FanNation - The Republic of Sport

I've watched my fair share of Illinois football games this season and was on the bandwagon before it had wheels and a paved road but something became transparent to me before their loss to Iowa earlier today.  I'm usually hesitant to call for a quarterback to get benched and it may be the unpopular opinion but I'm actually calling on the quarterback who deserves to be starting moreso than one that needs to be benched. 

Juice Williams has led Illinois into Big 10 title contention and granted their one loss came about when Juice was knocked out in the season opener, McGee played only 3 quarters in the season opener and inadvertently threw the clinching interception in the redzone against Iowa but don't let the win loss record confuse you.   Juice Williams is 4-0, McGee is 0-2, however, freshman Eddie McGee should be the starting quarterback for the Illinois Fighting Illini.  However, Eddie McGee who serves as the Fighting Illini's fourth quarter “closer,’’ has saved victories over Penn State and Wisconsin.

 It's not because he hails from Washington, D.C. and has a great repor with freshman stud Arrellious Benn, also from D.C. but because he offers an element to Ron Zook's spread option offense that Juice Williams does not. 

The 6-4, 200-pound McGee doesn’t have the bulk but has more speed than Williams.  His 257 yards passing against Missouri were the most by an Illini quarterback since Jon Beutjer’s 430 against California in 2003.  McGee’s 53-yard run set up a late field goal in Illinois’ 27-20 victory over Penn State. Against Wisconsin, he directed the final 30 yards of a 71-yard drive capped by his 5-yard touchdown run in a 31-26 win. McGee’s quarterback sneak on fourth down gave the Illini a game-clinching first down with 1 minute left.  It's unfortunate that his name only shws up on the front page after a loss depite all the positives he has provided.

The Freshman McGee nearly led Illinois to an upset over Missouri in the season opener when he threw for 257 yards in what was the best offensive output for Ron Zook's team this season and in the final drive against Iowa was more productive than Juice Williams was all game.  Juice Williams has yet to thrown for over 120 yards in a game to date and has thrown under 100 yards on 4 occasions.

Juice Williams' incompetance in the passing game has been masked by their stifling defense and the running game. 

Illinois has been successful with Juice Williams at quarterback but at the expense of their vertical passing game.  They don't throw very often because Juice is a liability. The one game McGee did play in they threw over 30 times for 257 yards, which is more than any two game total Juice Williams has had all season. He wouldn't be the first freshman to be successful plus he redshirted so he's had had a year in the system.

This isn't a case of an observer jumping on the starter after a devestating loss.  As McGee directed the Illinois offense down the field in the final minutes against Iowa, his impact was evident.  In fact, Illinois would have grabbed the lead after an 82-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Eddie McGee to Joe Morgan was not wiped off because of an ineligible receiver on the opposite end of the field.

When you actually watch him play, McGee can scramble just as well, but can throw on the run with pinpoint accuracy and velocity. and is already a more accurate passer than Juice.  McGee can deliver a passing game capable of picking up the slack when the option hits the skids. Case in point, in one instance after unsuccessfully searching for an open receiver in the pocket Juice Williams scrambled towards the sideline and held on to the ball looking for a whole to run, only to crumple into the ground as he was sacked.

In a similar instance on the game's final drive McGee scrambled to the sideline tip-toed the sideline and delivered a tightrope pass to a receiver for a long completion.  In redzone pass in the 3rd quarter Williams cmpletely missed a wide open receiver in the back of the endzone
McGee's last minute INT was ill-advised but that can be chalked up as a freshman mishap.

All I'm saying is that from observation McGee presents all of Juice Williams' strengths plus more. He puts a touch on his throws and he's a precise and accurate thrower. Neither is perfect but McGee may be already be the better quarterback right now as well as for the long term.