Big Ten QB power rankings thru Week 10 (Drew Allar vs. JJ McCarthy)
By Josh Yourish
![Nov 4, 2023; College Park, Maryland, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) looks to throw during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports Nov 4, 2023; College Park, Maryland, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) looks to throw during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/076d7f4334685255914b3d5be14700002123da42de7661e97bcef2aa23a0d816.jpg)
Big Ten QB rankings, No. 13: Braedyn Locke (was 9)
- Passing yards: 777
- TD: 5 INT: 1
- Comp: 50.0%
- YPA: 5.1
I was impressed with Braedyn Locke when he threw for 240 yards on Illinois back on October 21, but since then he has taken a big step back, especially against Ohio State’s great defense. In Week 10 against Indiana, he was unspectacular in a loss with 243 yards and two touchdowns, but he completed just 51.2% of his passes.
The 6-foot-tall freshman doesn’t have much poise under pressure yet. He averages just 3.8 yards per attempt against pressure and commits a “turnover-worthy” play 10% of the time when his offensive line breaks down.
It may seem like a big drop-off for Locke, but the larger sample size gave me more to evaluate and it’s not good. Phil Longo lets him air the ball out often and he’s only completing half of his passes which isn’t good enough.
There are 14 teams in college football that average 5.1 yards per rush, which is what Locke is averaging per attempt. Braelon Allen is averaging 5.8 yards per carry, so maybe Wisconsin should’ve stuck with the ground-and-pound identity.