Florida Atlantic’s Rusty Smith is ranked the No. 11 quarterback in college football, according to the September 15 issue of Sporting News. The Owls (1-2) play the Gophers (3-0) on Saturday at the Metrodome, Minnesota’s last non-conference game of the season.
In Miami last year the Owls, in only their seventh year of college football, surprised the Gophers in a high scoring 42-39 game. Smith, then a sophomore, completed 27 of 44 passes and threw five touchdown passes.
The Gophers’ Adam Weber, then a redshirt freshman, was 31 of 47, with four touchdown passes but threw four interceptions in his first college road game. This season Weber has yet to throw an interception in three games while completing six touchdown passes.
Although coach Tim Brewster has said Weber will be among the better quarterbacks in the Big Ten Conference, Sporting News ranked seven QB’s from the league ahead of Weber, rated the No. 47 quarterback in America. All seven of the quarterbacks ahead of him are juniors and seniors, having had more time to make their reputations. (The top three quarterbacks listed are Pat White of West Virginia, Tim Tebow of Florida, and Sam Bradford of Oklahoma.)
Brewster was asked yesterday by Sports Headliners about Smith. “You know, I think Rusty Smith is a heck of a quarterback,” he said. “…I think he deserves any accolades that he gets. …I am not into rating guys exactly. All’s I know is this: I wouldn’t trade Adam for anybody in America right now.”
So far this season Smith, a 6-5 pocket passer known for his accuracy, has four touchdown passes while completing 44 of 99 passes with one interception and is averaging 240.3 yards passing per game. Weber is 60 of 86 averaging 240 yards per game. Smith, though, has faced the more difficult schedule playing Texas and Michigan State, along with UAB. Weber has faced Northern Illinois, Bowling Green and Montana State.