The forward pass, introduced in football almost a century ago, is now a bigger part of the college game than ever.
Division I-A quarterbacks are on pace to achieve all-time highs in passing attempts per game, passing yards, total offense and completion rate since the NCAA began tracking statistics in 1937. As a result, scoring is up to 27.5 points a game, nearly a full point ahead of last year's final totals and ahead of the record average of 27.3 set in 2002. Conversely, rushing attempts are down to 38 a game, which would be the lowest on record. (Related item: Passing, by the numbers)
One reason for the trend, ESPN analyst and former Notre Dame coach Bob Davie says, is the explosion of the spread offense.
"There's no question that the in-vogue thing is to spread the field," Davie says. "The fullback is almost gone. There are very few two-back offenses left."
Davie says defenses must now account for the quarterback as a runner, leading to more checks to pass plays. Vince Young of Texas is the classic example.
"That's the beauty of the spread offense when you have a quarterback who can run," he says. "You're getting more one-on-one matchups on wide receivers. I think that's what you're seeing. The spread is a passing formation, but defenses have to account for the run first."
Even teams that run the ball do so more with finesse than with power in most instances.
"When you picture Eric Dickerson or Herschel Walker lining up and running north and south, you don't see that very much anymore," Davie says. "You see people running with one back out of the shotgun and starting out east and west. Maybe 10 years ago the tailback was the most important guy on the field. What I'm seeing now week-to-week is you have to have a quarterback who can execute."
Recent Heisman Trophy history bears that out. Between 1994-99, four running backs took home the hardware. The last five Heisman winners have been quarterbacks.
"I'm not sure a tailback can win the Heisman this year, unless it's a guy like (Southern California's) Reggie Bush who does a lot of different things," Davie says.
Division I-A quarterbacks are on pace to achieve all-time highs in passing attempts per game, passing yards, total offense and completion rate since the NCAA began tracking statistics in 1937. As a result, scoring is up to 27.5 points a game, nearly a full point ahead of last year's final totals and ahead of the record average of 27.3 set in 2002. Conversely, rushing attempts are down to 38 a game, which would be the lowest on record. (Related item: Passing, by the numbers)
One reason for the trend, ESPN analyst and former Notre Dame coach Bob Davie says, is the explosion of the spread offense.
"There's no question that the in-vogue thing is to spread the field," Davie says. "The fullback is almost gone. There are very few two-back offenses left."
Davie says defenses must now account for the quarterback as a runner, leading to more checks to pass plays. Vince Young of Texas is the classic example.
"That's the beauty of the spread offense when you have a quarterback who can run," he says. "You're getting more one-on-one matchups on wide receivers. I think that's what you're seeing. The spread is a passing formation, but defenses have to account for the run first."
Even teams that run the ball do so more with finesse than with power in most instances.
"When you picture Eric Dickerson or Herschel Walker lining up and running north and south, you don't see that very much anymore," Davie says. "You see people running with one back out of the shotgun and starting out east and west. Maybe 10 years ago the tailback was the most important guy on the field. What I'm seeing now week-to-week is you have to have a quarterback who can execute."
Recent Heisman Trophy history bears that out. Between 1994-99, four running backs took home the hardware. The last five Heisman winners have been quarterbacks.
"I'm not sure a tailback can win the Heisman this year, unless it's a guy like (Southern California's) Reggie Bush who does a lot of different things," Davie says.
