Communist Football

We don't seem to talk about it anymore, but the Michigan basketball teams of the mid-to-late 1980s, under Bill Frieder, were consistently ranked in the AP top 5. But like the Red Wings teams of the early 1990s and 2000s, Michigan's talent never seemed to go anywhere in the NCAA tournament. Frieder's teams would get #1 or #2 seeds in the tournament, and then flame out in the first or second rounds.

The 1984-85 team was the first of those quintessential Frieder teams. 7 players from that squad were drafted: Roy Tarpley (7th overall 1986, the 1985 Big Ten Player of the Year, #42 in the pic to the right), Gary Grant (15th overall 1988), Richard Rellford, Butch Wade, Antoine Joubert, and Robert Henderson. The team went 26-4 overall and 16-2 in the Big Ten.

Michigan entered the 1985 NCAA tournament—its first trip to the Big Dance in eight years—on a roll. They had won 16 straight games to enter the tournament, were ranked #2 in the country (second only to Patrick Ewing's Georgetown), were seeded #1 in the Southeast region, and defeated Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round 59-55.

They then faced an unheralded #8-seeded Villanova team in the Round of 32, coached by Rollie Massimino. Villanova had lost 10 games, but 2 of those were to #1 Georgetown and 3 were to #3 St. John's, led by Chris Mullin and Bill Wennington.

Here's an excerpt from the Chicago Tribune's account of that game, which Villanova won 59-55. Frieder blamed his team's youth and inexperience on the big stage for the loss:

"It helps playing against Patrick Ewing twice a year," said Villanova center Ed Pinckney, referring to Georgetown`s 7-foot All-America. "That`s enough to set you up to go against the best..."

"Our conference definitely prepared us," said Wildcat forward Dwayne McClain, whose deadly outside shooting led to 20 points and a wrecked Michigan defense. "We have great centers and we have great guards in our league. I didn`t think we were underdogs."

Coach Rollie Massimino`s experienced team, which starts three seniors, showed its poise by not panicking while going scoreless for the opening 7 minutes 44 seconds of the second half. That drought enabled the Wolverines to build a 35-30 advantage, their biggest of the game.

"I'd hoped we could get ahead and speed up the tempo," said Michigan coach Bill Frieder. "But we couldn`t sustain it, and they were perfect at countering almost everything we tried the rest of the way. In all honesty, I think their six straight years in the NCAAs and our inexperience showed."

Michigan, which started three juniors, a sophomore and a freshman, won the National Invitation Tournament last year but was making its first NCAA appearance since 1977.

"Gary Grant was an example of a freshman," said Frieder, whose team finished 26-4. "He`s got great talent, but he`s got a lot to learn."

There was no shot clock in those days, which allowed Villanova to slow down the high-flying Michigan offense:

Grant went scoreless for the first time in his collegiate career and fouled out. Michigan`s point total was its lowest this season. Wolverine center Roy Tarpley got only 2 of his team-high 14 points in the second half. 

"I thought if the game would be in the 60s or 70s, we`d be okay," said Frieder. "But it turned out to be the type of game I really expected. They`ve lost 10 games, but they've lost to teams like Georgetown, St. John`s, Syracuse, Maryland. They have 10 losses, but they don`t look like it."

This is the third time Villanova`s seniors have advanced to the final 16 teams, missing last year when they lost to Illinois. Massimino said he thought the past performances were a big factor.

"You have to feel sorry for Grant," said Massimino. "Experience is very important in a game like this. When these guys were freshmen, we had trouble getting out of close ones. I told my players to try and relate to that before the game."

Villanova never relinquished the lead after going up 38-37 on a free throw by Gary McLain with 7:32 left.

"Thank God the shot clock was off," said Massimino, whose Wildcats squeezed every possible second from each possession. "These kids have been through this sort of thing before."

Villanova's poise was evident at the free-throw line, where they hit 12 of 15 in the final 2:10. The Wildcats made 25 free throws in the game, compared to just three for the Wolverines.

"We really had trouble adjusting to the slow pace," said Michigan guard Antoine Joubert. "We like to run, and we`re used to it. When we tried to get it inside to Tarpley, they were really sagging on him."

In a later recollection, the Wildcats' Ed Pinckney agreed that Villanova's experience and low-tempo strategy were the keys to victory:

"Everyone on the team knew we’d beat Michigan. We kept telling each other, "We play Georgetown and St. Johns. They don’t." The guys on Michigan were mostly freshman and sophomores. Our guys – particularly the seniors – were indignant about that – that they were so young and favored over a veteran team like ours. Michigan was athletic. Thy wanted to play a fast-paced game. But we were feeling like, "You guys are the underclassmen. We’re not going to let you dictate the pace of this game." We didn’t feel they could apply the kind of pressure Georgetown does. We were determined to execute properly and we did. That game was almost fun. We were confident. We didn’t feel pressure at all."

Villanova, of course, ended up defeating Georgetown for their first national championship, in a game that is the second-biggest point-spread upset in NCAA championship game history.

Here's hoping that Gary Grant and the rest of those 1985 stars are in the Alamodome tonight. Roy Tarpley can't join them because, after a troubled pro career filled with drug and alcohol problems, he died in 2015. It's sad for many reasons—from today's standpoint, especially because Roy Tarpley would have been an outstanding player in Beilein's system: a 7-footer who had a great all-around game.

The game is different now, and Villanova today is much better coached than those Frieder teams of the '80s. But if they could do it us, why can't we do it to them?

Comrades,

We need to do something about B1G officiating to make sure these problems are minimized in the future. It can be done. (NOTE: I've updated this thread to account for comments here and on the regular board.)

As a historical reminder, it was the Big Ten that introduced instant replay to college football. In the 2002 season, Joe Paterno was furious that blown calls on fumbles had cost Penn State several games. As a result, the Big Ten introduced replay in the 2004 season. 

The same thing can happen again, if Jim Harbaugh and Warde Manuel make it a priority. We can improve the replay process and get the officiating subjectivity out of important parts of the game. Here are some areas that are relatively easy to improve. Perhaps you all have others?

1. Pass interference. In the CFL, coaches are allowed to challenge interference calls and non-calls. The Big Ten could adopt this rule, and also make any pass attempt on third or fourth down, or over 20 yards, reviewable if the replay booth wants to review the call or non-call. The replay booth wouldn't have to review the call each time, like with a fumble, but rather if the call was clearly worth reviewing.

2. Spots. The problem with the fourth down call was that the replay was at a bad angle, and therefore didn't produce what officials would consider indisputable video evidence (though it is geometrically obvious that he was short). There has to be a way to get better spots in situations where the linesmen can't see what's happening. Perhaps cameras can be put on poles at the first down marker and at ground level to look over and under the play on each side of the field—or perhaps from cameras with telephoto lenses higher up in the stadium. You could have a camera on one of those pulley systems directly above the ball's yardage line at all times, kind of like the goal line cameras in the NHL.

3a. Higher quality refs (pay them). As we've discussed on the board in the past, the B1G refs are part-time and don't appear to conform to a rigorous quality standard. The conference could easily afford to have full-time refs who are high end. NFL referees made $173,000 on average in 2015; the Big Ten could easily serve as a farm team for near-NFL quality referees by paying them.

If a full-fledged B1G officiating crew cost $400k a year, times 7 conference games a week times 9 conference games a year = $25.6 million annually. The B1G's latest television contract pays the conference $440 million a year, and that doesn't include bowl game revenues and other income sources.

If the conference feels that's too much to spend, the conference could instead have two full-time officiating crews that rotate through the conference's most important games each week. That would cost $8.4 million a year ($400k x 10 regular season weeks x 2 games/week + championship game).

3b. Higher quality refs (grade them). Furthermore, the conference could have a weekly, public, grading of the officiating teams in each game, giving awards to the officiating crew that did the best, and caling out the ones that made mistakes. It would be after the fact game-wise, but it would give fans confidence that the B1G takes officiating seriously.

3c. Higher quality refs (eliminate conflicts of interest). As noted in this thread by Magnus, the official who called the personal foul on Harbaugh was in Ohio's officiating hall of fame. It appears that the B1G used to have a rule that refs from Ohio and Michigan couldn't ref The Game (h/t NYCBlue). While I'm sure that there are officials who can call the game fairly even if they are from the same state as one of the teams, there have been too many instances of poor officiating associated with this problem.

Another way to address this solution, suggested by researchers at Miami University (NNTM) and Florida State, is to nationalize FBS officiating. This is apparently done in most other NCAA sports. The researchers found that there is significant bias toward the home team in college football officiating, among other things, and suggested that officiating be run by the NCAA nationally rather than by conferences. Such a change would limit the likelihood of a local official or conference-associated official biasing the outcome of a game.

4. Replay booths at a neutral site. Instead of the booths being at the site of the game, have them in Chicago. This is what the NHL does with all replays being reviewed in Toronto. This removes the pressure on replay officials to play to the home crowd.

The Big Ten has an opportunity to be a leader in improving the integrity of competition in its flagship sport. It should take advantage of it. Warde Manuel, the ball's in your court.

Comrades,

The death of Communist Football in Ann Arbor, at the hands of fascist manball counter-revolutionaries, has kept me in hiding. I know many of you have been waiting for THE_KNOWLEDGE to weigh in on the coaching search. However, my crack intelligence analysts are convinced that Harbaugh to Michigan is a done deal, based on publicly available information. Here is why:

1. Lloyd Carr's pro-Harbaugh comments. As you know, Lloyd Carr has stated: "Everyone has an opinion, and I am no different. If I had a choice, I would choose Jim Harbaugh. But it will be Jim Hackett's decision, and that is as it should be." This has been interpreted by the capitalist media as simply Carr expressing his opinion. It is much more than that. Carr, being as close as he is to the Athletic Department, would not express his opinion if it was inconsistent with that of Hackett, because doing so would undermine Hackett's search process. You can be sure that Hackett would be pissed if Carr was pushing Hackett to make a different decision than one Hackett would make anyway. In addition, Carr is almost certain to have inside information as to Harbaugh's interest in the job; he wouldn't advocate for Harbaugh unless he knew that Harbaugh was interested.

2. The collapse of the Vegas betting line. The Vegas Harbaugh bet collapsing from 8-1 to 2-1, and then being pulled off the table, is not merely a sign of decadent western gamblers, but of inside information. Jeff Moss of DetroitSportsRag reached out to Sportsbook.ag, and found out something very interesting:

Hi there….our limits for this market were $2k max win per bet. Its a volatile high risk market where the public may know more than us. It was a novelty bet so none of the bets were there sizable, it was the amount of bets that got our attention as it didn’t matter how low we went, they just kept coming in… We’ve been researching it more and more we can’t explain the action other then (sic) someone might know more about his coaching situation than us. We might consider opening it up again, but at this point it’s off the board.

There was a sudden, and massive, bet on Harbaugh coming to Michigan. In the stock market, such surges are frequently, though not always, the result of inside information. 

3. Harbaugh has not quashed the Michigan rumors. Harbaugh was quick to shoot down rumors that he would go to Michigan under fascist AD Dave Brandon. That has clearly not happened in this case. Harbaugh genuinely loves his alma mater, and has zero incentive to harm his relationship with his former teammates and coaches by stringing Michigan along.

4. Hackett has told players that the search will likely be over after Christmas break. The NFL regular-season schedule ends on December 28. The 49ers could make the playoffs, throwing a wrench in this schedule, but Hackett's confidence in that timeline is telling.

5. Everything else we already know. The alienation of Harbaugh at San Francisco; the fact that Hackett as an interim AD has more flexibility to grant Harbaugh broad powers over the football program; the fact that several insiders have described Hackett as a longer-term hire; the fact that Harbaugh is objectively the best qualified candidate by a country kilometer; that Stephen Ross is a strong backer of Harbaugh coming to Michigan.

Even at 2:1 odds, decadent capitalists ought to take the bet that Harbaugh is coming to Michigan. The facts above make it extremely unlikely that any other outcome will take place.

Harbaugh's appointment would, of course, mean the end of Communist Football in Ann Arbor for the foreseeable future. But the arc of football is long, and it bends toward the read-option. 

