TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -John Parker Wilson’s passing numbers are mostly down, and he couldn’t be happier.
The quarterback for No. 2 Alabama has been able to rely on a strong supporting cast, minimize mistakes and guide his team to five consecutive wins going into Saturday’s game with Kentucky. Wilson has become the most prolific passer in Crimson Tide history even though he hasn’t had to do nearly so much passing thanks to a series of early leads and a powerful running game.
“My freshman and sophomore year, we couldn’t run the ball at all, or like we’d like,” Wilson said. “This year we’ve established the running game, establishing ourselves up front, and it’s making everything else easier.”
He has been the beneficiary of that ground game and a simplified offense under new coordinator Jim McElwain that seems to suit him, outshining more highly touted quarterbacks like Clemson’s Cullen Harper and Georgia’s Matthew Stafford.
nd tailbacks Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram.
But Wilson’s pass efficiency rating has jumped 22 points to 136 this season, fourth in the Southeastern Conference. He ranks only 10th in yards passing but none of the guys above him have matched his 63 percent completion rate. Wilson has also thrown six touchdown passes against just one interception.
“That’s basically what I look at because now you’re taking completion percentage and eliminating bad plays, turnovers, negatives and kind of factoring them all together and saying, ‘What’s the body of work here?”’ Tide coach Nick Saban said. “I know we haven’t thrown the ball as much. We haven’t put as much pressure on John Parker as we did last year at times because of our ability to run the ball.
“There’s going to come a day when we have to do that effectively and efficiently. So far we’ve been able to do it when we’ve had to do it.”
Wilson has no complaints. He has broken Brodie Croyle’s career marks for passing yards and touchdowns in the past two games. And a quarterback who started the season with a 13-13 mark as a starter hasn’t seen this kind of success since he was helping lead Hoover High School to two state titles.
Roommate Cory Reamer, a high school teammate, asked him about the records one night recently. Wilson gave the same answer he’d give publicly.
Tide linebacker. “He said, ‘You know what, it will be once the season’s over with, but right now it’s just another week.’ I think that’s a great mentality to have toward it.”
If the successful running game has limited the need for passing, so has the fact that Alabama has been protecting leads all season and hasn’t had to come from behind yet. Wilson was an efficient 13-of-16 for 205 yards in last week’s win at Georgia.
“His game management was great,” right tackle Mike Johnson said. “He stayed calm in the huddle, he got in there and gave us the play and let us know what was going on.
“John Parker just brings an overall attitude to our offense that’s pretty much like, this is what we need to do and we need to get it done.”
The word Saban has used to describe Wilson’s approach since the offseason has been “businesslike,” citing his improved ability to contain emotions that had sometimes led Wilson to make mistakes and try to force balls into coverage. He had thrown 22 interceptions in his first two seasons as a starter.
Center Antoine Caldwell started saying in the offseason that he believed Wilson’s final season would also be his finest.
“I said this since the beginning: I feel like this is going to be the best year he’s had,” Caldwell said. “He’s done a great job to this point. He’s becoming a leader on the field. Guys see him in the huddle and he’s got a new sense of confidence and leadership about him. Everybody’s just been rallying around him this year.”
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