Stats Bomb: Mac Jones on pace for the Heisman
Every Sunday, I'll take a closer look at the numbers from Saturday's game and provide context that matters.
Think of this as a deep dive where we're not focused so much on what happened, but what it means historically and what it might tell us about the rest of Alabama's season.
Today the Stats bomb is back to discuss:
- Christian Barmore's debut
- Where Alabama's offense ranks nationally (hint: it's pretty good)
- Alabama's goal-line game plan
- Player grades from Saturday
What we learned: about Metchie, Alabama after Texas A&M
Mac Jones' Heisman candidacy
To make a serious run at the Heisman Trophy these days, you have to be in the College Football Playoff picture. In fact, since the sport moved to that format, five of the six Heisman Trophy winners (excluding only Lamar Jackson in 2016) have participated in the playoffs.
No. 2 Alabama certainly checks that box after two weeks, but it’s tough to determine who might have the best shot at representing the Crimson Tide in New York for the award.
Running back Najee Harris put us all on notice with his preseason Campaign series on Youtube.
Then receiver Jaylen Waddle issued his own sort of Heisman statement last week against Missouri when he caught eight receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
Still, history tells us that a quarterback will probably win the trophy. Nine of the last 10 went to quarterbacks (Alabama running back Derrick Henry waves hello), and Jones might have thrown his hat into the ring on Saturday.
So how does the Alabama quarterback stack up to recent winners?
| Column 1 | Completion % | Passing TDs | Passing Yards | INTs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mac Jones (2020) |
75 |
30 |
3420 |
5 |
|
Joe Burrow (2019) |
77.9 |
37 |
3627 |
4.6 |
|
Kyler Murray (2018) |
70.9 |
31 |
3118 |
5.4 |
|
Baker Mayfield |
71 |
32 |
3339 |
3.8 |
| Rushing TDs | Rushing Yards | Yards Per Carry | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Jones |
0 |
10 |
1.3 |
|
Burrow |
2.3 |
222 |
3 |
|
Murray |
8.5 |
686 |
7.3 |
|
Mayfield |
3.8 |
238 |
3.6 |
Based on the charts above, Jones is right where he needs to be across the board with respect to his passing numbers.
The rushing numbers will look better as the weeks go by, but Jones uses his mobility to buy time in the pocket. He’s rarely, if ever, going to tuck the ball and just take off.
That will likely hurt the Alabama quarterback with Heisman voters unless he can make up for it with his arm. The best way he can do that is by maximizing total touchdowns scored (35-40 would put him on pace with recent winners) while minimizing his interceptions (his current rate of five might be good enough).
Make no mistake, this award is driven by numbers first and Heisman moments second. When voters prepare their ballots at the end of the season, many of them won’t remember the context surrounding every touchdown or interception, but those totals will help them compare players.
Barmore is back
On Saturday, Christian Barmore made his 2020 debut, but it wasn't as a starter.
Premium subscribers can continue reading here
Not yet a premium subscriber of BamaInsider.com?