Comrades,

They say that the five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I think I'm in stage 4. It's taken me this long to publish a post I'd written after the bowl game in January, and that's because Denard has a game tomorrow and all the stats will change, obviously.

I grew up with M in my veins, shaking my head every season but one at the underachievement of Michigan teams with All-American talent but below-average coaching in the games that mattered most. With the hiring of Rich Rodriguez, I truly believed that Michigan had turned the corner, and was evolving into a perennial national college football superpower. The transition was tough, but it was working. The offense was finally showing the promise that we all believed it would, while the defense suffered from a perfect storm of roster depletions and coaching confusion. If we had overhauled the defensive staff but kept the program intact...ahhh, time to put the ifs and buts away for good and move on.

One thing I know: Communist Football is here to stay. It represents the highest evolution of offensive power. The revolution will live on, in places like Eugene and Starkville and Auburn. In Ann Arbor, the Rebellion has been dealt a setback, but its embers will never burn out. Let this final edition of the Almanack stand as a testament to what was, and what will never be.

Quick Links

Prefatory Verbiage • Bowls in Review • Record of the Week • QBs as Rushing Champions • QB Rushing, Game • QB Rushing, Season • QB Rushing, Career • Rushing (Any Position) • 200/200 Club • 1500/2500 Club • 1500/1500 Club • 1000/1000 Club • All-Purpose TDs • Total Offense •  Total Offense Per Play • Passing Efficiency • Other M Passing • Other M Rushing • Team Offense • Miscellaneous Records • Standard Disclaimers • Acknowledgments • Comments

Prefatory Verbiage

• Previous editions. Previous editions of this Almanack can be found at the MGoBlog Communist Football page.
• Corrections are welcome. If you have found an error, please put it in the comments section and I'll give you credit. Obviously with so much data, mistakes can happen.
• Review the disclaimers. Football has evolved considerably over its 141-year history, much more so than other major sports, and that is important to keep in mind when talking about all-time records. The existence of this diary is not meant to imply that individual achievement is more important than the achievement of the team.

Bowls in Review: Stalingrad 1942

One thing that I think the Gator Bowl reminded us was that Denard is a true sophomore. He plays great when he plays with confidence, when the team is ahead or tied or close behind. But in games where the defense faltered, Denard got jittery; his decisions got worse; the offense sputtered. As an upperclassman, he’ll get better at these things.

Denard gained 59 yards on 11 carries, for a respectable 5.4 YPC. He completed 27 passes on 41 attempts, with 2 TDs and 1 INT, for an (again) respectable completion percentage of 66% and a mediocre efficiency rating of 129.11.

Of the other prominant dual-threat QBs, Heisman winner Cam Newton's stats were remarkably similar to Denard‘s (of course against stronger opposition): Newton ran for 64 yards on 22 carries (2.9 YPC), and went 20-for-34 (59%) for 265 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT. Colin Kaepernick ran for 22 yards on 9 attempts (2.4 YPC), and went 20-for-33 for 192 yards (61%), with 1 TD and 1 INT in a victory over Boston College. Taylor Martinez ran for 23 yards on 14 attempts, and completed 7 of 9 passes for 53 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT, in a losing effort against Washington.

LaMichael James ran for 49 yards on 13 attempts (3.8 YPC) in Oregon's 22-19 loss to Auburn in the BCS Championship.

Records of the Year: Big Ten Single-Season Total Offense; 1500/2500 Club

Denard finished the 2010 season with 1,702 yards rushing and 2,570 passing, making him the first person in college football history—at any level—with more than 1,500 yards rushing and 2,500 yards passing in a single season.

Notably, with 313 yards of total offense against Mississippi State, Denard eclipsed Drew Brees’ 10-year-old Big Ten record for total offense in a single season, with 4,272 yards (Brees gained 4,189 in 2000 for Purdue).

Denard still holds (for now) the Michigan career yards-per-carry record with a minimum of 200 attempts, with 6.3 YPC. The previous record was 6.3 YPC by Jon Vaughn (from 1989-1990).

Denard lost his hold of the Michigan career pass-efficiency record with a minimum of 200 attempts, as the Ohio State game brough him down to 146.2. The current record is 148.1 by Elvis Grbac (from 1989-1992), though Elvis had the benefit of a certain Heisman Trophy-winning receiver. Denard's 146.2 mark is also on pace for fourth all-time in the Big Ten, though he needs 300 completions to qualify for that record (he currently has 169).

Denard also just barely missed out on the Michigan single-season total offense per play record, with 7.8 yards per play in 2010. The record is held by Drew Henson, who recorded 7.9 YPP in 2000.

Quarterbacks as NCAA Rushing Champions

A quarterback has never led the NCAA FBS in rushing yards over a single season. In 1937, the first year in which the NCAA kept official football statistics, Colorado halfback Byron "Whizzer" White led the nation in rushing with 1,121 yards, along with 475 passing yards. (If that wasn't enough, White also went to Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, played in the NFL for Pittsburgh and Detroit, served in World War II during which he was awarded two Bronze Stars, came back and graduated from Yale Law School, and was appointed by John F. Kennedy to the Supreme Court of the United States.)

In 2010, Denard barely failed to become the first quarterback in history to finish the season as the NCAA rushing champion by yards gained. He gained 1,702 yards on the ground, 29 yards behind LaMichael James.

On a yards-per-game basis, James won the title with 144.3 (Denard fell to fourth with 130.9, behind James, Connecticut's Jordan Todman, and WKU's Bobby Rainey). Personally, I find the YPG statistic to be arbitrary: should Denard be punished because the Bowling Green game was a rout and he was pulled, and LaMichael James be rewarded because he was suspended for one game for pleading guilty to harrassing his ex-girlfriend? FWIW, on a yards-per-carry basis, Denard is well ahead of James.

Here are the top 5 rushers in the country in 2010, sorted by yards gained:

Player	Team	Carries	Yards	YPC	Games	YPG	TD
LaMichael James	Oregon	294	1,731	5.89	*12	144.3	21
Denard Robinson	MICH	256	1,702	6.65	13	130.9	14
Mikel Leshoure	Illinois	281	1,697	6.04	13	130.5	13
Jordan Todman	Connecticut	334	1,695	5.07	12	141.3	14
Bobby Rainey	W. Kentucky	340	1,649	4.85	12	137.4	15

* - LaMichael James was suspended for Oregon's first game against 
New Mexico for pleading guilty to a misdemeanor.

Rushing Yards by a QB, Single-Game

Denard currently holds the Michigan and Big Ten records for rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game: 258 vs. Notre Dame. The NCAA FBS record is 308, on 22 attempts, by Stacey Robinson of Northern Illinois, against Fresno State, on Oct. 6, 1990. The previous Michigan single-game record was held by another #16, Steve Smith, who ran for 147 yards on four carries against Minnesota in 1983.

Rushing Yards by a QB, Single-Season

Denard gained 1,731 rushing yards in 13 games in 2010.  He owns the NCAA FBS (I-A) record, previously set by Beau Morgan of Air Force in 1996 with 1,494 yards. The Big Ten record was previously in the hands of Antwaan Randle-El in 2000 with 1,270 yards. Denard has destroyed the previous Michigan record for QB rushing yards in a season: 674 by Steve Smith in 1981.

Before you get too overwhelmed by all the numbers in this diary, just stop and think about that for a minute. Denard Robinson, your starting Michigan quarterback, playing before your very eyes, nearly tripled a Michigan rushing record. And not just any record, but one that has stood for three decades. Even if you account for the fact that we're playing a very different style of football now—it's just incredible.

Rushing Yards by a QB, Career

There's no point in projecting Denard's career rushing totals, since there are a number of variables (Al Borges? Does Denard stay his senior year? Does a great tailback lighten his rushing load?). But here are the records:

Michigan's career record is held by Rick Leach (1975-1978) at 2,176 yards: a record Denard could break this weekend against Western Michigan. Denard needs 123 yards in the WMU game to take this title. The Big Ten record is Antwaan Randel El's (1998-2001) at 3,895 yards. The NCAA FBS record is held by Pat White (2005-2008) at 4,480 yards.

The NCAA FBS per-game career record is 109.1 yards by Stacey Robinson of Northern Illinois, achieved from 1988-1990 over 25 games.

Rushing Records (At Any Position)

For a single game, the Michigan record is 347 by Ron Johnson (pictured) in 1968 against Wisconsin; the Big Ten record is 377 by Anthony Thompson of Indiana in 1989 against Wisconsin; the NCAA FBS record is 406 by LaDainian Tomlinson of TCU in 1999 against UTEP.

For a single season, the Michigan record is 1,818 yards (Tshimanga Biakabutuka, 1995); the Big Ten record is 2,087 yards (Larry Johnson, Penn St., 2002); the NCAA FBS record is 2,628 yards (Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State, 1988). Denard can break Touchdown Tim's Michigan record by gaining 176 yards in the bowl game.

That Barry Sanders record will be around for a long time. At one point, Denard was on pace to break Larry Johnson's Big Ten rushing record, but he  slowed down as the schedule got tougher.

For a career, the Michigan record is held by Mike Hart (5,040 yards, 2004-2007); the Big Ten record is held by Ron Dayne (7,125 yards, 1996-1999); the NCAA FBS record is also held by Ron Dayne, but they list it as 6,397 yards. (Herschel Walker of Georgia holds the record for a 3-year career at 5,259 yards, set from 1980-1982.)

The 200/200 Club

Denard is the only player in FBS history to gain 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing twice—in regular-season games. To me this is a silly distinction: who cares if it was done in the regular season or a bowl game? If anything, Vince Young's performance in the 2005 Rose Bowl against USC is even more remarkable, given that that USC team is considered one of the most dominant teams of the modern era. Wake me up when Denard gets his third 200/200 game. (He did go for 191/190 against Penn State.)

Anyway, here are the 200/200 games listed in the NCAA record book, sorted by total offense. You'll note that Denard is the only member of the 240/240 club, and Marques Tuiasosopo is the only member of the 200/300 club.

Pictured at right is Penn halfback Francis "Reds" Bagnell, 1950 Heisman Trophy runner-up and great-uncle to MGoComrade Dandaman. Bagnell was the first member of the 200/200 club. It took 36 years for a second player to accomplish the feat.

Player	Team (Opponent)	Year	Rushing	Passing	Total Off.
Marques Tuiasosopo	Washington (Stanford)	1999	207	302	509
Vince Young	Texas (Oklahoma St.)	2005	267	239	506
Denard Robinson	MICH (Notre Dame)	2010	258	244	502
Denard Robinson	MICH (Indiana)	2010	217	277	494
Reds Bagnell	Penn (Dartmouth)	1950	214	276	490
Brad Smith	Missouri (Nebraska)	2005	246	234	480
Brian Mitchell	La.-Lafayette (Colo. St.)	1987	271	205	476
Antwaan Randle-El	Indiana (Minnesota)	2000	210	263	473
Vince Young	Texas (USC Rose Bowl)	2005	200	267	467
Patrick White	W. Va. (Pittsburgh)	2006	220	204	424
Steve Gage	Tulsa (New Mexico)	1986	212	209	421

The 1500/2500 Club

There is one quarterback in college football history—Division I, II, or III—who has both rushed for 1,500 yards and passed for 2,500 yards in the same season.

Player	Team	Year	Rushing	Passing	Total Off.
Denard Robinson	MICH	2010	1,702	2,570	4,272

The 1500/2000 Club

For that matter, there's only one who has rushed for 1,500 and passed for 2,000:

Player	Team	Year	Rushing	Passing	Total Off.
Denard Robinson	MICH	2010	1,702	2,570	4,272

The 1500/1500 Club

There is one quarterback in major college football history who has both rushed and passed for 1,500 yards in the same season.

Player	Team	Year	Rushing	Passing	Total Off.
Denard Robinson	MICH	2010	1,702	2,570	4,272

The 1000/1000 Club

Johnny Bright, a halfback from Drake, was the first member of the 1000/1000 Club, the same year Reds Bagnell joined the 200/200 Club. In 1951, Wilbanks Smith, a racist defensive tackle from Oklahoma A&M (later Oklahoma State), deliberately broke Bright's jaw, permanently damaging his football career. The incident led the NCAA to mandate the usage of face masks, and earned the 1952 Pulitzer Prize for the photographers who documented the assault. Drake temporarily withdrew from the Missouri Valley Conference to protest the fact that the conference didn't discipline Smith for the attack.

When Bright graduated from Drake in 1951, he held the NCAA career total offense record, with 5,903 yards: a record that stood for 15 years. It took three decades for another player to join the 1000/1000 Club. Tragically, Bright died at the age of 53 of a massive heart attack.

Today, there are 30 quarterbacks (and one halfback) in FBS who have run and thrown for 1000 yards in the same season. Other than Denard, none have both run and passed for 1500 yards (the previous rushing record for QBs was 1,494).

Seven quarterbacks have achieved this milestone multiple times: Brad Smith (thrice), Colin Kaepernick (thrice including 2010), Vince Young (twice), Pat White (twice), Beau Morgan (twice), Joe Webb (twice), and Joshua Cribbs (twice). Only two people have joined the 1000/1000 club as freshmen: Brad Smith of Missouri, and Joshua Cribbs of Kent State. Air Force leads the overall list with five different QBs, in six different seasons, in the 1000/1000 club. (It is interesting that an instrument of American capitalist imperialism, the U.S. Air Force Academy, is the premier exponent of communist football.)

The list below of 1000/1000 members is sorted this list by rushing yards. Cameron Newton and Colin Kaepernick also reached the 1000/1000 mark in 2010.

Player	Team	Year	Rushing	Passing	Total Off.
Denard Robinson	MICH	2010	1,702	2,570	4,272
Beau Morgan**	Air Force	1996	1,494	1,210	2,704
Cameron Newton	Auburn	2010	1,473	2,854	4,327
Joe Webb	UAB	2009	1,427	2,229	3,726
Jammal Lord	Nebraska	2002	1,412	1,362	2,774
Brad Smith	Missouri	2003	1,406	1,977	3,383
Chris McCoy	Navy	1997	1,370	1,203	2,573
Patrick White	W. Virginia	2007	1,335	1,724	3,059
Brian Mitchell	La.-Lafayette	1989	1,311	1,966	3,277
Brad Smith	Missouri	2005	1,301	2,304	3,605
Dee Dowis	Air Force	1989	1,286	1,285	2,571
Beau Morgan	Air Force	1995	1,285	1,165	2,450
Antwaan Randle El*	Indiana	2000	1,270	1,783	3,053
Johnny Bright (HB)	Drake	1950	1,232	1,168	2,400
Chance Herridge	Air Force	2002	1,229	1,062	2,291
Patrick White	W. Virginia	2006	1,219	1,655	2,874
Keith Boyea	Air Force	2001	1,216	1,253	2,469
Colin Kaepernick	Nevada	2010	1,206	3,022	4,228
Ricky Dobbs	Navy	2009	1,203	1,031	2,234
Colin Kaepernick	Nevada	2009	1,183	2,052	3,235
Dwight Dasher	Middle Tenn.	2009	1,154	2,789	3,943
Michael Desormeaux	La.-Lafayette	2007	1,141	1,405	2,546
Colin Kaepernick	Nevada	2008	1,130	2,849	3,979
Dan LeFevour	Central Mich.	2007	1,122	3,652	4,774
Eric Crouch	Nebraska	2001	1,115	1,510	2,625
Craig Candeto	Navy	2003	1,112	1,140	2,252
Scott Frost	Nebraska	1997	1,095	1,237	2,332
Michael Carter	Hawaii	1991	1,092	1,172	2,264
Vince Young	Texas	2004	1,079	1,849	2,928
Joshua Cribbs	Kent State	2002	1,057	1,014	2,071
Vince Young	Texas	2005	1,050	3,036	4,086
Josh Nesbitt	Ga. Tech	2009	1,037	1,701	2,738
Bart Weiss	Air Force	1985	1,032	1,449	2,481
Ell Roberson	Kansas St.	2002	1,032	1,580	2,612
Brad Smith (Fr.)	Missouri	2002	1,029	2,333	3,362
Joe Webb	UAB	2008	1,021	2,367	3,388
Joshua Cribbs (Fr.)	Kent State	2001	1,019	1,516	2,535
Reggie Collier	So. Miss.	1981	1,005	1,004	2,009
Darian Hagan	Colorado	1989	1,004	1,002	2,006
Woodrow Dantzler	Clemson	2001	1,004	2,360	3,364

* Previous Big Ten record for rushing yards by a quarterback
** Previous NCAA FBS (I-A) record for rushing yards by a QB

All-Purpose Touchdowns

There are different ways to calculate touchdown records. The Michigan record book tracks touchdowns scored; i.e., the player who has the ball in his hands in the end zone. The NCAA also tracks all-purpose TDs; i.e., the combination of passing touchdowns and touchdowns scored, something that Michigan does not track.

What is interesting is that we actually do have game-by-game accounts of touchdowns scored going back to the beginnings of Michigan football in 1879. As a result, Michigan does track touchdowns scored on an all-time basis, and not just for the modern era. The all-time Michigan record for touchdowns scored is held by Al Herrnstein, who scored 26 touchdowns in 1902.

In order to look at all-purpose touchdowns, I had to go back and look at individual season statistics to compile the data. I actually went through the game-by-game accounts of the 1901-1905 seasons from the Michigan Alumnus in order to get accurate information about touchdown statistics in the Fielding Yost "point-a-minute" era, and reviewed old NCAA research on pre-1937 touchdown statistics. It's possible that there are other pre-WWII players that I've missed.

According to the stats I've been able to find, Robinson is indeed out front with 32 all-purpose touchdowns in 2010, more than any player in the 121-year history of Michigan football. On a per-game basis, Denard at 2.46 per game is third only to two seasons from Tom Harmon, who scored 23 touchdowns (including a kickoff return and an interception return) over 8 games in 1940, for an average of 2.88. (Harmon also scored 2.50 touchdowns per game in 1939, though over 8 games compared to Denard's 13.) The only asterisk is that I don't have information on passing touchdowns for the Yost-era teams.

Here is the table, sorted by touchdowns per game, with a cutoff of 1.60. Remarkably, the 1901 team had three separate players score at that pace:

Name	Yr.	Pass TD	Rush TD	Rec TD	Kick TD	Int TD	TD	G	TD/G
Tom Harmon, LHB	1940	7	14	0	1	1	23	8	2.88
Tom Harmon, RHB	1939	6	13	0	0	1	20	8	2.50
Denard Robinson, QB	2010	18	14	0	0	0	32	13	2.46
Rick Leach, QB	1978	17	12	0	0	0	29	12	2.42
Al Herrnstein, RHB	1902	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	26	11	2.36
Steve Smith, QB	1981	15	12	0	0	0	27	12	2.25
Chad Henne, QB	2004	25	2	0	0	0	27	12	2.25
Willie Heston, LHB	1904	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	20	9	2.22
Drew Henson, QB	2000	18	2	0	0	0	20	9	2.22
Ron Johnson, RHB	1968	0	19	0	0	0	19	9	2.11
Steve Smith, QB	1983	13	10	0	0	0	23	11	2.09
Elvis Grbac, QB	1991	25	0	0	0	0	25	12	2.08
Chad Henne, QB	2005	23	1	0	0	0	24	12	2.00
John Navarre, QB	2003	24	0	1	0	0	25	13	1.92
Rick Leach, QB	1976	13	10	0	0	0	23	12	1.92
Steve Smith, QB	1982	14	9	0	0	0	23	12	1.92
Desmond Howard, SE	1991	0	2	19	2	0	23	12	1.92
Willie Heston, LHB	1901	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	20	11	1.82
Bob Chappuis, LHB	1947	15	5	0	0	0	20	11	1.82
John Navarre, QB	2002	21	2	0	0	0	23	13	1.77
Elvis Grbac, QB	1990	21	0	0	0	0	21	12	1.75
Tom Brady, QB	1999	20	1	0	0	0	21	12	1.75
Neil Snow, FB	1901	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	19	11	1.73
Bruce Shorts, RT	1901	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	17	10	1.70
Chad Henne, QB	2006	22	0	0	0	0	22	13	1.69
Willie Heston, LHB	1902	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	15	9	1.67

Note that Bruce Shorts scored 17 TDs as an offensive lineman: now those were the days!

The NCAA FBS (I-A) single-season record is 63 touchdowns, by Colt Brennan of Hawaii in 2006 (58 passing, 5 rushing). The per-game record is 5.0 in 1990, by David Klingler of Houston (55 TDs in 11 games).

The FBS single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback is 27, by Ricky Dobbs of Navy in 2009 (in 14 games). The season record for most touchdowns scored (i.e., excluding TD passes thrown) is 39, by Barry Sanders in 1988 over 11 games.

Tim Tebow and Cameron Newton are the only players to have both thrown and run for 20 touchdowns: in 2007, Tebow threw for 32 and ran for 23, and Newton threw for 30 and ran for 20 in 2010. (Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan threw for 27, ran for 19, and caught 1 in 2007.)

The Michigan career record for most touchdowns scored is held by Yost-era legend Willie Heston, with 69 from 1901-1904 (the Michigan record book lists Heston at 72 TDs, which is incorrect according to my game-by-game tally). The Michigan record for most all-purpose touchdowns is held by Chad Henne, who threw for 87 and ran for 3 (for a total of 90) from 2004-2007. If Denard plays through his senior season, it's possible that he could break Henne's record.

Here is the team photo of the all-time great team of 1901, courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library. Al Herrnstein is the right-most player in the front row. Neil Snow is the second from the left in the middle row. Willie Heston is right-most in the middle row. Fielding Yost is in the center of the back row. The "501-0" football that captain Hugh White is holding reflects the fact that this picture was taken before the team beat Stanford 49-0 in the inaugural Rose Bowl game of 1902. The lopsided score so disappointed Rose Bowl officials that they didn't hold a second Rose Bowl game until 1916.

Total Offense

Denard already owns the Michigan single-game total offense record (502 yards against Notre Dame). In fact, Denard has broken the old Michigan single-game total offense record four times this year, with games of 502, 494, 383, and 381 yards. (The previous record was 368 by John Navarre against Iowa in 2003.) Against Illinois and Wisconsin, Denard almost broke this record again, gaining 367 and 360 yards respectively: giving him six of the seven highest totals in Michigan history.

Player	Opponent	Year	Rushing	Passing	Total Off.
Denard Robinson	Notre Dame	2010	258	244	502
Denard Robinson	Indiana	2010	217	277	494
Denard Robinson	Connecticut	2010	197	186	383
Denard Robinson	Penn State	2010	191	190	381
John Navarre	Iowa	2003	-21	389	368
Denard Robinson	Illinois	2010	62	305	367
Denard Robinson	Wisconsin	2010	121	239	360
Scott Dreisbach	Virginia	1995	-14	372	358

As noted above, Denard has annihilated John Navarre's single-season total offense record of 3,240 in 2003 with 4,272 in 2010.

The Big Ten single-game total offense record is 585 yards by Dave Wilson of Illinois, vs. Ohio State in 1980. The Big Ten single-season total offense record had been 4,189 yards by Drew Brees of Purdue in 2000.

The NCAA total offense records are dominated by prolific passers. Those records appear to be unattainable by Denard: 732 yards for a single game (David Klingler, Houston vs. Arizona State, 1990); 5,976 for a season (B.J. Symons, Texas Tech, 2003); 16,910 for a career (Timmy Chang, Hawaii, 2000-2004).

Total Offense Per Play

As with total offense records, Denard could not keep up his early 2010 pace, and his performances against Big Ten opponents that year left him further behind the pace. Through the bowl game, Denard had 4,272 yards of total offense in 547 plays, for an average of 7.8. This fell just shy of a Michigan single-season record: the current record is held by Drew Henson, who in 2000 gained 2,140 yards on 270 plays for an average of 7.9.

Here are the NCAA FBS records for a single game: 14.3 by Jason Martin (La. Tech vs. Toledo, 1996) in 37 plays and 9.9 by David Klingler (Houston vs. TCU, 1990) in 63 plays. Denard came pretty close to Martin in the Indiana game, where in 35 plays he averaged 14.1 yards per play (which is almost certainly a Michigan and quite likely a Big Ten record):

Denard Robinson	Attempts + Carries	Total Offense	Yards per Play
Connecticut	51	383	7.51
Notre Dame	68	502	7.38
Massachusetts	31	345	11.13
Bowling Green	9	189	21.00
Indiana	35	494	14.11
Michigan State	50	301	6.02
Iowa	36	201	5.58
Penn State	50	381	7.62
Illinois	39	367	9.41
Purdue	43	244	5.67
Wisconsin	47	360	7.66
Ohio State	36	192	5.33
Mississippi State	52	313	6.02
TOTAL	547	4,272	7.81
NCAA Records	Attempts + Carries	Total Offense	Yards per Play
Game: Jason Martin (La. Tech vs. Toledo, 1996)	37	529	14.30
Game: David Klingler (Houston vs. TCU, 1990)	63	625	9.92
Season: Colt Brennan (Hawaii, 2006)	645	5,915	9.17
Career: Sam Bradford (Oklahoma, 2007-09)	970	8,439	8.70

As you can see in the table, for a single season (minimum 3,000 yards), the record is 9.2 by Colt Brennan (Hawaii, 2006). For a career (minimum 7,500 yards) it's 8.7 by Sam Bradford (Oklahoma, 2007-2009).

Passing Efficiency

Passing efficiency is a statistic that rewards quarterbacks for yards, touchdowns, and completions per attempt, and punishes them for interceptions per attempt. The NCAA formula, which differs from the NFL one, is:

(8.4 * yards) + (330 * TDs) - (200 * INTs) + (100 * completions)
________________________________________________________________

attempts

Denard's 2010 passing efficiency was 149.6; his career efficiency (including last year) is 144.0, which is within reach of a Michigan record. Here are Michigan's pass efficiency records:

• Highest efficiency rating, season (min. 100 attempts): 173.3 (Bob Chappuis, 1947) (Denard got to 149.6 in 2010, good for 10th all-time)
• Highest efficiency rating, career (min. 200 attempts): 148.1 (Elvis Grbac, 1989-1992) (Denard is at 144.0 for his career, good for 4th all-time and on pace for 6th all-time in the Big Ten)

Bob Chappuis' Michigan single-season mark is also the Big Ten single-season record. (That’s him on the right. Check out that throwing motion.) The NCAA FBS pass efficiency record belongs to Colt Brennan of Hawaii, who reached 186.0 in 2006: out of Denard's reach.

Other Michigan Passing Records

At the end of 2009, here were some of the other Michigan passing records. Denard broke one of them in 2010 (Tate broke one as well):

• Highest completion percentage, game (min. 10 attempts): 92.3% (Jim Harbaugh, vs. Purdue, 1985, 13 attempts) (Broken by Tate Forcier, 100% in 12 attempts, vs. Bowling Green)
• Highest completion percentage, game (min. 20 attempts): 90.9% (Elvis Grbac, vs. Notre Dame, 1991, 22 attempts) (Denard is 2nd with 86.3% on 22 attempts vs. Connecticut)
• Highest completion percentage, season (min. 100 attempts): 65.3% (Todd Collins, 1992) (Denard finished 2010 at 62.5%)
• Highest completion percentage, career (min. 200 attempts): 64.3% (Todd Collins, 1991-1994) (Denard is at 60.9% with 322 attempts, on pace for 5th all-time)
• Yards per completion, game (min. 5 completions): Rick Leach, 36.3 vs. Purdue, 1975 (Denard's best is 30.5 with 10 completions vs. Illinois, good for 3rd all-time)
• Yards per completion, game (min. 10 completions): Jim Harbaugh, 30.0 vs. Indiana, 1986 (Broken by Denard Robinson, 30.5 YPC vs. Illinois with 10 completions)
• Yards per completion, season (min. 60 completions): Bob Chappuis, 18.8, 1947 (Denard did 14.1 in 2010)
• Yards per completion, career (min. 120 completions): Rick Leach, 17.1, 1975-1978 (Denard is at 14.1, 8th all-time)

Other Michigan Rushing Records

At the end of 2009, here were the other relevant Michigan rushing records. On average yards per carry, Denard one of the single-game records Michigan tracks, but is surprisingly far from the other ones (not that that couldn't change in a hurry). The single-season and career records were within reach, but are obviously uncertain now:

• Average gain per rush, single-game (min. 5 carries): 25.80, Denard Robinson vs. Bowling Green (previous record was Leroy Hoard, 18.28 ypc vs. Indiana, 1988)
• Average gain per rush, single-game (min. 10 carries): 18.00, Rob Lytle vs. MSU, 1976 (Denard: 11.42 vs. Indiana on 19 carries)
• Average gain per rush, single-game (min. 15 carries): 15.70, Tyrone Wheatley vs. Washington, 1993 Rose Bowl (Denard: 11.42 vs. Indiana on 19 carries)
• Average gain per rush, single-game (min. 20 carries): 11.19, Ron Johnson vs. Wisconsin, 1968 (Denard: 9.21 vs. Notre Dame on 28 carries)
• Average gain per rush, single-season (min. 75 carries): 7.34, Tyrone Wheatley, 1992 (Denard 2010: 6.65, tied for 4th all-time)
• Average gain per rush, career (min. 200 carries): 6.29, Jon Vaughn, 1989-1990 (Denard: 6.32 on 325 carries, on pace for 1st all-time)
• 100-yard rushing games, season: 10, Jamie Morris, 1987 (Denard had 9 in 2010)
• 150-yard rushing games, season: 6, Anthony Thomas, 2000 (Denard had 4 in 2010)
• 200-yard rushing games, season: 3, Mike Hart, 2004 (Denard had 2)

Also, Denard is one of 5 quarterbacks in NCAA history to record 5 consecutive 100-yard rushing games (the others are Ricky Dobbs of Navy in 2009, Joe Webb of Alabama-Birmingham in 2009, Brian Madden of Navy in 1999, and Beau Morgan of Air Force in 1995). No one has done it 6 times in a row.

Team Offense

Michigan averaged 488.7 yards per game in total offense in 2010, ninth-highest in Big Ten history. (First place belongs to Penn State's 1994 team, which averaged 512.7 yards per game.) If you take out the 72 extra yards Michigan gained in the three overtimes against Illinois, Michigan averaged 483.2 yards per game.

Either way, the 2010 offense demolished the old Michigan total offense record of 466.9, set in 1992, when Gary Moeller roamed the sidelines, barking orders to Elvis Grbac, Desmond Howard, and Tyrone Wheatley.

Big Ten All-Time Leaders	Year	YPG (Total Offense)
1. Penn State	1994	512.7
2. Northwestern	2005	500.3
3. Ohio State	1998	497.6
4. Michigan State	2005	497.3
5. Minnesota	2005	494.8
6. Minnesota	2003	494.6
7. Ohio State	1974	493.2
8. Ohio State	1996	490.4
9. MICH (including overtime)	2010	488.7
9. MICH (regulation only)	2010	483.2
10. Michigan State	1978	481.3
11. Ohio State	1995	478.6
Michigan All-Time Leaders (QB/WR/RB)	Year	YPG (Total Offense)
1. Robinson / Roundtree / Smith (regulation)	2010	483.2
2. Grbac / Howard / Wheatley	1992	466.9
3. Navarre / Edwards / Perry	2003	446.7
4. Henson / Terrell / Thomas	2000	446.1
5. Grbac / Howard / Vaughn	1990	432.5

In terms of scoring offense, Michigan is averaging 31.1 points per game in regulation (32.8 points per game including the overtime scoring), stats that lag the total offense by yardage due to our terrible kicking and defense. The 7-point output against Ohio State brought the season average outside of Michigan's top 10 all-time teams.

Year	1902	1904	1901	1903	1947	1905	1976	1992	2003	*2010
PPG	58.5	56.7	50.5	47.1	39.4	38.1	36.0	35.9	35.4	31.1

* - Excludes points scored in overtime

The Fielding Yost "point-a-minute" teams averaged 50.5, 58.5, 47.1, 56.7, and 38.1 points per game from 1901 to 1905. Fritz Crisler's 1947 national championship team of Bob Chappuis and Bump Elliott, nicknamed the "Mad Magicians," averaged 39.4. (The official Michigan record book erroneously lists the 1947 average as second-highest in school history; it is missing the performances of 1901, 1903, 1904, and 1905.)

Dynamic offenses have been few and far between in the postwar era. The 1976 Bo Schembechler team, led by Rick Leach and Rob Lytle, scored 36.0 points per game, and owns the rushing season record with 345.3 yards per game. The aforementioned 1992 team averaged 35.9 points; and the 2003 team averaged 35.4.

Here are some other stats:

• Michigan averaged 6.8 yards per play in 2010, which is most all-time in Michigan history (the previous record was 6.4 yards, in 1992 and 1947).
• Michigan averaged 238.5 rushing yards per game (inclusive of OT; 236.3 regulation-only). (The Big Ten record is 349.9 in 1974 by Ohio State; the Michigan record is 345.3 in 1976.)
• Michigan averaged 5.6 yards per carry, third-highest in Michigan history (the current record is 5.9 per carry in 1976).
• Michigan averaged 250.2 passing yards per game (inclusive of OT; 246.9 regulation), 3rd all-time in Michigan history. (The record is 270.8 in 2003.)
• Michigan averaged 23.0 first downs per game (inclusive; 22.8 regulation-only), second-highest in Michigan history. (The current record is 23.9 in 2003.) Over 13 games, Michigan gained 299 first downs, good for somewhere around 11th place all-time in the Big Ten (the Big Ten record is 328 by Northwestern in 2005).

Miscellaneous Records

As most of you know, against Illinois, Roy Roundtree destroyed a 44-year-old Michigan single-game receiving record, by gaining 246 yards (on 9 catches with 2 TDs). The old record was set in 1966, when Jack Clancy (pictured) gained 197 yards against Oregon State.

Roundtree's mark wouldn't even make the top ten all-time in the Big Ten: the Big Ten record is 301 by Chris Daniels of Purdue against MSU in 1999; the NCAA record is 405 by Troy Edwards of Louisiana Tech against Nebraska in 1998.

Standard Disclaimers

• Wins are more important than stats. The existence of this diary is not meant to imply that individual achievement is more important than the achievement of the team. It is, instead, to pay tribute to Denard's exceptional individual achievement within the context of a (hopefully, someday) successful team. With a few minor exceptions, Denard's stats don't come at the expense of the team: when he rushes for 250 yards or has a QB rating of 270, the team is usually doing well. If you object to this point of view, you don't have to read further.
• Past performance is not a predictor of future results. Especially now that *sniff* Communist Football has been exiled from Ann Arbor.
• The quarterback position has evolved significantly. The forward pass was only formally legalized in 1906. From the 1910s until the 1950s, the most common college football formation was Pop Warner's single-wing, in which the quarterback's role was primarily as a blocker, and most passes were thrown by a tailback or halfback. The idea of a quarterback as the primary passer began to take hold after World War II, when coaches such as Clark Shaughnessy at Chicago and Stanford and Paul Brown at Ohio State took advantage of a recently redesigned football that was easier to throw, and married the ancient T formation to the threat of longer passes downfield.

• The record books are murky from 1869 to 1937. Something to keep in mind is that the record books don't actually go back that far in time. At the national level, official statistics have only been recorded since 1937: a mere 52 percent of college football's history. Indeed, the first rules for compiling football statistics were formulated prior to the 1941 season by an NCAA committee headed by Fielding Yost. (College football has been around since 1869.) One has to assume that Yost's point-a-minute teams would have harbored some record-producing players, though the game was quite different then, as noted above. So, to be as precise as possible, we should describe all of these records as modern-era, postwar records.
• Post-1978 records are for Division I-A only. Let me note that all the records here are for Division I-A (FBS), but do include all Division I records prior to the I-A / I-AA split in 1978. I don't really care about who did what in the other divisions, given the inferior level of competition. Personally, I would prefer to eliminate the non-automatically qualifying BCS conferences, but since the NCAA doesn't do that, I won't.
• Post-1996 overtime and pre-1912 scoring rules skew historical comparisons. The NCAA introduced overtime to I-A football in 1996, and soon after determined that points and yards gained in overtime would count toward NCAA records. Given that teams and players did not have the benefit of overtime prior to 1996, I try wherever possible to exclude overtime stats (or at least give both sets of numbers). The modern convention of TDs worth 6 points (+1 PAT) and FGs worth 3 began in 1912. From 1869 to 1882, touchdowns, extra points, and field goals were all worth one point each. From 1882-1883, TDs were worth 2, PATs 4, and FGs 5; from 1884-1897, TDs 4, PATs 2, FGs 5; from 1898-1903, TDs 5, PATs 1, FGs 5; from 1904-1908, TDs 5, PATs 1, FGs 4; from 1901-1911, TDs 5, PATs 1, FGs 3. The two-point conversion was introduced in 1958. I currently don't have the breakdown of TDs, PATs, and FGs for the Yost teams; if anyone else does, I would be pleased to adjust those numbers accordingly so as to make apples-to-apples comparisons with modern teams. The rules of college football evolved rapidly from 1879 to 1930, making strict comparisons difficult. For example, the goal posts were moved from the goal line to the end line (10 yards back of the goal line) only in 1927, which has a huge impact on field goal kicking, and the width of the uprights has varied significantly over time.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Comrade tf (Michigan rushing single-game record) and danieljpaul (Denard's season totals) for corrections. H/T to tubauberalles and enlightenedbum for tracking down the FBS single-game QB rushing record. Comrades Raoul and UM in VA persuaded me to post the total offense numbers, and pointed out Denard's ridiculous per-play stats, which I also added to the diary. Trebor pointed out that we should keep an eye on the impressive seasons of Taylor Martinez and Cam Newton. Comrade U of M in TX helped identify a few updating errors. Raoul also suggested putting in the team offense stats. Hillhaus pointed out that I should discuss the pre-1912 scoring conventions. Raoul and BigHouseInmate suggested I look into Michigan's all-purpose touchdown records, which ended up being a lot of fun. And finally, thanks to all of you for enjoying the Almanack each week of the 2010 season. That's what made it worth my while. Good bye and good luck.

Comrades,

Given that the Molotov cocktails (and even SS-20 nuclear missiles) were flying last week, it only made sense to wait until this weekend to put forth the latest edition of the Almanack. Doing so also allowed me to incorporate the statistics from the games played yesterday.

It will be interesting to see how Denard does against Mississippi State's stout defense, ranked 20th in rushing defense and 50th in pass efficiency defense. This, of course, assumes that Denard's dislocated fingers are healed up by then: something I don't take for granted, though he should be ok.

Congratulations to Denard for being named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. He also finished the Big Ten season in first place for total offense (conference games only) with 317.5 yards per game. Roy Roundtree led all Big Ten receivers with 83.9 yards per game, and Will Hagerup led all punters with 46.0 yards per punt.

The last Michigan players to lead the Big Ten in those categories? Jim Harbaugh (247.4 YPG in 1986), Mario Manningham (109.8 YPG in 2007), and Zoltan Mesko (45.2 YPG in 2009).

Quick Links

Prefatory Verbiage • New This Week • Week in Review • Record of the Week • QBs as Rushing Champions • QB Rushing, Game • QB Rushing, Season • QB Rushing, Career • Rushing (Any Position) • 200/200 Club • 1500/2000 Club • 1500/1500 Club • 1000/1000 Club • All-Purpose TDs • Total Offense •  Total Offense Per Play • Passing Efficiency • Other M Passing • Other M Rushing • Team Offense • Miscellaneous Records • Standard Disclaimers • Acknowledgments • Comments

Prefatory Verbiage

• Previous editions. Previous editions of this Almanack can be found at the MGoBlog Communist Football page.
• Suggestions are welcome. If you have found an interesting statistic or record that you think I should add to this list, please put it in the comments section and I'll add it to the original post (and give you credit).
• Review the disclaimers. Football has evolved considerably over its 141-year history, much more so than other major sports, and that is important to keep in mind when talking about all-time records. The existence of this diary is not meant to imply that individual achievement is more important than the achievement of the team.

New This Week

New to this week's Almanack is a section on all-purpose touchdowns, which I published after the Wisconsin game as a separate diary. I've also tried to liven up the sesquipedalian text with some historical photos, along with Monumental's remarkable Denard action figure.

Week in Review: Denard Finds A New Way to Get Injured

Statistically speaking, Denard had a pretty good first half against OSU, running for 95 yards and throwing the ball reasonably well against an outstanding pass defense. But he left late in the second quarter with two dislocated fingers, came back for one drive in the second half, and didn't play the rest of the way.

Unlike the Iowa game, where Tate Forcier was able to give M a spark, OSU's talented secondary shut Tate down, and Robinson's running ability was sorely missed. Denard ended up with 105 yards rushing on 18 carries for 5.83 YPC, including a critical red-zone fumble. He also threw for 87 yards on 8/18 attempts and no TDs, for a season-worst QB rating of 85.04.

Hopefully, the break before the bowl game allows Denard to recover fully from his various nicks and bumps.

Of the other prominant dual-threat QBs, Cam Newton cemented his Heisman-leading status by getting absurdly cleared by the NCAA, and rushing for 112 yards and passing for 551 in two impressive victories against Alabama and South Carolina. Colin Kaepernick ran for 45 and threw for 259 in a scintillating upset of Boise State, then ran roughshod over Louisiana Tech with 155 on the ground and 159 through the air. Taylor Martinez missed Nebraska's regular-season finale against Colorado, and got destroyed by Oklahoma's defense in the Big 12 championship game, rushing for minus 32 yards and going 12/24 for 50 yards and an INT through the air.

LaMichael James, Denard's leading rival for the FBS rushing title, ran for 126 against Arizona and 134 against Oregon State, to reclaim the lead in the rushing yardage race. As James' last game will be against Auburn's ferocious defense, Denard has a shot at catching him.

Record of the Week: Michigan Single-Season Rushing (Any Position); Big Ten Single-Season Total Offense; Michigan Single-Season 100-Yard Games; 1500/2500 Club

Denard is 175 yards short of tying Tim Biakabutuka's Michigan single-season rushing record of 1,818 yards, set in 1995. If he manages to stay healthy for an entire game, this record will certainly be within reach. (His 2010 per-game average is 136.9.) He currently sits fifth in Michigan's modern era in single-season rushing yards: the only backs ahead of him are Biakabutuka, Anthony Thomas, Jamie Morris, and Chris Perry. If Denard gains 100 yards in the bowl game, he will have ten 100-yard games on the season, tying a Michigan record held by Jamie Morris.

Our Comrade from Deerfield Beach is 230 yards away from setting the Big Ten single-season total offense record, currently held by Drew Brees with 4,189 yards in 2000. (Denard's 2010 per-game average is 329.9.) Denard currently sits fifth in the Big Ten's modern era in this category.

Denard is 184 yards short of 2,500 passing for the season, which would make him the first person in major college history to throw for 2,500 and run for 1,500 in the same season.

Though his average keeps trickling down, Denard still holds the Michigan career yards-per-carry record with a minimum of 200 attempts, with 6.4 YPC. The previous record had been held by 6.3 YPC by Jon Vaughn (from 1989-1990).

Denard lost his hold of the Michigan career pass-efficiency record with a minimum of 200 attempts, as the Ohio State game brough him down to 146.2. The current record is 148.1 by Elvis Grbac (from 1989-1992), though Elvis had the benefit of a Heisman Trophy-winning receiver. Denard's 146.2 mark is also on pace for fourth all-time in the Big Ten, though he needs 300 completions to qualify for that record (he currently has 169).

Denard remains on pace to break the Michigan single-season total offense per play record, with 8.0 yards per play as of this week. The current record is held by Drew Henson, who recorded 7.9 YPP in 2000.

Quarterbacks as NCAA Rushing Champions

A quarterback has never led the NCAA FBS in rushing yards over a single season. In 1937, the first year in which the NCAA kept official football statistics, Colorado halfback Byron "Whizzer" White led the nation in rushing with 1,121 yards, along with 475 passing yards. (If that wasn't enough, White also went to Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, played in the NFL for Pittsburgh and Detroit, served in World War II during which he was awarded two Bronze Stars, came back and graduated from Yale Law School, and was appointed by John F. Kennedy to the Supreme Court of the United States.)

This year, Denard could become the first quarterback in history to finish the season as the NCAA rushing champion (by yards gained). He currently has gained 1,643 yards on the ground, 39 yards behind LaMichael James. Bobby Rainey of Western Kentucky has also edged ahead of Denard by 6 yards, but the 2-10 Hilltoppers are not headed to a bowl game this year.

On a yards-per-game basis, James is in first place with 152.9 (Denard has fallen to fourth with 136.9, behind James, Rainey, and Connecticut's Jordan Todman). Personally, I find the YPG statistic to be arbitrary: should Denard be punished because the Bowling Green game was a rout, and LaMichael James be rewarded because he was suspended for one game for pleading guilty to harrassing his ex-girlfriend? FWIW, on a yards-per-carry basis, Denard is well ahead of James.

Here are the top 5 rushers in the country, sorted by yards gained:

Player	Team	Carries	Yards	YPC	Games	YPG	TD
LaMichael James	Oregon	281	1,682	5.99	*11	139.8	14
Bobby Rainey	W. Kentucky	340	1,649	4.85	12	135.6	13
Denard Robinson	MICH	245	1,643	6.71	12	132.8	16
Jordan Todman	Connecticut	302	1,574	5.21	11	158.0	17
Lance Dunbar	North Texas	274	1,553	5.67	12	124.6	13

* - LaMichael James was suspended for Oregon's first game against 
New Mexico for pleading guilty to a misdemeanor.

Rushing Yards by a QB, Single-Game

Denard currently holds the Michigan and Big Ten records for rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game: 258 vs. Notre Dame. The NCAA FBS record is 308, on 22 attempts, by Stacey Robinson of Northern Illinois, against Fresno State, on Oct. 6, 1990. The previous Michigan single-game record was held by another #16, Steve Smith, who ran for 147 yards on four carries against Minnesota in 1983.

Rushing Yards by a QB, Single-Season

Denard currently has 1,643 rushing yards in 12 games. This projects to 1,780 over a 13-game schedule. He owns the NCAA FBS (I-A) record, previously set by Beau Morgan of Air Force in 1996 with 1,494 yards. The Big Ten record was previously in the hands of Antwaan Randle-El in 2000 with 1,270 yards. Denard has destroyed the previous Michigan record for QB rushing yards in a season: 674 by Steve Smith in 1981.

Before you get too overwhelmed by all the numbers in this diary, just stop and think about that for a minute. Denard Robinson, your starting Michigan quarterback, playing before your very eyes, is on pace to almost triple a Michigan rushing record. And not just any record, but one that has stood for three decades. Even if you account for the fact that we're playing a very different style of football now—it's just incredible.

Rushing Yards by a QB, Career

There's no point in projecting Denard's career rushing totals, since there are a number of variables (does he stay his senior year? Does a great tailback lighten his rushing load?). But here are the records:

Michigan's career record is held by Rick Leach (1975-1978) at 2,176 yards: a record Denard could break this year, at his current pace. Denard needs 182 yards in the bowl game to take this title. (Guys like Leach and Steve Smith must salivate at what they could have done in the offense of Comrade Rodriguez.) The Big Ten record is Antwaan Randel El's (1998-2001) at 3,895 yards. The NCAA FBS record is held by Pat White (2005-2008) at 4,480 yards.

The NCAA FBS per-game career record is 109.1 yards by Stacey Robinson of Northern Illinois, achieved from 1988-1990 over 25 games.

Rushing Records (At Any Position)

For a single game, the Michigan record is 347 by Ron Johnson (pictured) in 1968 against Wisconsin; the Big Ten record is 377 by Anthony Thompson of Indiana in 1989 against Wisconsin; the NCAA FBS record is 406 by LaDainian Tomlinson of TCU in 1999 against UTEP.

For a single season, the Michigan record is 1,818 yards (Tshimanga Biakabutuka, 1995); the Big Ten record is 2,087 yards (Larry Johnson, Penn St., 2002); the NCAA FBS record is 2,628 yards (Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State, 1988). Denard can break Touchdown Tim's Michigan record by gaining 176 yards in the bowl game.

That Barry Sanders record will be around for a long time. At one point, Denard was on pace to break Larry Johnson's Big Ten rushing record, but he has slowed down as the schedule has gotten tougher, and that record now looks out of reach for this year.

For a career, the Michigan record is held by Mike Hart (5,040 yards, 2004-2007); the Big Ten record is held by Ron Dayne (7,125 yards, 1996-1999); the NCAA FBS record is also held by Ron Dayne, but they list it as 6,397 yards. (Herschel Walker of Georgia holds the record for a 3-year career at 5,259 yards, set from 1980-1982.)

The 200/200 Club

Denard is the only player in FBS history to gain 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing twice—in regular-season games. To me this is a silly distinction: who cares if it was done in the regular season or a bowl game? If anything, Vince Young's performance in the 2005 Rose Bowl against USC is even more remarkable, given that that USC team is considered one of the most dominant teams of the modern era. Wake me up when Denard gets his third 200/200 game. (He did go for 191/190 against Penn State.)

Anyway, here are the 200/200 games listed in the NCAA record book, sorted by total offense. You'll note that Denard is the only member of the 240/240 club, and Marques Tuiasosopo is the only member of the 200/300 club.

Pictured at right is Penn halfback Francis "Reds" Bagnell, 1950 Heisman Trophy runner-up and great-uncle to MGoComrade Dandaman. Bagnell was the first member of the 200/200 club. It took 36 years for a second player to accomplish the feat.

Player	Team (Opponent)	Year	Rushing	Passing	Total Off.
Marques Tuiasosopo	Washington (Stanford)	1999	207	302	509
Vince Young	Texas (Oklahoma St.)	2005	267	239	506
Denard Robinson	MICH (Notre Dame)	2010	258	244	502
Denard Robinson	MICH (Indiana)	2010	217	277	494
Reds Bagnell	Penn (Dartmouth)	1950	214	276	490
Brad Smith	Missouri (Nebraska)	2005	246	234	480
Brian Mitchell	La.-Lafayette (Colo. St.)	1987	271	205	476
Antwaan Randle-El	Indiana (Minnesota)	2000	210	263	473
Vince Young	Texas (USC Rose Bowl)	2005	200	267	467
Patrick White	W. Va. (Pittsburgh)	2006	220	204	424
Steve Gage	Tulsa (New Mexico)	1986	212	209	421

The 1500/2000 Club

There is one quarterback in college football history—Division I, II, or III—who has both rushed for 1,500 yards and passed for 2,000 yards in the same season.

Player	Team	Year	Rushing	Passing	Total Off.
Denard Robinson	MICH	2010	1,643	2,316	3,959

The 1500/1500 Club

There is one quarterback in major college football history who has both rushed and passed for 1,500 yards in the same season.

Player	Team	Year	Rushing	Passing	Total Off.
Denard Robinson	MICH	2010	1,643	2,316	3,959

The 1000/1000 Club

Johnny Bright, a halfback from Drake, was the first member of the 1000/1000 Club, the same year Reds Bagnell joined the 200/200 Club. In 1951, Wilbanks Smith, a racist defensive tackle from Oklahoma A&M (later Oklahoma State), deliberately broke Bright's jaw, permanently damaging his football career. The incident led the NCAA to mandate the usage of face masks, and earned the 1952 Pulitzer Prize for the photographers who documented the assault. Drake temporarily withdrew from the Missouri Valley Conference to protest the fact that the conference didn't discipline Smith for the attack.

When Bright graduated from Drake in 1951, he held the NCAA career total offense record, with 5,903 yards: a record that stood for 15 years. It took three decades for another player to join the 1000/1000 Club. Tragically, Bright died at the age of 53 of a massive heart attack.

Today, there are 30 quarterbacks (and one halfback) in FBS who have run and thrown for 1000 yards in the same season. Other than Denard, none have both run and passed for 1500 yards (the previous rushing record for QBs is 1,494).

Seven quarterbacks have achieved this milestone multiple times: Brad Smith (thrice), Colin Kaepernick (thrice including this year), Vince Young (twice), Pat White (twice), Beau Morgan (twice), Joe Webb (twice), and Joshua Cribbs (twice). Only two people have joined the 1000/1000 club as freshmen: Brad Smith of Missouri, and Joshua Cribbs of Kent State. Air Force leads the overall list with five different QBs, in six different seasons, in the 1000/1000 club. (It is interesting that an instrument of American capitalist imperialism, the U.S. Air Force Academy, is the premier exponent of communist football.)

The list below of 1000/1000 members is sorted this list by rushing yards. Cameron Newton and Colin Kaepernick have also reached the 1000/1000 mark this season. I've also added 2010 season totals for Taylor Martinez, who may also get there. Newton is also likely to join Denard as a 1500-yard rusher.

Player	Team	Year	Rushing	Passing	Total Off.
Newton (on pace for)	Auburn	2010	1,517	2,788	4,306
Dilithium (on pace for)	MICH	2010	1,780	2,509	4,289
Denard Robinson	MICH	2010	1,642	2,316	3,959
Beau Morgan**	Air Force	1996	1,494	1,210	2,704
Joe Webb	UAB	2009	1,427	2,229	3,726
Jammal Lord	Nebraska	2002	1,412	1,362	2,774
Cameron Newton	Auburn	2010	1,409	2,589	3,998
Brad Smith	Missouri	2003	1,406	1,977	3,383
Chris McCoy	Navy	1997	1,370	1,203	2,573
Patrick White	W. Virginia	2007	1,335	1,724	3,059
Brian Mitchell	La.-Lafayette	1989	1,311	1,966	3,277
Brad Smith	Missouri	2005	1,301	2,304	3,605
Dee Dowis	Air Force	1989	1,286	1,285	2,571
Beau Morgan	Air Force	1995	1,285	1,165	2,450
Antwaan Randle El*	Indiana	2000	1,270	1,783	3,053
Johnny Bright (HB)	Drake	1950	1,232	1,168	2,400
Chance Herridge	Air Force	2002	1,229	1,062	2,291
Patrick White	W. Virginia	2006	1,219	1,655	2,874
Keith Boyea	Air Force	2001	1,216	1,253	2,469
Ricky Dobbs	Navy	2009	1,203	1,031	2,234
Colin Kaepernick	Nevada	2009	1,183	2,052	3,235
Colin Kaepernick	Nevada	2010	1,181	2,830	4,011
Dwight Dasher	Middle Tenn.	2009	1,154	2,789	3,943
Michael Desormeaux	La.-Lafayette	2007	1,141	1,405	2,546
Colin Kaepernick	Nevada	2008	1,130	2,849	3,979
Dan LeFevour	Central Mich.	2007	1,122	3,652	4,774
Eric Crouch	Nebraska	2001	1,115	1,510	2,625
Craig Candeto	Navy	2003	1,112	1,140	2,252
Scott Frost	Nebraska	1997	1,095	1,237	2,332
Michael Carter	Hawaii	1991	1,092	1,172	2,264
Vince Young	Texas	2004	1,079	1,849	2,928
Joshua Cribbs	Kent State	2002	1,057	1,014	2,071
Vince Young	Texas	2005	1,050	3,036	4,086
Josh Nesbitt	Ga. Tech	2009	1,037	1,701	2,738
Bart Weiss	Air Force	1985	1,032	1,449	2,481
Ell Roberson	Kansas St.	2002	1,032	1,580	2,612
Brad Smith (Fr.)	Missouri	2002	1,029	2,333	3,362
Joe Webb	UAB	2008	1,021	2,367	3,388
Joshua Cribbs (Fr.)	Kent State	2001	1,019	1,516	2,535
Reggie Collier	So. Miss.	1981	1,005	1,004	2,009
Darian Hagan	Colorado	1989	1,004	1,002	2,006
Woodrow Dantzler	Clemson	2001	1,004	2,360	3,364
Taylor Martinez	Nebraska	2010	942	1,578	2,520

* Previous Big Ten record for rushing yards by a quarterback
** Previous NCAA FBS (I-AA) record for rushing yards by a QB

All-Purpose Touchdowns

There are different ways to calculate touchdown records. The Michigan record book tracks touchdowns scored; i.e., the player who has the ball in his hands in the end zone. The NCAA also tracks all-purpose TDs; i.e., the combination of passing touchdowns and touchdowns scored, something that Michigan does not track.

What is interesting is that we actually do have game-by-game accounts of touchdowns scored going back to the beginnings of Michigan football in 1879. As a result, Michigan does track touchdowns scored on an all-time basis, and not just for the modern era. The all-time Michigan record for touchdowns scored is held by Al Herrnstein, who scored 26 touchdowns in 1902.

In order to look at all-purpose touchdowns, I had to go back and look at individual season statistics to compile the data. I actually went through the game-by-game accounts of the 1901-1905 seasons from the Michigan Alumnus in order to get accurate information about touchdown statistics in the Fielding Yost "point-a-minute" era, and reviewed old NCAA research on pre-1937 touchdown statistics. It's possible that there are other pre-WWII players that I've missed.

According to the stats I've been able to find, Robinson is indeed out front with 30 all-purpose touchdowns, more than any player in the 121-year history of Michigan football. On a per-game basis, Denard at 2.50 per game is second only to Tom Harmon, who scored 23 touchdowns (including a kickoff return and an interception return) over 8 games in 1940, for an average of 2.88. (Harmon also scored 2.50 touchdowns per game in 1939, though over 8 games compared to Denard's 12.) The only asterisk is that I don't have information on passing touchdowns for the Yost-era teams.

Here is the table, sorted by touchdowns per game, with a cutoff of 1.60. Remarkably, the 1901 team had three separate players score at that pace:

Name	Yr.	Pass TD	Rush TD	Rec TD	Kick TD	Int TD	TD	G	TD/G
Tom Harmon, LHB	1940	7	14	0	1	1	23	8	2.88
Denard Robinson, QB	2010	16	14	0	0	0	30	12	2.50
Tom Harmon, RHB	1939	6	13	0	0	1	20	8	2.50
Rick Leach, QB	1978	17	12	0	0	0	29	12	2.42
Al Herrnstein, RHB	1902	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	26	11	2.36
Steve Smith, QB	1981	15	12	0	0	0	27	12	2.25
Chad Henne, QB	2004	25	2	0	0	0	27	12	2.25
Willie Heston, LHB	1904	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	20	9	2.22
Drew Henson, QB	2000	18	2	0	0	0	20	9	2.22
Ron Johnson, RHB	1968	0	19	0	0	0	19	9	2.11
Steve Smith, QB	1983	13	10	0	0	0	23	11	2.09
Elvis Grbac, QB	1991	25	0	0	0	0	25	12	2.08
Chad Henne, QB	2005	23	1	0	0	0	24	12	2.00
John Navarre, QB	2003	24	0	1	0	0	25	13	1.92
Rick Leach, QB	1976	13	10	0	0	0	23	12	1.92
Steve Smith, QB	1982	14	9	0	0	0	23	12	1.92
Desmond Howard, SE	1991	0	2	19	2	0	23	12	1.92
Willie Heston, LHB	1901	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	20	11	1.82
Bob Chappuis, LHB	1947	15	5	0	0	0	20	11	1.82
John Navarre, QB	2002	21	2	0	0	0	23	13	1.77
Elvis Grbac, QB	1990	21	0	0	0	0	21	12	1.75
Tom Brady, QB	1999	20	1	0	0	0	21	12	1.75
Neil Snow, FB	1901	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	19	11	1.73
Bruce Shorts, RT	1901	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	17	10	1.70
Chad Henne, QB	2006	22	0	0	0	0	22	13	1.69
Willie Heston, LHB	1902	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	15	9	1.67

Note that Bruce Shorts scored 17 TDs as an offensive lineman: now those were the days!

The NCAA FBS (I-A) single-season record is 63 touchdowns, by Colt Brennan of Hawaii in 2006 (58 passing, 5 rushing). The per-game record is 5.0 in 1990, by David Klingler of Houston (55 TDs in 11 games).

The FBS single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback is 27, by Ricky Dobbs of Navy in 2009 (in 14 games). The season record for most touchdowns scored (i.e., excluding TD passes thrown) is 39, by Barry Sanders in 1988 over 11 games.

Tim Tebow and Cameron Newton are the only players to have both thrown and run for 20 touchdowns: in 2007, Tebow threw for 32 and ran for 23, and Newton has thrown for 28 and run for 20, with one game left. (Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan threw for 27, ran for 19, and caught 1 in 2007.)

The Michigan career record for most touchdowns scored is held by Yost-era legend Willie Heston, with 69 from 1901-1904 (the Michigan record book lists Heston at 72 TDs, which is incorrect according to my game-by-game tally). The Michigan record for most all-purpose touchdowns is held by Chad Henne, who threw for 87 and ran for 3 (for a total of 90) from 2004-2007. If Denard plays through his senior season, there is a realistic chance that he could break Henne's record.

Here is the team photo of the all-time great team of 1901, courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library. Al Herrnstein is the right-most player in the front row. Neil Snow is the second from the left in the middle row. Willie Heston is right-most in the middle row. Fielding Yost is in the center of the back row. The "501-0" football that captain Hugh White is holding reflects the fact that this picture was taken before the team beat Stanford 49-0 in the inaugural Rose Bowl game of 1902. The lopsided score so disappointed Rose Bowl officials that they didn't hold a second Rose Bowl game until 1916.

Total Offense

Denard already owns the Michigan single-game total offense record (502 yards against Notre Dame). In fact, Denard has broken the old Michigan single-game total offense record four times this year, with games of 502, 494, 383, and 381 yards. (The previous record was 368 by John Navarre against Iowa in 2003.) Against Illinois and Wisconsin, Denard almost broke this record again, gaining 367 and 360 yards respectively: giving him six of the seven highest totals in Michigan history.

Player	Opponent	Year	Rushing	Passing	Total Off.
Denard Robinson	Notre Dame	2010	258	244	502
Denard Robinson	Indiana	2010	217	277	494
Denard Robinson	Connecticut	2010	197	186	383
Denard Robinson	Penn State	2010	191	190	381
John Navarre	Iowa	2003	-21	389	368
Denard Robinson	Illinois	2010	62	305	367
Denard Robinson	Wisconsin	2010	121	239	360
Scott Dreisbach	Virginia	1995	-14	372	358

As noted above, Denard has annihilated John Navarre's single-season total offense record of 3,240 in 2003 (Denard has 3,959 as of today, and projects to an astounding 4,289 yards over 13 games).

The Big Ten single-game total offense record is 585 yards by Dave Wilson of Illinois, vs. Ohio State in 1980. The Big Ten single-season total offense record is 4,189 yards by Drew Brees of Purdue in 2000, which is well within Denard's reach. Denard has to gain 231 yards of total offense in the bowl game to pass Brees; he is currently averaging 330.

The NCAA total offense records are dominated by prolific passers. Those records appear to be unattainable by Denard: 732 yards for a single game (David Klingler, Houston vs. Arizona State, 1990); 5,976 for a season (B.J. Symons, Texas Tech, 2003); 16,910 for a career (Timmy Chang, Hawaii, 2000-2004).

Total Offense Per Play

As with total offense records, these will be tough for Denard to keep pace with, and his performances against Big Ten opponents have left him further behind the pace. Through Saturday, Denard has 3,959 yards of total offense in 495 plays, for an average of 8.0. This would be a Michigan single-season record: the current record is held by Drew Henson, who in 2000 gained 2,140 yards on 270 plays for an average of 7.9.

Here are the NCAA FBS records for a single game: 14.3 by Jason Martin (La. Tech vs. Toledo, 1996) in 37 plays and 9.9 by David Klingler (Houston vs. TCU, 1990) in 63 plays. Denard came pretty close to Martin in the Indiana game, where in 35 plays he averaged 14.1 yards per play (which is almost certainly a Michigan and quite likely a Big Ten record):

Denard Robinson	Attempts + Carries	Total Offense	Yards per Play
Connecticut	51	383	7.51
Notre Dame	68	502	7.38
Massachusetts	31	345	11.13
Bowling Green	9	189	21.00
Indiana	35	494	14.11
Michigan State	50	301	6.02
Iowa	36	201	5.58
Penn State	50	381	7.62
Illinois	39	367	9.41
Purdue	43	244	5.67
Wisconsin	47	360	7.66
Ohio State	36	192	5.33
TOTAL	495	3,959	8.00
NCAA Records	Attempts + Carries	Total Offense	Yards per Play
Game: Jason Martin (La. Tech vs. Toledo, 1996)	37	529	14.30
Game: David Klingler (Houston vs. TCU, 1990)	63	625	9.92
Season: Colt Brennan (Hawaii, 2006)	645	5,915	9.17
Career: Sam Bradford (Oklahoma, 2007-09)	970	8,439	8.70

As you can see in the table, for a single season (minimum 3,000 yards), the record is 9.2 by Colt Brennan (Hawaii, 2006). For a career (minimum 7,500 yards) it's 8.7 by Sam Bradford (Oklahoma, 2007-2009).

Passing Efficiency

Passing efficiency is a statistic that rewards quarterbacks for yards, touchdowns, and completions per attempt, and punishes them for interceptions per attempt. The NCAA formula, which differs from the NFL one, is:

(8.4 * yards) + (330 * TDs) - (200 * INTs) + (100 * completions)
________________________________________________________________

attempts

Denard's 2010 passing efficiency is currently 152.9; his career efficiency (including last year) is 146.2, which is within reach of a Michigan record. Here are Michigan's pass efficiency records:

• Highest efficiency rating, season (min. 100 attempts): 173.3 (Bob Chappuis, 1947) (Denard is at 152.9, good for 7th all-time)
• Highest efficiency rating, career (min. 200 attempts): 148.1 (Elvis Grbac, 1989-1992) (Denard is at 146.2 for his career, good for 2nd all-time and on pace for 4th all-time in the Big Ten)

Bob Chappuis' Michigan single-season mark is also the Big Ten single-season record. (That’s him on the right. Check out that throwing motion.) The NCAA FBS pass efficiency record belongs to Colt Brennan of Hawaii, who reached 186.0 in 2006: out of Denard's reach.

Other Michigan Passing Records

At the end of 2009, here were some of the other Michigan passing records. Denard could break some of the completion percentage records (Tate broke one as well):

• Highest completion percentage, game (min. 10 attempts): 92.3% (Jim Harbaugh, vs. Purdue, 1985, 13 attempts) (Broken by Tate Forcier, 100% in 12 attempts, vs. Bowling Green)
• Highest completion percentage, game (min. 20 attempts): 90.9% (Elvis Grbac, vs. Notre Dame, 1991, 22 attempts) (Denard is 2nd with 86.3% on 22 attempts vs. Connecticut)
• Highest completion percentage, season (min. 100 attempts): 65.3% (Todd Collins, 1992) (Denard is at 62.0%)
• Highest completion percentage, career (min. 200 attempts): 64.3% (Todd Collins, 1991-1994) (Denard is at 60.1% with 281 attempts, on pace for 5th all-time)
• Yards per completion, game (min. 5 completions): Rick Leach, 36.3 vs. Purdue, 1975 (Denard's best is 30.5 with 10 completions vs. Illinois, good for 3rd all-time)
• Yards per completion, game (min. 10 completions): Jim Harbaugh, 30.0 vs. Indiana, 1986 (Broken by Denard Robinson, 30.5 YPC vs. Illinois with 10 completions)
• Yards per completion, season (min. 60 completions): Bob Chappuis, 18.8, 1947 (Denard is at 14.9, on pace for 8th all-time)
• Yards per completion, career (min. 120 completions): Rick Leach, 17.1, 1975-1978 (Denard is at 14.8, good for 8th all-time)

Other Michigan Rushing Records

At the end of 2009, here were the other relevant Michigan rushing records. On average yards per carry, he owns one of the single-game records Michigan tracks, but is surprisingly far from the other ones (not that that couldn't change in a hurry). The single-season and career records are within reach:

• Average gain per rush, single-game (min. 5 carries): 25.80, Denard Robinson vs. Bowling Green (previous record was Leroy Hoard, 18.28 ypc vs. Indiana, 1988)
• Average gain per rush, single-game (min. 10 carries): 18.00, Rob Lytle vs. MSU, 1976 (Denard: 11.42 vs. Indiana on 19 carries)
• Average gain per rush, single-game (min. 15 carries): 15.70, Tyrone Wheatley vs. Washington, 1993 Rose Bowl (Denard: 11.42 vs. Indiana on 19 carries)
• Average gain per rush, single-game (min. 20 carries): 11.19, Ron Johnson vs. Wisconsin, 1968 (Denard: 9.21 vs. Notre Dame on 28 carries)
• Average gain per rush, single-season (min. 75 carries): 7.34, Tyrone Wheatley, 1992 (Denard 2010: 6.71, on pace for 4th all-time)
• Average gain per rush, career (min. 200 carries): 6.29, Jon Vaughn, 1989-1990 (Denard: 6.35 on 296 carries, on pace for 1st all-time)
• 100-yard rushing games, season: 10, Jamie Morris, 1987 (Denard has 9)
• 150-yard rushing games, season: 6, Anthony Thomas, 2000 (Denard has 4)
• 200-yard rushing games, season: 3, Mike Hart, 2004 (Denard has 2)

Also, Denard is one of 5 quarterbacks in NCAA history to record 5 consecutive 100-yard rushing games (the others are Ricky Dobbs of Navy in 2009, Joe Webb of Alabama-Birmingham in 2009, Brian Madden of Navy in 1999, and Beau Morgan of Air Force in 1995). No one has done it 6 times in a row.

Team Offense

Michigan is averaging 500.9 yards per game in total offense, second-highest in Big Ten history? (First place belongs to Penn State's 1994 team, which averaged 512.7 yards per game.) If you take out the 72 extra yards Michigan gained in the three overtimes against Illinois, Michigan is averaging 495.0 yards per game, which would be fifth all-time.

This year's team is on pace to demolish the old Michigan total offense record of 466.9, set in 1992, when Gary Moeller roamed the sidelines, barking orders to Elvis Grbac, Desmond Howard, and Tyrone Wheatley.

Big Ten All-Time Leaders	Year	YPG (Total Offense)
1. MICH (including overtime)	2010	514.6
1. Penn State	1994	512.7
2. Northwestern	2005	500.3
3. Ohio State	1998	497.6
4. Michigan State	2005	497.3
5. MICH (regulation only)	2010	495.0
6. Minnesota	2005	494.8
7. Minnesota	2003	494.6
8. Ohio State	1974	493.2
9. Ohio State	1996	490.4
10. Michigan State	1978	481.3
11. Ohio State	1995	478.6
Michigan All-Time Leaders (QB/WR/RB)	Year	YPG (Total Offense)
1. Robinson / Roundtree / Smith (regulation)	2010	495.0
2. Grbac / Howard / Wheatley	1992	466.9
3. Navarre / Edwards / Perry	2003	446.7
4. Henson / Terrell / Thomas	2000	446.1
5. Grbac / Howard / Vaughn	1990	432.5

In terms of scoring offense, Michigan is averaging 34.3 points per game in regulation (32.5 points per game including the overtime scoring), stats that lag the total offense by yardage due to our terrible kicking and defense. The 7-point output against Ohio State brought the season average outside of Michigan's top 10 all-time teams.

Year	1902	1904	1901	1903	1947	1905	1976	1992	2003	*2010
PPG	58.5	56.7	50.5	47.1	39.4	38.1	36.0	35.9	35.4	32.5

* - Excludes points scored in overtime

The Fielding Yost "point-a-minute" teams averaged 50.5, 58.5, 47.1, 56.7, and 38.1 points per game from 1901 to 1905. Fritz Crisler's 1947 national championship team of Bob Chappuis and Bump Elliott, nicknamed the "Mad Magicians," averaged 39.4. (The official Michigan record book erroneously lists the 1947 average as second-highest in school history; it is missing the performances of 1901, 1903, 1904, and 1905.)

Dynamic offenses have been few and far between in the postwar era. The 1976 Bo Schembechler team, led by Rick Leach and Rob Lytle, scored 36.0 points per game, and owns the rushing season record with 345.3 yards per game. The aforementioned 1992 team averaged 35.9 points; and the 2003 team averaged 35.4.

Here are some other stats:

• Michigan is averaging 7.0 yards per play, which is most all-time in Michigan history (the existing record is 6.4 yards, in 1992 and 1947).
• Michigan is averaging 251.1 rushing yards per game (inclusive of OT; 248.7 regulation-only). (The Big Ten record is 349.9 in 1974 by Ohio State; the Michigan record is 345.3 in 1976.)
• Michigan is averaging 5.7 yards per carry, second-highest in Michigan history (the current record is 5.9 per carry in 1976).
• Michigan is averaging 255.5 passing yards per game (inclusive; 252.0 regulation-only), 3rd all-time in Michigan history. (The record is 270.8 in 2003.)
• Michigan is averaging 23.5 first downs per game (inclusive; 23.3 regulation-only), second-highest in Michigan history. (The current record is 23.9 in 2003.) Over 13 games, this would be the sixth-highest total in Big Ten history.

Miscellaneous Records

As most of you know, against Illinois, Roy Roundtree destroyed a 44-year-old Michigan single-game receiving record, by gaining 246 yards (on 9 catches with 2 TDs). The old record was set in 1966, when Jack Clancy (pictured) gained 197 yards against Oregon State.

Roundtree's mark wouldn't even make the top ten all-time in the Big Ten: the Big Ten record is 301 by Chris Daniels of Purdue against MSU in 1999; the NCAA record is 405 by Troy Edwards of Louisiana Tech against Nebraska in 1998.

Standard Disclaimers

• Wins are more important than stats. The existence of this diary is not meant to imply that individual achievement is more important than the achievement of the team. It is, instead, to pay tribute to Denard's exceptional individual achievement within the context of a (hopefully) successful team. With a few minor exceptions, Denard's stats don't come at the expense of the team: when he rushes for 250 yards or has a QB rating of 270, the team is usually doing well. If you object to this point of view, you don't have to read further.
• Past performance is not a predictor of future results. To the degree I describe end-of-season projections for Denard, I do so simply, rather than Mathletically: (current total) * (13-game season) / (games played to date). As we saw through the season, Denard's projections came down as the defenses got stronger.
• Projections are for a 13-game season. Beginning in 2002, the NCAA revised its single-season and career records to include postseason games. Michigan, with its defeat of the Illini, is set to go to a bowl game this year.
• The quarterback position has evolved significantly. The forward pass was only formally legalized in 1906. From the 1910s until the 1950s, the most common college football formation was Pop Warner's single-wing, in which the quarterback's role was primarily as a blocker, and most passes were thrown by a tailback or halfback. The idea of a quarterback as the primary passer began to take hold after World War II, when coaches such as Clark Shaughnessy at Chicago and Stanford and Paul Brown at Ohio State took advantage of a recently redesigned football that was easier to throw, and married the ancient T formation to the threat of longer passes downfield.

• The record books are murky from 1869 to 1937. Something to keep in mind is that the record books don't actually go back that far in time. At the national level, official statistics have only been recorded since 1937: a mere 52 percent of college football's history. Indeed, the first rules for compiling football statistics were formulated prior to the 1941 season by an NCAA committee headed by Fielding Yost. (College football has been around since 1869.) One has to assume that Yost's point-a-minute teams would have harbored some record-producing players, though the game was quite different then, as noted above. So, to be as precise as possible, we should describe all of these records as modern-era, postwar records.
• Post-1978 records are for Division I-A only. Let me note that all the records here are for Division I-A (FBS), but do include all Division I records prior to the I-A / I-AA split in 1978. I don't really care about who did what in the other divisions, given the inferior level of competition. Personally, I would prefer to eliminate the non-automatically qualifying BCS conferences, but since the NCAA doesn't do that, I won't.
• Post-1996 overtime and pre-1912 scoring rules skew historical comparisons. The NCAA introduced overtime to I-A football in 1996, and soon after determined that points and yards gained in overtime would count toward NCAA records. Given that teams and players did not have the benefit of overtime prior to 1996, I try wherever possible to exclude overtime stats (or at least give both sets of numbers). The modern convention of TDs worth 6 points (+1 PAT) and FGs worth 3 began in 1912. From 1869 to 1882, touchdowns, extra points, and field goals were all worth one point each. From 1882-1883, TDs were worth 2, PATs 4, and FGs 5; from 1884-1897, TDs 4, PATs 2, FGs 5; from 1898-1903, TDs 5, PATs 1, FGs 5; from 1904-1908, TDs 5, PATs 1, FGs 4; from 1901-1911, TDs 5, PATs 1, FGs 3. The two-point conversion was introduced in 1958. I currently don't have the breakdown of TDs, PATs, and FGs for the Yost teams; if anyone else does, I would be pleased to adjust those numbers accordingly so as to make apples-to-apples comparisons with modern teams. The rules of college football evolved rapidly from 1879 to 1930, making strict comparisons difficult. For example, the goal posts were moved from the goal line to the end line (10 yards back of the goal line) only in 1927, which has a huge impact on field goal kicking, and the width of the uprights has varied significantly over time.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Comrade tf (Michigan rushing single-game record) and danieljpaul (Denard's season totals) for corrections. H/T to tubauberalles and enlightenedbum for tracking down the FBS single-game QB rushing record. Comrades Raoul and UM in VA persuaded me to post the total offense numbers, and pointed out Denard's ridiculous per-play stats, which I also added to the diary. Trebor pointed out that we should keep an eye on the impressive seasons of Taylor Martinez and Cam Newton. Comrade U of M in TX helped identify a few updating errors. Raoul also suggested putting in the team offense stats. Hillhaus pointed out that I should discuss the pre-1912 scoring conventions. Raoul and BigHouseInmate suggested I look into Michigan's all-purpose touchdown records, which ended up being a lot of fun. And finally, thanks to all of you for enjoying the Almanack each week. That's what makes it worth my while.

Comrades,

In the comments section of the Wisconsin edition of my Almanack of Broken Records, Comrades Raoul and BigHouseInmate pointed out that Denard may have broken the single-season Michigan record for all-purpose touchdowns with 30 (16 passing, 14 rushing). Michigan does not actually track this particular statistic; instead, M tracks touchdowns scored (i.e., who actually carried the ball into the endzone). That record is held by Al Herrnstein, who scored 26 touchdowns in 1902.

So I had to go back and look at individual season statistics to compile the data. I actually went through the game-by-game accounts of the 1901-1905 seasons from the Michigan Alumnus in order to get accurate information about touchdown statistics in the Fielding Yost Point-A-Minute era, and reviewed old NCAA research on pre-1937 touchdown statistics. It's possible that there are other pre-WWII players that I've missed.

According to the stats I've been able to find, Robinson is indeed out front with 30 all-purpose touchdowns. On a per-game basis, Denard at 2.73 per game is second only to Tom Harmon, who scored 23 touchdowns (including a kickoff return and an interception return) over 8 games in 1940, for an average of 2.88.

It is unusual to be able to compile all-time records for a particular category, because modern football statistics only really came into being in the 1940s. But TDs and scoring are two of the few categories that we can measure from the pre-modern era, making Denard's achievement all the more impressive.

Here is the table, sorted by touchdowns per game, with a cutoff of 1.60. Remarkably, the 1901 team had three separate players score at that pace:

Name	Yr.	Pass TD	Rush TD	Rec TD	Kick TD	Int TD	TD	G	TD/G
Tom Harmon, LHB	1940	7	14	0	1	1	23	8	2.88
Denard Robinson, QB	2010	16	14	0	0	0	30	11	2.73
Tom Harmon, RHB	1939	6	13	0	0	1	20	8	2.50
Rick Leach, QB	1978	17	12	0	0	0	29	12	2.42
Al Herrnstein, RHB	1902	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	26	11	2.36
Steve Smith, QB	1981	15	12	0	0	0	27	12	2.25
Chad Henne, QB	2004	25	2	0	0	0	27	12	2.25
Willie Heston, LHB	1904	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	20	9	2.22
Drew Henson, QB	2000	18	2	0	0	0	20	9	2.22
Ron Johnson, RHB	1968	0	19	0	0	0	19	9	2.11
Steve Smith, QB	1983	13	10	0	0	0	23	11	2.09
Elvis Grbac, QB	1991	25	0	0	0	0	25	12	2.08
Chad Henne, QB	2005	23	1	0	0	0	24	12	2.00
John Navarre, QB	2003	24	0	1	0	0	25	13	1.92
Rick Leach, QB	1976	13	10	0	0	0	23	12	1.92
Steve Smith, QB	1982	14	9	0	0	0	23	12	1.92
Desmond Howard, SE	1991	0	2	19	2	0	23	12	1.92
Willie Heston, LHB	1901	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	20	11	1.82
Bob Chappuis, LHB	1947	15	5	0	0	0	20	11	1.82
John Navarre, QB	2002	21	2	0	0	0	23	13	1.77
Elvis Grbac, QB	1990	21	0	0	0	0	21	12	1.75
Tom Brady, QB	1999	20	1	0	0	0	21	12	1.75
Neil Snow, FB	1901	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	19	11	1.73
Bruce Shorts, RT	1901	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	17	10	1.70
Chad Henne, QB	2006	22	0	0	0	0	22	13	1.69
Willie Heston, LHB	1902	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	15	9	1.67

(EDIT: I added Bob Chappuis' 1947, Ron Johnson's 1968, and Bruce Shorts' 1901 seasons to the list, and added the offensive positions that each player filled. Note that Shorts scored 17 TDs as an offensive lineman: now those were the days!)

The NCAA FBS (I-A) single-season record is 63 touchdowns, by Colt Brennan of Hawaii in 2006 (58 passing, 5 rushing). The per-game record is 5.0 in 1990, by David Klingler of Houston (55 TDs in 11 games).

The FBS single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback is 27, by Ricky Dobbs of Navy in 2009 (in 14 games). The season record for most touchdowns scored (i.e., excluding TD passes thrown) is 39, by Barry Sanders in 1988 over 11 games.

Tim Tebow is the only player to have both thrown and run for 20 touchdowns: in 2007, he threw for 32 and ran for 23. (Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan threw for 27, ran for 19, and caught 1 in 2007.) Cameron Newton may join this 20/20 club in 2010; he has thrown for 21 TDs and run for 17, with three games left.

The Michigan career record for most touchdowns scored is held by Yost-era legend Willie Heston, with 69 from 1901-1904 (the Michigan record book lists Heston at 72 TDs, which is incorrect according to my game-by-game tally). The record for most all-purpose touchdowns is held by Chad Henne, who threw for 87 and ran for 3 (for a total of 90) from 2004-2007. If Denard plays through his senior season, there is a realistic chance that he could break Henne's record. (EDIT: I changed this from the previous version, which incorrectly cited Heston as the all-purpose career leader.)

Here is the team photo of the all-time great team of 1901, courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library. Al Herrnstein is the right-most player in the front row. Neil Snow is the second from the left in the middle row. Willie Heston is right-most in the middle row. Fielding Yost is in the center of the back row. The "501-0" football that captain Hugh White is holding reflects the fact that this picture was taken before the team beat Stanford 49-0 in the inaugural Rose Bowl game of 1902. The lopsided score so disappointed Rose Bowl officials that they didn't hold a second Rose Bowl game until 1916.