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Something we already knew...plus Willis on the radar screen...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/ ... ortCat=ncf

Doesn't Willis actually "touch" the ball almost every play?

I would have thought it was about 80-85% of the time that he was not handing off the ball.

mrydel wrote:Doesn't Willis actually "touch" the ball almost every play?

Actually, there's a gag order on the topic while BPS investigates and the DA decides whether to pursue charges.

-CoS

Justin Willis, SMU: 208 pass attempts, 90 rushes, 298 touches out of SMU's 427 plays. Plays involving Willis: 69.8 percent.

Willis is either throwing or running the bal himself 70% of the time. Yikes. Think that is asking too much of him? That is the highest percentage of any one player in the league.

Willis is passing the ball about 50% of the time so remove that from the 70%. So he's running the ball himself rather than handing off -- a stat, I believe which includes sacks and broken plays -- about 20% of the time. Is this really a high percentage of runs for an athletic QB?

ponyboy wrote:Willis is passing the ball about 50% of the time so remove that from the 70%. So he's running the ball himself rather than handing off -- a stat, I believe which includes sacks and broken plays -- about 20%. Is this really a high percentage of runs for an athletic QB?

Your math is wrong. When SMU doesn't pass, Willis runs 41% of the time.

427 total offensive plays
208-pass attempts
219-plays that are not pass attempts (includes sacks)

90 rush attempts (includes sacks)/219 plays=41%

Read the article, SMU's offense asks Willis to do more than any other player in college football. But that is obvious. Aside from the passing, Willis has the most rushing attempts on the team.

On 20 percent of the snaps, Willis runs -- 90 rushes out of 427 plays. And he's throwing the ball half of the time. That makes up his "touches."

So I'll ask again, is that really a high percentage of runs for an athletic QB? Do the statistics really point to a problem?

ponyboy wrote:On 20 percent of the snaps, Willis runs -- 90 rushes out of 427 plays. And he's throwing the ball half of the time. That makes up his "touches."

So I'll ask again, is that really a high percentage of runs for an athletic QB? Do the statistics really point to a problem?

To answer your question, Tebow has rushed more times and more as a percentage for Florida.

But I do think it is a problem. Think of it this way: Willis is "asked to make a play" 70% of the time. Does that seem like a lot for one player? Seems like it to me, considering that is more than any other player in college football this year. Is Willis the most athletic QB in NCAA? No. Yet, he is asked to carry a greater load.

ponyboy wrote:On 20 percent of the snaps, Willis runs -- 90 rushes out of 427 plays. And he's throwing the ball half of the time. That makes up his "touches."

So I'll ask again, is that really a high percentage of runs for an athletic QB? Do the statistics really point to a problem?

I agree, it does sound like a lot. The real problem is that he is forced to run as though Mothra were chasing him on every play, so many of the "touches" aren't exactly worthwhile.

I am starting to talk myself out of this. Vince Young, in 2005, had 155 of UT's 605 rushing attempts, or 25.6%.

Patrick White, who many consider to be the best running quarterback in college fooball, is also running the ball on 20% of West Virginia's plays. He's just throwing a lot less than Willis (30% of the time) which puts his touch percentage down around 53%.

We even made the bottom of ESPN's list of coaches on the hotseat. Does that mean that Phil Bennett is the best of all the coaches who might be fired this season?

BRStang wrote:We even made the bottom of ESPN's list of coaches on the hotseat. Does that mean that Phil Bennett is the best of all the coaches who might be fired this season?

naw. just the least important or coaches the worst team of the ones mentioned

phil looks grumpy