It’s absolutely stupendous what Alabama’s offense has accomplished thus far. Jalen Hurts has a very big role in that, but why does the true freshman quarterback tend to defy what a true freshman quarterback should be?
When you hear the term “true freshman quarterback”, a few terms come immediately to mind.
Unproven.
Raw.
Inexperienced.
These terms are very fair when evaluating and scouting the fresh-on-campus players who are just starting their college career.
These “inexperienced” players are then tossed on to the field and are immediately met with criticisms from fans and experts alike. “He’s not used the pressure when the lights come on,” or “He’s never worked in a system like this in this kind of environment.” These, among others, are also very fair critiques.
It’s all in a formula that’s been tried and true, used year after year. It’s been proven that true freshman QBs, even the talented ones, always show their weaknesses at some point. But then Jalen Hurts comes onto campus and just decides that gravity doesn’t apply to him.
Deciding may be the wrong term. The point is the Hurts has made this Alabama offensive squad his own in just 8 short games. It takes other star quarterbacks years to get their offense to rally behind them and even that doesn’t guarantee success. Hurts, simply, has decided that this is his game and everybody else is playing in it.
What makes it even more incredible is the kind of environment that Hurts is being thrown in. The SEC has been dubbed as the superior conference in the college football world today. To succeed, you have to have a quarterback who can, at the very least, manage and be efficient with the offense. Jalen has done a pretty good job of that, facing down 5 SEC opponents and done nothing but rip them apart.
Let’s backtrack for a second, however. It’s not like Hurts doesn’t have his freshman colors come out. Passes are getting overthrown and some receivers aren’t being read correctly. As stupendous as his legs are, he still learning how to grab the edge in the run game and tends to run out of bounds almost dumbfoundedly. If it wasn’t for the support team in his running backs and wide receiver core, it would be difficult to have the kind of success he’s having.
But what make Hurts break the mold so well is his composure and response to pressure.
Most freshman QB’s would be hit several times by a sack or throw a couple interceptions then just collapse and start making mistake after mistake. Jalen plays like that mistake never happened, which is a sign of maturity. He plays the game with the attitude that it does not matter how many points the opposing team has, but it only matters how much his offense can generate. Some senior quarterbacks don’t even learn that.
Who can we thank for bringing Hurts onto campus and shaping him to be the QB he is in so short a time? You guessed it: Lane “Jet Sweep” Kiffin.
None of this is even possible if not for Lane Kiffin’s coaching and teaching style he’s brought to get Hurts into this system, mold the playbook to fit his style and make this team work with him to create a high-powered offense that defies all statistics. It’s like he told Jalen “Look, you’re inexperienced. You will make mistakes. But you have so much talent, I want you to go out there and have fun.”
Hurts has been a major reason that Alabama is 8-0. Coming into the season, fans did not have any idea who would take the reigns of the offense and lead it to the playoff again. Little did they know that we would be selecting a QB who would not only put Alabama on the right track to the playoff, but also one that would shape and develop the future of Alabama football for the foreseeable future.
Oh and Alabama just got through arguably the toughest part of the season. Beating Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas A&M back-to-back-to-back is a feat in itself, not to mention that two of those games were away from home and by considerable margins. So while Alabama needs to wary of it’s November opponents (which involve 3 SEC West opponents), it will not be nearly as towering a task as October was.
No matter what, however, it’s very fair to expect Jalen Hurts to continue to defy the odds of being a true freshman. He will play like the game isn’t on his shoulders, even though it certainly may be. After all, it’s his game. And we’re all living in it.