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Brent Yarina's Bio: BigTenNetwork.com editor Brent Yarina takes you around Big Ten athletics, on and off the court. |
Big Ten's top 5 signal-callers
| Jul 16 2008, 1:48 PM | Topic: Talking Big Ten | ||
Like any top 5, these lists are subjective. To rank the players, I considered qualities like track record, potential upside and team success, among other things. TOP 5 QUARTERBACKS 1. Curtis Painter, Purdue It almost doesn't matter who lines up at receiver, Painter is going to compile eye-popping numbers. That's not a knock on any of the Boilermakers' receivers, past or present, either -- it's simply the result of Painter's special abilities and coach Joe Tiller's aerial attack. Painter's precision (he threw just 11 INTs on 569 attempts last year) is the main thing that separates him from the Big Ten's other spread QBs. 2008 PREDICTED STATS: 345-545, 3,745 yards, 30 TD, 8 INT 2007 STATS: 356-569, 3,846 yards, 29 TD, 11 INT
Chris Weinke he is not, but Boeckman, 24, is one of the oldest quarterbacks we've seen since the former Florida State star suited up. Age, however, isn't the only thing Boeckman has in common with Weinke, the 2000 Heisman Trophy winner. Both put up some really nice numbers, though Boeckman's, for whatever reason, receive a lot less fan fare. Efficiency rarely draws raves, but that's the name of Boeckman's game. How much time will he lose to star frosh Terrelle Pryor, though? 2008 PREDICTED STATS: 184-285, 2,515 yards, 24 TD, 10 INT 2007 STATS: 191-299, 2,379 yards, 25 TD, 14 INT 3. Kellen Lewis, Indiana Perhaps no quarterback will miss a player more than Lewis will miss standout receiver James Hardy, who was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. With Hardy's absence, Lewis figures to place a bigger emphasis on his running game, one of the strongest parts of his arsenal. But, as is the case with any receivers departure, some wideout emerges to pick up the slack. Considering Indiana will run a no-huddle offense this year, Lewis' numbers could flirt with last year's production -- even without Indiana's record-setting WR. 2008 PREDICTED STATS: 250-435, 2,745 yards, 20 TD, 14 INT; 195 att., 1,008 yards, 11 TD 2007 STATS: 265-442, 3,043 yards, 28 TD, 10 INT; 147 att., 736 yards, 9 TD 4. Juice Williams, Illinois Juice had the luxury of defenses keying in on Rashard Mendenhall last season, so it will be fascinating to see how he adjusts to opponents respecting the pass this year. He has the weapons (think Arrelious Benn and Jeff Cumberland, to name a couple) to put up some real nice numbers. A good running game, which he'd obviously be a significant part of, however, would go a long way in keeping the Eddie McGee backers silent. 2008 PREDICTED STATS: 165-290, 2,100 yards, 16 TD, 13 INT; 175 att., 815 yards, 9 TD 2007 STATS: 153-267, 1,743 yards, 13 TD, 12 INT; 165 att., 755 yards, 7 TD 5. Brian Hoyer, Michigan State I mean this as a compliment, I swear. Hoyer is a poor man's Todd Boeckman, due in large part to the fact he plays for Michigan State and not Ohio State. Put Hoyer in Columbus and I'm willing to bet he would get a lot more ink/respect. Like Boeckman, Hoyer is efficient -- Champs Sports Bowl aside -- and possesses that overused ability to "manage" a game. He isn't going to wow you, but at the end of the day, he gives his team nice production. 2008 PREDICTED STATS: 245-405, 2,900, 22 TD, 9 INT 2007 STATS: 223-376, 2,725 yards, 20 TD, 11 INT |
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