Is Jerrod Johnson Struggling?

At first glance, Jerrod Johnson's stats for the season look very good:

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But his performance in the last two games has been mediocre, at best: 22-42, 274 yds passing, 3 TDs against Oklahoma State, 21-45, 314 yds passing, 2 TDs, 3 INTs against Kansas State. Granted, in both games, he was sacked often (4 times against Oklahoma State, 6 times against Kansas State), but that is still tw poor performances.. That is two games where he has struggled to complete more than 50% of his passes, which is a concern when you consider that we run a no-huddle spread attack that thrives on completing a high-percentage of passes and moving the ball through the air.  The Kansas State game can be considered something of an anomaly since only one player on the team (Uzoma Nwachukwu) seemed to have shown up to play in Manhattan, but Johnson's performance against Oklahoma St doesn't fall under that excuse.

I know most of the problems we are having in our passing game is due to our documented issues on the offensive line. Starting true freshman Stephen Bararra at left tackle means Johnson is under a lot of pressure from his blindside throughout the game, However, simply saying Johnson is under pressure and excusing his performance leaves the issue unsettled. I think at times during games, the inconsistency of our offensive line causes Jerrod to get antsy, and throw the ball too soon, or hold onto it too long while rolling out, and throw it away. I think at times like that. offensive coordinator Nolan Cromwell needs to call more high-percentage pass plays, plays that will give Johnosn a chance to be successful by making completions. Even if it is just a 4-yard completion on a swing pass to a RB, three fo those together make for a first down. More importantly, the consistency of three straight completions can improve Jerrod's confidence, settle him down in the pocket, and help him get on the move. I also think it is time for our coaching staff to acknowledge the fact that our defense has serious issues, and start calling offensive plays to reflect that fact. Right now, we will win games by forcing opposing teams into shootouts. In order to do that, we need to be willing to play all four downs, not just settle for three plays to get ten yards and if we fail, punt the ball away. We need to be willing to go for it on fourth down, especially if we are past the 50 yard line. We need to show the opposing defense that we will do everything in our power to make them play all four downs on every series.

I also think Cromwell needs to add an option for Johnson when he bootlegs to the strong side of the field. If we line up in a 3X1 with 10 personnel, with the flanker aligned to the shortside, we need to roll Johnson to the strongside of the formation, and have the running back follow in the pitch relationship. This puts immense pressure on the defense, because the cornerbacks and safeties covering the receivers now have to make a decision: stay in coverage, and risk Johnson running the ball underneath, in the area between the LOS and the WRs, come up to stop the run, and risk Johnson passing the ball over them to a WR, or let a LB try to come over, and risk Johnson pitching out for the option. Whatever decision the opposing DBs make, it will be the wrong one, and forcing the defense to always choose the wrong option is what successful playcalling is all about.

Jerrod has clearly been struggling these past two games, and going against a defense that ranks 8th in the nation in sacks on Saturday isn't exactly going to help him. We need more consistent protection from our offensive line. Barring that, we need better playcalling, plays that will help Johnson get rid of the ball quickly, help him complete more passes, keep him confident, and get the offense moving down the field. We currently run our whole offense through Jerrod Johnson, geating more plays to make him successful will only help him and us in the long run.