop off at the quarterback position this spring? So far, he’s lived up to his end of the bargain. He’s thrown for over 250 yards and rushed for an additional 50 yards in three of Penn State’s four games this season. Clifford has thrown just one interception this season — a spectacular play by a Maryland defender on Saturday — a remarkable feat for a first-time starter.
Last week: No. 3
1. Justin Fields, Ohio State
Last week vs. Nebraska: 15-of-21 — 212 yards — 3 TD — 0 INT
Ohio State has only played five games, and it feels like I’ve already said all I can say about Fields. In those five games, Fields has accounted for 23 total touchdowns and hasn’t thrown an interception. He’s completed 69.8 percent of his passes and hasn’t even played a full four quarters yet. This kid is a legitimate Heisman contender. He’ll be able to make an even stronger case this weekend against Michigan State.
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