He was already prepared to lead Alabama to victory in the Iron Bowl, but ESPN decided to give Mac Jones a little added motivation for the weekend.
The redshirt junior had been the leading candidate for the Heisman race, until the media outlet moved Kyle Trask of the University of Florida to the No. 1 spot. Trask, like Jones, is having an amazing season in the Southeastern Conference.
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He has completed 70.7 percent of his passes (176 of 246) for 2,554 yards with 31 touchdowns to three interceptions.
Trask, a senior and native Texan, has a pair of six-touchdown performances, and the Gators are one of the elite teams in college football. It is on a collision course to possibly face Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and despite it having one blemish on its schedule (Texas A&M), Florida is in position to make a run at the College Football Playoff.
Trask has a total quarterback rating of 93.6, a raw quarterback rating of 91.5, and a passer rating of 197.1.
Jones, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., still has the edge on Trask for completion percentage (77.1), passer rating (205.1), total quarterback rating (95.3) and raw quarterback rating (93.2). He leads all of college football in both aspects of QBR, while guiding the Crimson Tide to 49.4 points per game — which is higher than Florida (44.7 ppg).
Jones chimes in with 2,426 passing yards and 18 touchdowns to three picks.
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With Trask taking on Kentucky, Jones has a matchup against the No. 22-ranked Tigers.
His marquee meeting on Saturday via CBS gives him a chance to reclaim the top spot. Naturally, this year’s Heisman winner may be decided in the SEC title game yet the contest with Auburn would Jones back in first place.
This weekend is going to be entertaining.
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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.
