Before we head into game one of the 2023 season, I thought we'd take a look at some data points (Via PFF) for a few key players coming into the season.
Let's start with Quinn Ewers and his passing numbers by short, middle and deep regions of the field.
Immediate impressions.
a. I'm a big fan of Sarkisian getting the likes of Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington the ball in space with short throws. I thought Sarkisian should have done more short stuff in the passing game to get his best players in more of a rhythm in games. Other than throwing to the right side of the field between 0-10 yards, everything else produced an NFL passer rating of at least 90.6. No area of the field produced more yards and touchdowns than Ewers throwing the ball behind the line of scrimmage in the middle of the field.
b. Ewers' strength is throwing to the left side of the field. His passer rating actually increases from behind the line of scrimmage (90.6 rating) to passes of 0-10 yards (96.7 rating) and then to passes from 11-20 yards (112.5 rating). Although his deep ball to the left rating drops to 74.2, it's still higher than his deep balls to the middle of the field and to the right.
c. Ewers was 16 of 52 (30.8%) on all passes that were 20+ yards down the field with only 3 touchdowns. His touchdowns were nearly matched by the two interceptions on those throws. It's pretty obvious that this is an important area he simply must make progress in this season. If it happens, watch the hell out,
d. His throws to the middle of the field also need to get better. On passes of more than 10+ yards, Ewers had a college efficiency rating of 114.37, which is pretty awful. Along with the deep ball, this is where major improvement is needed.
Let's move along to Xavier Worthy.
2022
2021
Immediate impressions.
a. Xavier Worthy's drop percentage in 2021 was 2.9%, which is exceptional.
Last year, it was 10.6% (most of which occurred after he broke his hand). It was sub 5% pre-injury.
For context:
Zay Flowers: 9.3%
Quentin Johnston 11.8%
J.Michael Sturdivant 14.5%
Evan Stewart 14.5%
b. Worthy has had 9 career drops in 25 career games, which means he has one on the average of almost once per every 3 games. If you eliminate the drops he had with a broken hand, his career drop % is one of the best in college football among receivers with more than 50 targets.
When healthy, drops simply haven't been an issue. That's not my opinion. That's what the data says.
Check this graphic out.
c. Texas quarterbacks completed 4 of 32 passes to Worthy of 20+ yards last season for 128 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT. It's kind of stunning that Texas kept banging its head into the wall, especially once his hand was broken. Worthy's sweet spots are pass plays up to yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
Let's look at AD Mitchell's last season at UGA...
a. One of the things that is interesting about an injury-plagued season a year ago is that he didn't have any recorded drops, which is ironic because he arrived with a reputation for being a guy that would drop one or two on occasion.
b. Everything he does is on the left side moving to the middle of the field, which should fit in nicely with Ewers' sterngths.
c. Only 16 targets all season.
Now, let's look at Ja'Tavion Sanders...
a. Holy hell, look at those numbers on passes of 20+ yards throw in his direction... 6 of 7 on the season for 141 yards, 3 touchdowns and a perfect NFL passer rating. My goodness.
b. There's not an area of the field beyond 10 yards that Sanders doesn't excel in and create match-up wins for Ewers and the offense. His only area of real disappointment is on throws between 0-10 yards in the middle of the field. It shows that he's at his best when he's able to run his routes just a little deeper.
c. Sanders' drop percentage was 6.9%, which was the highest on the team before Worthy's hand injury.
Finally, let's take a look at Jordan Whittington...
a. He thrives in the area that Sanders didn't perform so well in, catching 11 of 14 passes in routes that are 0-10 yards from the line of scrimmage between the hash marks, which created a 119.9 NFL quarterback rating. When you combine his 112.4 NFL rating on passes behind the line of scrimmage and his 116.7 NFL rating on plays 20+ yards down the middle, it becomes clear where his sweet spot is.
b. He seems to be an underrated deep ball performer, catching the same number of passes from 20+ yards out in 5 passing attempts as Worthy caught on 34 attempts, which makes you wonder why they didn't look for that a little more within the offense last year. It turns out Whittington and Sanders were the best deep ball targets throughout the season, but Texas didn't utilize that enough in the offense.
c. Whittington's drop percentage was 5.7%.
