There is no shortage of talent at the quarterback position in college football. But, when it comes to this year’s quarterback crop, there is one who you probably overlooked: Bowling Green’s Matt Johnson.
#MACTION is back, and Bowling Green is its most #MACTION-y team
BYU shoots to No. 1 in the Underdogs Poll, but there’s a new team with a chance to make a big run. Why is it only No. 15 here? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Johnson wasn’t on many people’s radar entering this season. After missing nearly all of 2014 with a busted hip, few people remember the quarterback who outdueled a Heisman finalist in Detroit in 2013.
Now the senior back in the starter’s seat and ready for his swan song. Johnson has put up nearly 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns and led his Falcons to a gritty performance against a good Tennessee squad in Week 1 and pummeling of Maryland this past weekend.
And he’s just getting started.
The Underdogs Poll is a weekly venture in which SB Nation’s blogs on non-power schools vote to rank the top 15 non-power teams at the moment.
| RANK | TEAM | POINTS | PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BYU (17) | 238 | 2 |
| 2 | Temple (2) | 201 | 5 |
| 3 | Boise State (4) | 190 | 1 |
| 4 | Toledo (1) | 138 | 19 |
| 5 | Memphis (1) | 114 | 7 |
| 6 | WKU | 104 | 6 |
| 7 | Houston | 92 | 15 |
| 8 | Cincinnati | 66 | 3 |
| 9 | Marshall | 40 | 4 |
| 10 | Air Force | 32 | 17 |
| 11 | Navy | 30 | 8 |
| 12 | Louisiana Tech | 26 | 9 |
| 13 | Georgia Southern | 23 | 14 |
| 14 | NIU | 21 | 13 |
| 15 | Bowling Green | 20 | No votes |
| Dropped out: WMU, Colorado State, Utah State | Others receiving votes: Utah state (14), Tulsa (7), Ohio (6), Colorado State (4), UL Lafayette (3), Rice (3), ODU (2), ECU (2) | |||
He led Bowling Green to a MAC title in 2013 — his first season as the starter —and was the most efficient quarterback no one spoke of. His adjusted passing yards per attempt (AY/A) sat at 9.9 according to Sports-Reference.com, good enough eighth in the nation, ahead of the likes of Tajh Boyd, Blake Bortles, Derek Carr and Rakeem Cato.
Through two games, Johnson is again at a 9.9 AY/A. But this time, Johnson is in an offense built for destruction. Dave Clawson, a defensive-minded head coach, ran that 2013 Falcons squad. In 2014, Dino Babers rolled into town. Under Babers, Eastern Illinois' offense averaged 48.2 points and 87 plays per game in 2013. EIU quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo put up 5,050 yards and 53 touchdowns in that offense that year. And Johnson just may be better than Garoppolo.
Last fall, we got a brief glimpse of what Johnson could be in Babers’ offense, and it was tantalizing; 314 yards and a nearly 70 percent completion percentage in a tad over three quarters of play, then he broke his hip.
Without Johnson under center, Bowling Green’s offense managed to rattle off 81.5 plays per game. This season, BG is sitting at a shade under 100.
Johnson is smart, agile and has the arm and touch to make just about any throw. He's also going to get plenty of opportunities to show off that arm in an offense that to this point is making Baylor's look sluggish. With a whole year of studying Babers' playbook and a receiving corps that features a wealth of talent (including 5-star, 4-star and 3-star guys), Johnson won't go unnoticed for long.
HELMET STICKERS:
Johnson: The man of the hour torched Maryland for 491 yards and six touchdowns while completing nearly 78 percent of his passes. If he isn’t on the Heisman radar yet, he will be in the coming weeks.
Tanner Mangum: Once again this freshman came through with a late touchdown pass to seal a BYU win. Having witnessed him topple Boise State in person, I can vouch for his ability. Now he just needs to learn to not hold onto the ball for so damn long.
Donte Deayon: The Broncos senior cornerback managed to pick of BYU's hero twice in the loss. He's a small guy, but dangerous. This won't be the last time he gives opposing quarterbacks nightmares.
Toledo’s front seven: Toledo rolled into Arkansas’ house and knocked off the top-20 team in a grind-‘em-out win that propelled the Rockets 15 spots in the poll this week. Toledo managed to hold Arkansas to 103 rushing yards for the game. There are SEC West teams who can’t do that.
Georgia State: The Panthers notched their first FBS win in program history. Sure, it was over New Mexico State, but you have to start somewhere.
THREE TO WATCH:
Memphis at Bowling Green, Saturday, Sept. 19 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN3
Iowa State at Toledo, Saturday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN News
BYU at UCLA, Saturday, Sept. 19 at 10:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
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