Heisman Watch 2016: Week 14 players to watch
By John Buhler
Like Clemson’s Watson, Alabama Crimson Tide true freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts will be playing in a conference championship game of his own on Saturday. Alabama finished the 2016 regular season at a perfect 12-0 (8-0) and will play the Florida Gators on Saturday in Atlanta.
It’s pretty remarkable that a true freshman quarterback has been able to lead the offense of the best team in the Power 5 for most of the season. This time last year, Hurts was in high school — let that sink in for a second.
On the season, Hurts has completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 2,425 yards, 20 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. His yards per attempt of 7.7 isn’t anything special, but his quarterback rating of 149.5 is certainly respectable.
As a runner, Hurts has carried the football 154 times for 840 yards and 12 touchdowns. Sure, there are better dual-threat playmakers in the college game today, but who else has quarterbacked an undefeated team up to this point? If Alabama wins on Saturday, look for Hurts to get the nod to go to New York.
No. 1 Alabama will play No. 15 Florida in the 2016 SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Kickoff will be at 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 3. CBS will have the telecast.