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Alabama QB Mac Jones named to Davey O’Brien “Great 8” list for his performance versus UGA

Mac Jones throws a pass to John Metchie versus Georgia
Credit: Gary Cosby Jr/The Tuscaloosa News via USA TODAY Sports

Mac Jones cannot be stopped right now.

After the success he had last season, in filling in for Tua Tagovailoa, he has built off that by making Alabama’s offense more explosive than ever through four games. The redshirt junior was named Offensive Player of the Week from the Southeastern Conference for his performance versus Texas A&M, and now he has earned the honor again for his outing against Georgia.

Following the recognition from the SEC, national media gave him attention too.

On Monday, the Davey O’Brien Foundation announced its eight members of the Davey O’Brien Award’s “Great 8” list for the seventh week of college football.

Jones was named to the list along with seven other talented quarterbacks, including Trevor Lawrence of Clemson.

Since it became a quarterback-only award in 1981, the Davey O’Brien Trophy is the most oldest and prestigious honor for quarterbacks.

No one in the history of Alabama football has won the honor, but Jones may change that.

Despite an early interception, Jones shook the frustration off and torched the best defense in the conference.

He completed at least 75 percent of his throws (24 of 32 passing) for a fourth straight game and totaled 417 passing yards with four touchdowns to one pick. Before the matchup, the Bulldogs carried the nation’s top-ranked scoring defense (12.3 ppg) and a top-five total defense (236.7 ypg). Jones paced the Crimson Tide to 41 points and 564 total yards offensively in a 41-24 win for Alabama. He recorded his third straight 400-yard passing performance, while having eight explosive plays of 15 yards or more.

RELATED: Mac Jones named SEC Offensive Player of the Week for Georgia game

His four scoring tosses came on plays of 40, 17, 90 and 13 yards. When it came to plays of 30-plus yards, Jones completed four of five passes against the Bulldogs for 202 yards and accounted for 19 first downs through the air.

He produced a 219.5 passer rating versus an elite defense and handed Georgia its first loss of the season. Jones leads the nation in yards per completion (16.87) and yards per attempt (13.2), while ranking second in completion percentage (78.3%) and passing yards per game (379.5).

He propelled DeVonta Smith (11 catches, 167 yards, two scores) and Jaylen Waddle (six catches, 161 yards, one score) to both record 100+ yard performances last week.

Currently, Jones has 1,518 passing yards with 12 touchdowns to two picks.

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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine.  You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.

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Stephen Smith is a 2015 graduate of the University of Alabama. He is a senior writer and reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He has covered Alabama football for 10+ years and his knowledge and coverage of the Crimson Tide's program have made him among the most respected journalist in his field. Smith has been featured on ESPN and several other marquee outlets as an analyst.

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