Inside the Numbers: Dual-threat standouts
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Jason Vander Laan
A lesser-known record-setting performance was achieved this past weekend when
Div. II quarterback Jason Vander Laan of Ferris State (Mich.) University
surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in both passing and rushing for the
fourth-straight season, making him the first player in NCAA history to achieve
the feat. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Vander Laan has thrown for 1,901 yards and
rushed for 1,059 yards this season for the Bulldogs.
The 1,000 yard season mark in both passing and rushing has been eclipsed by
numerous quarterbacks, but never in four consecutive seasons.
Colin Kaepernick, now with the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, came close, throwing
for over 2,000 yards in each of his four seasons at Nevada and rushing
for over 1,000 yards in three of those seasons. Missouri's Brad
Smith and Michigan's Denard Robinson also reached the
1,000-yard mark in both passing and rushing in three separate seasons.
3,451
Total offensive yardage gained by TCU QB Trevone Boykin this season
Trevone Boykin
The 2015 season started as the year of the running back with several backs
tabbed as top Heisman Trophy contenders. Quarterbacks, however, have won the trophy 13
of the last 15 years. When talking about the top quarterbacks in the game this
season, it would be hard to put anyone in front of TCU's
Trevone Boykin as the strongest candidate through nine weeks of the season.
A 6-foot-2, 205-pound dual-threat weapon, Boykin is second in the country with
431.4 yards per game of total offense. He has logged 524 rushing yards on the
year, making him the most prolific dual-threat quarterback in the country
this season. For his career, Boykin has accumulated 12,298 total yards of
offense.
16,823
Total offensive yardage for Steve McNair
in his college career
Steve McNair
The late, great Steve McNair would have to be considered the most
prolific dual-threat quarterback in college football history. He ranks third on
the all-time list of total offensive yards in all divisions, accumulating his
16,823 yards at Alcorn State from 1991-94. Although 86 percent of his 16,823
yards came through the air, he averaged 581.75 rushing yards per season.
In his senior season McNair posted 4,863 passing yards and 936 rushing yards for
a then-record 5,799 yards of total offense. That mark has since been surpassed
by three others, but because McNair gained that yardage in just 11 games, his
527.2 yards per game remains the all-time best, more than 50 yards per game
higher than No. 2 on the list.
2,992
Total offensive yards this season for
2016 four-star Khalil Tate
Khalil Tate
Big numbers are being posted by prospects all across the country, but one of the
best performances this season has been posted by Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra
quarterback Khalil Tate. Through nine games Tate has thrown for 1,578
yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 1,414 yards and 21 touchdowns for the 8-1
Cavaliers.
Although Tate has very similar size at 6-foot-1 and 208 pounds to Boykin coming
out of high school, he may not end up playing quarterback in college for
Arizona, the team he committed to last March. The Wildcats continue to
recruit him as a quarterback and he appears to be a fit in Rich Rodriguez's offense -- the same one that allowed Denard Robinson to post
record-setting numbers -- but Arizona also has four-star quarterback
Devon Modster committed in the 2016 class and four-star quarterback
Braxton Burmeister pledged for the 2017 class.
Josh Helmholdt
Midwest Recruiting Analyst
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