Let's start with Quinn Ewers and his passing numbers by short, middle and deep regions of the field.
Immediate impressions.
a. I'm a big fan of Sarkisian getting the likes of Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington the ball in space with short throws. I thought Sarkisian should have done more short stuff in the passing game to get his best players in more of a rhythm in games. Other than throwing to the right side of the field between 0-10 yards, everything else produced an NFL passer rating of at least 90.6. No area of the field produced more yards and touchdowns than Ewers throwing the ball behind the line of scrimmage in the middle of the field.
b. Ewers' strength is throwing to the left side of the field. His passer rating actually increases from behind the line of scrimmage (90.6 rating) to passes of 0-10 yards (96.7 rating) and then to passes from 11-20 yards (112.5 rating). Although his deep ball to the left rating drops to 74.2, it's still higher than his deep balls to the middle of the field and to the right.
c. Ewers was 16 of 52 (30.8%) on all passes that were 20+ yards down the field with only 3 touchdowns. His touchdowns were nearly matched by the two interceptions on those throws. It's pretty obvious that this is an important area he simply must make progress in this season. If it happens, watch the hell out,
d. His throws to the middle of the field also need to get better. On passes of more than 10+ yards, Ewers had a college efficiency rating of 114.37, which is pretty awful. Along with the deep ball, this is where major improvement is needed.
Let's move along to Xavier Worthy.
2022
2021
Immediate impressions.
a. Xavier Worthy's drop percentage in 2021 was 2.9%, which is exceptional.
Last year, it was 10.6% (most of which occurred after he broke his hand). It was sub 5% pre-injury.
For context:
Zay Flowers: 9.3%
Quentin Johnston 11.8%
J.Michael Sturdivant 14.5%
Evan Stewart 14.5%
b. Worthy has had 9 career drops in 25 career games, which means he has one on the average of almost once per every 3 games. If you eliminate the drops he had with a broken hand, his career drop % is one of the best in college football among receivers with more than 50 targets.
When healthy, drops simply haven't been an issue. That's not my opinion. That's what the data says.
Check this graphic out.
c. Texas quarterbacks completed 4 of 32 passes to Worthy of 20+ yards last season for 128 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT. It's kind of stunning that Texas kept banging its head into the wall, especially once his hand was broken. Worthy's sweet spots are pass plays up to yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
Let's look at AD Mitchell's last season at UGA...
a. One of the things that is interesting about an injury-plagued season a year ago is that he didn't have any recorded drops, which is ironic because he arrived with a reputation for being a guy that would drop one or two on occasion.
b. Everything he does is on the left side moving to the middle of the field, which should fit in nicely with Ewers' sterngths.
c. Only 16 targets all season.
Now, let's look at Ja'Tavion Sanders...
a. Holy hell, look at those numbers on passes of 20+ yards throw in his direction... 6 of 7 on the season for 141 yards, 3 touchdowns and a perfect NFL passer rating. My goodness.
b. There's not an area of the field beyond 10 yards that Sanders doesn't excel in and create match-up wins for Ewers and the offense. His only area of real disappointment is on throws between 0-10 yards in the middle of the field. It shows that he's at his best when he's able to run his routes just a little deeper.
c. Sanders' drop percentage was 6.9%, which was the highest on the team before Worthy's hand injury.
Finally, let's take a look at Jordan Whittington...
a. He thrives in the area that Sanders didn't perform so well in, catching 11 of 14 passes in routes that are 0-10 yards from the line of scrimmage between the hash marks, which created a 119.9 NFL quarterback rating. When you combine his 112.4 NFL rating on passes behind the line of scrimmage and his 116.7 NFL rating on plays 20+ yards down the middle, it becomes clear where his sweet spot is.
b. He seems to be an underrated deep ball performer, catching the same number of passes from 20+ yards out in 5 passing attempts as Worthy caught on 34 attempts, which makes you wonder why they didn't look for that a little more within the offense last year. It turns out Whittington and Sanders were the best deep ball targets throughout the season, but Texas didn't utilize that enough in the offense.
c. Whittington's drop percentage was 5.7%.
