Quick quiz: Who can figure out how to assess a quarterback’s passing efficiency?
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Greg Davis, Texas’ offensive coordinator and quarterback guru, concedes he has never tried.
Neither has Longhorns coach Mack Brown, who laughed at the complexity of the numbers used as a barometer for college football’s top passers. Figuring them out is almost akin to crunching BCS computer data.
It may be time to start learning. Texas’ Vince Young found out last week that he’s the second-most efficient passer in the country. When told of the ranking, Young smiled.
“Really,” he said. “All that hard work this summer, it’s all paying off. A lot of people thought our receivers were the weakest link of our team. That kind of ticked them off. They didn’t want to be the weakest link on the team.”
Young has a rating of 169.5. Louisville’s Brian Brohm leads the country with 169.8. It’s conceivable that Young, who is known most for his dazzling running skills, could be the country’s most efficient passer by season’s end.
Young’s rating is better than that of Southern California’s Matt Leinart, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, who’s seventh nationally at 164.4. And it’s better than Michigan State’s Drew Stanton (168.5) and Texas Tech’s Cody Hodges (162.3), who are thought to be better pure passers.
The NCAA and the NFL have separate formulas for the efficiency rating, but both were created in the 1970s, the NFL’s in 1973, the NCAA’s in 1979. The college formula was based on what the average quarterbacks accomplished from 1965-78. A score of 100 was considered average.
But as the West Coast and other passing-based offenses came into vogue, the numbers started escalating. Oklahoma’s Rhett Bomar has an efficiency rating of 100, and he ranks 94th nationally.
The formula is based on passing yards, touchdowns thrown, interceptions and completions, divided by attempts. The formula does not reflect a quarterback’s ability to run the ball effectively or avoid a sack. And unlike the NFL, which has a ceiling of 158.3 on its formula, there is no cap on how high the college number can go.
Given that dual-threat quarterbacks are starting to dominate the college game, maybe the formula should be retooled.
But then again, some of the best dual-threat quarterbacks had the best ratings. Former Virginia Tech star Michael Vick managed a 180.4 his freshman year. Shaun King, the ex-Tulane standout, owns the NCAA single-season standard of 183.3, set in 1998.
Young’s numbers have risen this season because he’s discovered a knack for completing the long pass. He’s tops in the country at average yards per pass thrown at 9.98.
He can thank Billy Pittman in part for that lofty number, since the sophomore slot receiver is averaging 28.8 yards a catch.
In the last four Big 12 games, Pittman has caught 14 passes for 418 yards and four touchdowns. Five other Longhorns are averaging double-digit gains, all helping their quarterback be efficient.
“The good thing right now is Vince is moving the ball around enough,” Brown said, “so it’s not just one guy catching the ball.”
Here’s what bodes well for Young this weekend. He and his Longhorns take on Oklahoma State. He was terribly efficient against the Cowboys a year ago. After completing 18 of his 21 attempts, Young’s rating for that game was 193.5.
So far this season, Young’s most efficient game was against Colorado, when he scored a 199.7 rating while completing 25 of 29 passes to set a single-game record for best completion percentage.
Young’s rating is up significantly from a year ago, when he posted a 130.6.
“It’s more about him just being comfortable,” receiver Brian Carter said. “He’s really been able to showcase his skills and abilities.”
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