onner became the ACCs all-time leading touchd | Forum

ATHENS, Ga. China NFL Jerseys . -- Three precocious passers are trying to prove its now possible for true freshmen quarterbacks to win big in the Southeastern Conference.Alabamas Jalen Hurts, Georgias Jacob Eason and South Carolinas Brandon McIlwain are a combined 5-0 as starters. Hurts and Eason directed comeback wins last week.Hurts was named SEC offensive player of the week after No. 1 Alabama overcame a three-touchdown deficit to beat then-No. 19 Mississippi. Eason calmly threw a go-ahead touchdown pass on fourth down with less than 2 minutes remaining in No. 12 Georgias win at Missouri.McIlwain ran for two touchdowns in his first start, a win over East Carolina.Excluding redshirts, no first-year quarterback has led his team to a SEC division title since Tennessees Erik Ainge in 2004.Its not difficult to measure just how tough it is to win big as a rookie quarterback in the SEC. Two of the leagues biggest stars, Tennessees Peyton Manning in 1994 and Georgias Matthew Stafford in 2006, played on four-loss teams as true freshmen. Manning won seven of his eight starts.Former Alabama quarterback Blake Sims said he has marveled at the early success enjoyed by Hurts and Eason.Ive been watching Alabama, Ive been watching Georgia and I think both quarterbacks are doing a great job, said Sims, who signed to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad as a running back last week.Sims was a backup quarterback and running back at Alabama before starting his first game at quarterback as a senior in 2014. After waiting so long for his chance, he appreciates seeing true freshmen win as starters.Its really tough, Sims said. Youve got to be real strong mentally and very calm and youve got to understand the little things.There are several reasons why true freshmen are having success.South Carolina coach Will Muschamp said players leaving school early for the NFL or transferring creates more opportunities.Quarterback is the one we focus on, but I think its all positions there are more guys coming out for the draft, Muschamp said. So there are more younger players playing now.Georgias Kirby Smart believes the growth of the passing game in high school has made quarterbacks better prepared to play immediately in college.They see so much more, they throw so much more, theyve seen a lot of the defenses before, the Bulldogs coach said earlier this month. There are a lot more prolific offenses out there in high school football. ... I certainly think quarterbacks come in with more ability to play early.It can also help a quarterback to adjust more quickly to the college game if he has played in a similar scheme as in high school.I think if a guy played in spread offense, hes probably more apt to be able to come in and play early in a spread offense in college, Alabama coach Nick Saban said. If a guy played in a pro-style, drop-back sort of offense in high school, hes probably going to be more apt to play in that style of offense in college.Hurts, Eason and South McIlwain opened the season as backups.Senior Greyson Lambert started in Georgias opening win. Redshirt freshman Blake Barnett started Alabamas opener against USC. Eason and Hurts became starters for their second games; McIlwain had to wait one more week.Eason was rated by some as the nations top high school recruit at quarterback. He enrolled early but even after going through spring practice is still learning.Smart has given candid criticisms about Easons difficulty in running the huddle, calling plays and throwing to the correct receiver. Even so, Smart said he and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney never doubted Easons poise.Coach Chaney has always said this kid is not affected by the environment, Smart said. Hes really not. Hes affected by what hes got to say in the huddle. Hes affected by some of the decisions hes got to make coverage wise, but hes a very confident player.Hurts has impressed with his cool demeanor, including after his lost fumble was returned for a touchdown by Ole Miss.Running back Damien Harris said after the play Hurts was no different than he was before.Sims said he told Hurts to remember its still the same game.Its like hey, Im back in high school, Im in the backyard still, Sims said. Thats how my process was.I talked to Jalen and I told him the same thing.---AP Sports Writers John Zenor in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Pete Iacobelli in Columbia, South Carolina contributed to this report.---AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. Cheap Minnesota Vikings Jerseys . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. http://www.cheapjerseysauthenticfreeshipping.com/ . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. PITTSBURGH -- The near-misses still eat at Pat Narduzzi. As good as the Pittsburgh coach feels about his team as it heads into Saturdays regular-season finale against Syracuse, the memory of the ones that got away still linger.When you look at our losses, theyre like this, Narduzzi said Monday, putting his thumb and index finger an inch apart. Its interesting we didnt get (them). I look back at how close we are to winning them all. God if we had done this as coaches, maybe we would have won every one of those games.Outside of a second half meltdown at Miami earlier this month, hes right. Pitts three other losses -- to Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina -- were by a combined 11 points.Yet Narduzzi and the Panthers (7-4, 4-3) have done an excellent job of not getting caught up in what might have been. Theyre surging toward the finish line following a 56-14 romp over Duke last weekend that may have been their most complete performance in Narduzzis two-year tenure. And while Pitt still needs to beat Syracuse (4-7, 2-5) to match its eight-win total of last season, the feeling this time around is decidedly different.Without a doubt, its a much better group, Narduzzi said.One that didnt let the raw emotions of disappointment bleed from one Saturday to the next, something Narduzzi credited in part to the maturity of a team featuring 19 seniors and 16 redshirt juniors.It tells you what kind of leadership we have, that (finishing strong) is what theyre talking about, not girls and where theyre going tonight, he said.Knowing the offense is going to find innovative ways to move the ball week in and week out certainly helped.The Panthers have already set a school record for points in a season (432) with two more games to go thanks to the creative tinkering by first-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada. A unit that began the year with no proven playmakers at wide receiver is averaging 39.27 points.. Cheap Baseball Jerseys 2018. . Pitt has thrived behind junior running back James Conner, steady play by senior quarterback Nate Peterman, do-everything wide receiver/returner Quadree Henderson and a seemingly endless variety of formations designed to highlight mismatches and take advantage of a big and experienced offensive line.You come in on Mondays, you dont know what (Canada is) going to throw at you, offensive tackle Adam Bisnowaty said. All the motion we do, you just never know what hes going to do. Sometimes I feel he sits in that offense a little too long (and) draws up some plays that are unreal. They just seem to work.The Panthers have needed them to work while one of the nations worst pass defenses figured things out. Even after holding Duke to 243 yards through the air, Pitt is still 127th in the nation against the pass. Yet that hasnt stopped it from being on the cusp of winning eight games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2008-2009.Its a different world (than when I got here in 2012), Bisnowaty said. I think the program is about winning ... My first year we won six games or so, last year we won eight. This year we have a chance to win more than that. Its just going back to playing the best football we can play.Game notes Conner was named the winner of the 2016 Disney Sports Spirit Award on Monday. The award is given annually to the nations most inspirational player. Conner was diagnosed with cancer last Thanksgiving and went through months of draining chemotherapy but has returned to the form that helped him capture the 2014 ACC Player of the Year. Conner became the ACCs all-time leading touchdown scorer last week when his two scored against Duke gave him 53 on his career.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '