Mac Jones is not playing around about wanting his name respected in the Heisman talk.
Prior to Alabama’s meeting with Georgia, he completed at least 75 percent of his passes and totaled eight touchdowns to one interception.
He faced the best defense in the Southeastern Conference and a top-five group in all of college football in the Georgia Bulldogs. With all eyes on him at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Jones shook off the early frustration and put on a show.
The redshirt junior torched the Bulldogs for 41 points and 564 yards offensively in a 41-24 win for Alabama.
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He became the first quarterback to toss for at least 400 yards in three straight games. Jones completed 24 of 32 passes for 417 yards with four scores to one pick versus Georgia. He set up DeVonta Smith (11 catches, 167 yards) and Jaylen Waddle (six catches, 161 yards) to both be 100-yard targets and his performance to a 100-yard rushing outing from Najee Harris too.
Jones has received a few individual accolades this week, and Pro Football Focus has him ranked No. 2 on its Heisman list.
The 2020 Heisman Race? pic.twitter.com/yuM9dZr0D6
— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 20, 2020
He is behind Trevor Lawrence of Clemson, yet Jones has better numbers than Lawrence in some areas.
Despite playing in one more game than Jones, Lawrence has a lower completion rating, lower passer rating, lower quarterback rating and less yards per game than Jones. He has 26 more passing yards (1,544 to 1,518) and three more touchdown passes (15 to 12) than Jones, but there is a chance for him to top Lawrence.
A lot of people feel as though Lawrence has the Heisman race locked away, but Jones has turned in better numbers against quality defenses.
He put up 40-plus points on two ranked opponents (Texas A&M, Georgia) and carried Alabama to a 63-48 win over a scrappy Mississippi team on the road at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Mac Jones’ numbers through four games
-90/115 passing (78.3%)
-1,518 passing yards
-12 TD’s
-2 INT’s
-220.10 passer rating
-379.5 pass yards/game
-96.6 total quarterback rating (adjusted)
-94.4 quarterback rating (raw)
Trevor Lawrence’s numbers through five games
-108/148 passing (73%)
-1,544 passing yards
-15 TD’s
-1 INT
-192.70 passer rating
-308.8 pass yards/game
-91.9 total quarterback rating (adjusted)
-90.2 quarterback rating (raw)
Even when one takes Jones’ numbers into consideration against Joe Burrow’s from 2019 at LSU, Jones is right there with the Heisman winner through the first four games. Hopefully more people will start discussing Jones in the dialogue, because he is doing things in this offense that Tua Tagovailoa did not do.
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If he can continue on the pace he is on, Jones will be in New York City for the Heisman Memorial Trophy presentation.
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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.
