COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Greg McElroy owns a national title at Alabama, Stephen Garcia has South Carolina off to its best start in three years and Ryan Mallett of Arkansas may be the country’s best passer.
 
For a league known for punishing defenses and overpowering ground games, the Southeastern Conference has a group of quarterbacks getting things done through the air.
 
“It’s something,” Gamecocks cornerback Stephon Gilmore said. “You can’t take a week off in the SEC.”
 
Especially this season. Nearly a month into the season, according to STATS LLC, passing statistics in the SEC are up in most categories from last year. Quarterbacks have completed 62.9 percent of their throws, compared to less than 58 percent a year ago. And it’s no coincidence that the best quarterback play has come from the top teams.
 
McElroy, Mallett and Garcia are among the top four in SEC completion percentage and their teams are all undefeated and ranked in the top 12.
 
“I think that in the SEC, if you look at the teams that win the conference or that play for the national championship from our conference, they’re normally the teams that have the better quarterbacks and the teams with the more experienced quarterbacks,” said Tee Martin, Kentucky’s receivers coach and the quarterback on Tennessee’s 1998 national championship team.
 
It’s not just the experienced quarterbacks making their marks under center.
 
John Brantley has kept Florida winning despite a few offensive bumps in its post-Tim Tebow era. Georgia is 0-2 in the SEC, but freshman Aaron Murray has been poised and confident as Bulldogs quarterback. Auburn’s 6-foot-6 Cam Newton, once Tebow’s backup at Florida, has the Tigers undefeated and moving up the rankings.
 
For Auburn coach Gene Chick, the SEC looks a lot like the Big 12 when he was Texas’ defensive coordinator and staring down skilled passers each game like Reggie McNeal at Texas A&M and Chase Daniel of Missouri.
 
“Every week someone was an off-the-chart quarterback,” Chizik said.
 
Two of the SEC’s best square off this week when McElroy leads top-ranked Alabama into No. 10 Arkansas to face Mallett, the country’s leader in passing yards.
 
McElroy, who helped the Crimson Tide to last year’s national championship, has completed better than 70 percent of his throws this season. However, McElroy readily acknowledges that with runners like Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson he’s not asked to do the same things as Mallett.
 
“Fortunately for me, I have a lot of weapons at my disposal,” McElroy said. “The fact that we do have such a capable running game means I am not asked to do as much.”
 
 
 
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